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 year’s festival also recognized outgoing OBSSR Director Dr. Bill Riley, who will retire at the end of this year and delivered remarks on the “State of Behavioral and Social Science Research at NIH.” In his brief remarks, Dr. Riley stated that “it has been humbling and overwhelming to be in charge of such a wide array of research that continues to make advances in public health.”

Recordings of the festival will be available on the NIH Videocast website shortly.