Volume 35 (2016)
Senate Bill Seeks Flat Funding for NSF, NIJ for FY 2017
On April 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year (FY) 2017 Commerce, Justice,Ā Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill. This bill serves as the vehicle for annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Census Bureau, National Institute of JusticeĀ (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and countless other federal departments and agencies. The next step for the CJS bill is consideration on the Senate floor, which has not yet been scheduled. The bill would provide NSF with a total budget of $7.5 billion in FY 2017, flat with the FYĀ 2016 enacted level. Most notably the Senate bill does…
Senate Health Committee Advances Biomedical Innovation Bills
On April 6, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held the third in a series of hearings (March 16 and March 9) to complete its work on companion legislation to the 2015 House-passed 21st Century Cures Act. Opening the hearing, HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) noted that the committee has completed action on approximately 50 bipartisan proposals via 10 hearings and five staff working groups that held more than 100 meetings. The proposals resulting from these deliberations form the Senateās companion legislation to the 21st Century Cures Act. The legislation also serves as the means of…
NIH Appears Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
On April 7, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins appeared before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS), accompanied by five of the NIHās 27 institute and center directors and/or acting directors. Attending were: Richard Hodes, National Institute on Aging (NIA); Doug Lowy, National Cancer Institute (NCI); Nora Volkow, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Walter Koroshetz, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); and Christopher Austin, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
AHRQ Names New Director
Andrew Bindman, a primary care physician and Professor of Medicine, Health Policy, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, has been named the new director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) effective May 2, 2016. His research interests focus on primary care and low-income individualsā access to and quality of health care. Bindmanās previous federal experience includes a fellowship with the House Energy and Commerce Committee and several years as a senior advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Office of Health Policy and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services….
NIH Director Fills Vacancies for PMI Cohort and ECHO Programs
National Institute of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins recently announced the appointments of Eric Dishman as the Director of the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program and Matthew Gillman as the Program Director of the NIH Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO).
NCHS Releases Health, United States 2015
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has released the most recent issue of one of its hallmark publications, Health, United States. The 2015 edition compiles data on the health of the U.S. population, including on mortality and life expectancy, morbidity and risk factors, health insurance coverage, access to and utilization of health care, and health expenditures. This yearās edition also includes a special feature on racial and ethnic health disparities. The full report can be accessed on the NCHS website, as well as the shorter Health, United States, 2015: In Brief. Back to this issueās table of contents.
NIJ Identifies Additional Topics for School Safety Research Initiative
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Director Nancy Rodriguez issued a Dear Colleague letter last month identifying additional research topics as part of the agencyās Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI). The additional guidance suggests topics of interest such as āunderstanding and reducing disparities in school discipline; involvement of local stakeholders and multiple disciplines; data systems for school behavior and discipline; inclusion of safety issues for Indian Country schools and students; event sequence and decision-making analysis; and instances where students are removed from the educational environment.ā The deadline for proposals is May 27. Back to this issueās table of contents.
BTS Issues Quarterly National Transportation Statistics Update
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has issued its quarterly update of National Transportation Statistics, its compilation of data on the U.S. transportation system. The April release updates 44 of the 260 data tables, which cover the impact of the transportation system on safety, the economy, and the environment. Back to this issueās table of contents.
COSSA Welcomes the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences
COSSA is pleased to welcome the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) as its newest member. As its name suggests, CCAS is the national association representing colleges of arts and sciences, with a membership that includes nearly 800 deans at 525 institutions across the U.S. and abroad. The Council exists to āprovide professional-development programming to its member deans and to sustain the arts and sciences as a leading influence in American higher education.ā Welcome CCAS! COSSAās full membership list can be viewed here. Information on how to join can be found on the COSSA website. Back to this…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
AHRQ: Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP): Dissemination and Implementation of Child Health Quality Measures Cooperative Research Grants (U18) (RFA-HS-16-002) AHRQ: Optimizing Care for People Living with Multiple Chronic Conditions through the Development of Enhanced Care Planning (NOT-HS-16-013) AHRQ; Pediatric Quality Measures Program (PQMP): Dissemination and Implementation of Child Health Quality Measures Cooperative Research Grants (U18) (RFA-HS-16-002) FDA: Collaborating Centers of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (U01) (RFA-FD-16-036) NIH opportunities: NIH: Population Health Interventions: Integrating Individual and Group Level Evidence (R01) (PA-16-146), (R21) (PAR-16-146) [DPCPSI, OBSSR, NCI, NIAAA, NIDCR, NIDA, NIDCD] NIAID, NIMH: Understanding HIV Rebound (P01) (RFA-AI-16-028) NIDA: Growing…
Events Calendar
