Bill Riley to Retire as Director of NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

On September 30, William T. Riley, Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Science Research (BSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), announced his retirement from NIH at the end of December 2021. OBSSR Deputy Director Christine Hunter will take over as Acting Director position until a permanent replacement is named.

Riley, who has led BSSR efforts at NIH for the past seven years, has been a tremendous proponent of the social and behavioral sciences through his previous roles at NIH including in the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Riley will be the featured presenter during COSSA’s upcoming October Headlines, when he will discuss a report on Opportunities in Basic Behavioral and Social Science Research and discuss prospects for the future of BSSR at NIH.

COSSA thanks Bill for his years of service in supporting our sciences and look forward to working with Christine to continue supporting BSSR at NIH.