Jane M. Simoni named NIH Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and OBSSR Director

On July 6, Dr. Jane M. Simoni was officially named as the next National Institutes of Health (NIH) Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and Director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). Simoni will assume the role at the end of July.  

Simoni is a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience in research focused on health disparities and resilience among populations that have been socially marginalized. Simoni joins NIH from the University of Washington (UW) where she is Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology. Simoni is the founding director of the UW Behavioral Research Center for HIV and co-directs the UW/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research, where she also is Associate Director of the Behavioral Science Core and Senior Advisor to the eHealth Scientific Working Group.

Simoni has led more than two dozen research projects and collaborated on research and training awards on HIV, mental health, substance use, trauma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and pediatric overweight treatment in the U.S. and globally. Her current work examines the acceptability of long-acting antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection and digital technology to enhance intervention impact and dissemination.

Simoni earned her B.A. at Princeton, her Ph.D. at UCLA, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at USC and Columbia University.