Alcohol, Stress, and the Brain: Implications for Treatment and Recovery, Washington, DC, May 5, 2016 2016 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Lecture: Policy, Politics and Partisanship, Washington, DC, May 12, 2016 American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference, Austin, TX, May 12-15, 2016 Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, June 2-5, 2016 Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, June 24-26, 2016 Joint Statistical Meetings, Chicago, IL, July 30-August 4, 2016 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Denver, CO, August 4-7, 2016 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, August 16-19, 2016 American Sociological…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 35 Issue 8
Featured News Researchers Discuss Projects Targeted by Wastebooks at Capitol Hill Poster Exhibition COSSA in Action COSSA Submits FY 2017 Testimony on NIH, CDC, Education, and Other Agencies Congressional News House and Senate Get Moving on 2017 Spending Bills House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Passes Subcommittee Federal Agency & Administration News OBSSR to Hold Webinars to Present 2016-2020 Strategic Plan NASS Launches New Local Foods Survey NSF Seeks Nominations for Advisory Committees Nominations Sought for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force EPA Seeks Scientific Advisory Committee Members Publications & Community Events National Academies Holds Workshop on ACS Respondent Burden Funding Opportunity Announcements…
COSSA Submits FY 2017 Testimony on NIH, CDC, Education, and Other Agencies
COSSA submitted its annual Outside Witness Testimony to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. COSSAās testimony for fiscal year (FY) 2017 addresses the need for strong funding of the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Institute for Education Sciences, and Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs. ClickĀ hereĀ to read testimony submitted to the House, andĀ hereĀ for the Senate. Back to this issueās table of contents.
OBSSR to Hold Webinars to Present 2016-2020 Strategic Plan
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) is holding two webinars to present the Officeās 2016-2020 Strategic Plan and to solicit feedback from the scientific community, including āresearchers in academia and industry, scientific or professional organizations, public health and health care professionals, patient advocacy organizations, and other interested members of the public.ā OBSSR Director William Riley and Deputy Director G. Stephane Philogene will present the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan during both webinars; the information provided will be the same. The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, May 10, 2016 (10:30 ā 11:30 am EDT) and…
NASS Launches New Local Foods Survey
The U.S. Department of Agricultureās (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has begun data collection for its first-ever Local Food Marketing Practices Survey, which will produce official benchmark data on the U.S. local food sector. According to a NASS press release, the survey will produce information on āthe value of food sales by marketing channel (i.e. farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) arrangements, restaurants, roadside stands, food hubs, and more), value of crop and livestock sales, marketing practices, expenses, Federal farm program participation, and more.ā NASS expects to release the data in December 2016. Back to this issueās table of…
NSF Seeks Nominations for Advisory Committees
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued its annual call for recommendations for membership to its various advisory committees and technical boards. These committees advise NSFās offices and directorates on program management, research direction, and policies impacting the agency.Ā Committees of particular interest to the COSSA community include the Advisory Committee for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences and the Advisory Committee for Education and Human Resources.Ā Recommendations for membership are maintained for 12 months. See the Federal Register notice for details on how to submit names. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Nominations Sought for U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is an independent advisory body that makes evidence-based recommendations about the effectiveness of clinical preventive services and health promotion. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which supports the work of the USPSTF, is accepting nominations for candidates to serve on the Task Force. In addition to expertise in evaluation of research, preventive medicine, and implementation of recommendations, candidates are sought with experience in public health, health equity and health disparities, application of science to health policy, behavioral medicine, and communication of scientific findings to multiple audiences. Applications are due by May…
EPA Seeks Scientific Advisory Committee Members
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting nominations for candidates to serve on two scientific advisory bodies: the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). More information on the jurisdiction of the committees and how to submit nominations is available in the Federal Register notice. Nominations are due on May 6, 2016. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Researchers Discuss Projects Targeted by Wastebooks at Capitol Hill Poster Exhibition
On April 13, the COSSA-led Coalition to Promote Research (CPR) and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) sponsored a Congressional exhibition and reception, āWastefulā Research? Looking Beyond the Abstract, designed to provide researchers whose work had been targeted in the various Congressional āwastebookā publications an opportunity to put their research into context for Members of Congress and their staff. The unique Congressional exhibition and reception featured nine researchers from across the disciplinary spectrum. Also presented were posters on the peer/merit review process by National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Participating researchers included: Aletha Akers,…
House and Senate Get Moving on 2017 Spending Bills
More than a dozen markups and hearings are scheduled this week for House and Senate Appropriations committees and subcommittees. Appropriators are moving ahead with writing their respective fiscal year (FY) 2017 appropriations bills, despite no agreement on top-line funding levels by way of a budget resolution. You will recall that a bipartisan budget deal was struck back in October, which provided for an extra $30 billion (of a $1.1 trillion total federal budget) in discretionary spendingāsplit evenly between defense and nondefenseāin FY 2017. However, the most conservative wing of the GOP in the House are digging in their heels, demanding…