Volume 40 (2021)
Larry Tabak Named Acting Director for NIH, Questions Remain Regarding Presidential Nomination
On December 9, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced that Larry Tabak, current principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), would take leadership of NIH as acting director beginning on December 20. Current NIH director Francis Collins announced his intent to step down earlier this year after 15 years of service in the role as the agencyâs director (see previous coverage for more details). Tabak has been a mainstay at NIH, serving as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) for a decade prior to his naming as principal deputy…
FROM THE ARCHIVES: 40 Years of COSSA
To cap off our celebration of COSSA’s 40th anniversary, we are sharing these excerpts from past milestones. You can read all of the articles weâve highlighted this year here. COSSA Celebrates 10th Anniversary as Advocacy Group (June 10, 1991) The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) celebrated its tenth anniversary with a day-long series of events on June 3. It was in May 1981 that social and behavioral science funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and at other federal agencies came under attack by the Reagan administration, mobilizing a number of the professional associations in these disciplines to counter…
FY 2022 Bills Delayed until February, Build Back Better Act Inches Forward
On December 3, the House and Senate agreed to the terms of a second continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open and operating until February 18, 2022. Although fiscal year (FY) 2022 officially began more than two months ago on October 1, Congress has yet to complete negotiations on any of its 12 annual appropriations bills. The latest CR kicks the can into next year, allowing lawmakers time to focus on other year-end priorities. COSSAâs full coverage of FY 2022 appropriations is available here. In the category of âmust-passâ legislation are the annual defense authorization bill, which includes…
GAO Report Cites Need for Better Police Use-of-Force Data
The Government Accountability Office has released a report assessing the release of data from the Department of Justice (DOJ) related to law enforcement use of force. Overall, the report finds that the Department has not been consistently publishing legally required data on excessive force and that DOJ can do a better job of sharing this information. The report makes note of delays in the release of data produced by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), an issue not limited to use-of-force data (COSSA has written several letters advocating for the timely release of BJS data). The report recommends that BJS…
Census Seeking Comment on New âAsk U.S.â Opinion Panel
The Census Bureau is seeking approval for a new nationally representative survey panel called âAsk U.S.,â to be used for âtracking public opinion on a variety of topics of interest to numerous federal agencies and their partners, and for conducting experimentation on alternative question wording and methodological approachesâ as well as potentially collecting ânationwide rapid-response data to address emerging data needs.â Public comment is being accepted on the new activity, which will also be coordinated with the Economic Research Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, among other…
NSF Announces Build and Broaden 3.0 Collaborations with Minority-Serving Institutions
The Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF) is accepting applications for Build and Broaden 3.0, the latest iteration of the collaborative program aiming to support fundamental research and research collaborations at minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Updates on the Build and Broaden program were featured during the SBE Advisory Committee meeting on December 2, with NSF staff providing comments on previous fiscal year awards, updated eligibility criteria for the awards, outreach efforts to tribal-serving institutions, and the creation of a new Program Officer role for Build and Broaden 3.0. The target due date for Build…
Participants Sought for NSF-Funded January Bioeconomies Workshop
UIDP is hosting a virtual workshop January 11-12, with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), to bring together an interdisciplinary group of scientists from the public and private sectors who understand and support societal, economic, behavioral, and other challenges and opportunities that arise in developing a bioeconomy ecosystem. The workshop will convene experts from academia, industry, and public and private sectors to explore societal, economic, behavioral, regulatory, and other challenges and opportunities to help design bioeconomy innovation hubs, such as Regional Innovation Accelerators proposed by NSF, and develop a bioeconomy ecosystem that spurs innovation, entrepreneurship, economic growth, and social…
Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment Releases Year Two Annual Report
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment released its annual report summarizing findings and progress through its second year of work. The Action Collaborative, which was organized in 2019 by more than sixty colleges, universities, and research institutions, is charged with developing evidence-based strategies to prevent sexual harassment in higher education settings. The report describes the progress made across its four main goals: raising awareness about sexual harassment, elevating evidence-based policies to reduce and prevent sexual harassment, contributing to a shared research agenda on sexual harassment across member institutions, and developing standards…
PAA Holds Congressional Briefing on the Demographic Implications of Climate Change
On December 6, the Population Association of America (PAA), a Governing Member of COSSA, organized a virtual Congressional briefing titled âBraving the Storm: How Climate Change Will Affect How and Where We Live.â The briefing, which was moderated by Chair of the PAA Government and Public Affairs Committee Vida Maralani, featured presentations on research reflecting the impact of climate change on international and domestic demographic changes. The first presentation, by Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue of Cornell University, highlighted several demographic implications for climate change and its impact on the Sahel region on the African continent. The second presentation, by Sarah Curran of…
NIH to Hold Series of Listening Sessions on UNITE Initiative and Racial Equity
Throughout the end of 2021 and early 2022, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be holding a series of listening sessions to gather stakeholder feedback on achieving racial equity as part of the agencyâs UNITE Initiative. The UNITE Initiative, which was launched by NIH in March 2021, is intended to analyze and address the agencyâs practices to better foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in the biomedical research enterprise (see previous COSSA coverage for more details). A full list of the upcoming sessions and registration information is available here.
COSSA Urges Congress to Complete FY 2022 Funding
COSSA has issued an action alert calling on advocates to urge their Members of Congress to prioritize completing the FY 2022 appropriations process this year, rather than passing long-term stopgap measures that could further delay funding into next year. The current continuing resolution (CR) expires on December 3. While CRs avert government-wide shutdowns, they also freeze funding for federal agencies at current levels. Operating under funding uncertainty creates inefficiencies for critical federal science and statistical agencies, limits their ability to conduct long-term planning, and creates uncertainty for federally funded researchers. You can take action now by visiting COSSAâs action center.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: 21st Century Cures Act Becomes Law (December 13, 2016)
In celebration of COSSA’s 40th anniversary, we are diving into the decades of Washington Update archives to share articles from years past that resonate with today’s news. In a display of bipartisanship, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act. The House overwhelmingly passed an updated version of the bill (H.R. 34) on November 30 by a vote of 392 to 26. On December 7, the Senate followed suit with its consideration of the bill and passed it by a recorded vote of 94 to 5. President Obama signed the bill on December 13. The comprehensive bill provides an infusion of funding for biomedical research at…
Cures 2.0 Bill Introduced in the House, Includes RISE Act and ARPA-H Authorization
On November 16, Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced the Cures 2.0 Act, long anticipated legislation aiming to bolster the U.S. biomedical research enterprise. Most notably, the legislation would authorize $6.5 billion for an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a long-touted Biden Administration priority. Unlike the previously introduced Advanced Research Project Agency-Health (ARPA-H) Act (H.R. 5585) which authorizes $3 billion for an independent ARPA-H within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Cures 2.0 Act would establish ARPA-H within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (see previous coverage for more details). In addition to…
Applications Being Accepted for Federal Evaluation Fellowships
The Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) at the General Services Administration is currently accepting applications for 2022 fellowships. OES is a team of applied researchers that works to build insights from the social and behavioral sciences into federal programs. OES designs, implements, and analyzes evidence-based interventions and randomized evaluations. Fellows shape their own high-impact portfolio of work, design and direct projects, and author academic publications. For 2022, applications are being sought for Design Fellows (deadline December 10), Fellows (deadline January 3), and Federal Detailees (deadline January 3). More information about all three positions is available on the OES website.
NIH Holds Annual Behavioral and Social Science Research Festival
On November 18-19, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) held the 2021 Behavioral and Social Science Research Festival, an annual event designed to highlight the contributions of recently funded behavioral and social science projects to health research via presentations by extramural and NIH scientists from across the spectrum of disciplines. The two-day event was held virtually. The event hosted presentations on a variety of behavioral and social science topics, with heavy emphasis on health equity among minority populations, mental and cognitive health, and behavioral responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This yearâs festival…
New Gun Violence Prevention Research Group Seeks Nominations
The Gun Violence Prevention Research Roundtable, a new national coalition funded by the Joyce Foundation and administered by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is seeking nominations for members to serve on its advisory committee. The Roundtable will be focused on educating policymakers about the need for federal investments in gun violence prevention research and seeks advisory committee members who can help integrate the expertise of the research community into its work. The group is seeking nominees with expertise in injury prevention, public health research, public policy research, gun violence prevention, clinical medicine, suicide prevention, primary prevention of crime, community violence…
SSRC Launches Global Consortium on Misinformation and Health Research
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) has launched a new initiative, the Mercury Project, a global research consortium focused on combatting mis- and disinformation in public health and finding interventions that support the spread and uptake of accurate health information. The $10 million initiative will provide three-year research grants âto discover new, evidence-based, data-driven tools, methods, and interventions to counter mis- and disinformation and to support the spread and uptake of accurate health information.â More information about the project is available on the SSRC website. Proposals are being accepted on a rolling basis.
Evidence Advisory Committee Recommends Establishment of a National Data Service
The Advisory Committee on Data for Evidence Building (ACDEB) released its first report on October 29. The Committee was created by the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (âEvidence Act,â see previous coverage) and given two years to make recommendations for promoting evidence-building in the federal government, including evaluating the need for and value of a potential National Secure Data Service (NSDS) to facilitate linking data from across the federal government. The ACDEB report affirms the need for the establishment of a NSDS and outlines a broad vision for such a service as a âquasi- or non-governmental entity that is sponsored…
November Headlines to Feature Deep Dive on Funding Opportunities from the W.T. Grant Foundation
COSSA members can sign up for our monthly Headlines webchat to catch up on the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month. Novemberâs webinar will feature a deep dive discussion with Vivian Tsang and Lauren Supplee of the William T. Grant Foundation, who will share information on funding opportunities for social and behavioral scientists. Individuals employed by or affiliated with a COSSA member organization can register for the webchat here.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: NIH Behavioral and Social Science Research Office Emerges from Conference (May 31, 1993)
In celebration of COSSA’s 40th anniversary, we are diving into the decades of Washington Update archives to share articles from years past that resonate with today’s news. The version of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Reauthorization bill that recently emerged from a joint House-Senate conference committee was adopted by the House on May 25 by a 290-130 vote. It is expected that the bill will pass the Senate and be signed into law by President Clinton in the coming weeks. As reported in the May 17 issue of Update, the bill establishes an Office of Behavioral and Social Science…