Search Results: nih

NIH Seeks Information on Research Supplement to Promote Workforce Diversity in Small Business

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting input on a ā€œproposed new supplement to facilitate participation of women and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in small businessesā€ through the congressionally-mandated Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The request for information (RFI), Research Supplement to Promote Workforce Diversity in Small Businesses (NOT-OD-17-008), notes that although SBIR/STTR awardees are eligible to apply for diversity supplements, the participation rates in the program are very low. Accordingly, the agency is seeking input to understand the barriers preventing these populations from participating in the ā€œexisting diversity supplement program…

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Alan Krueger Wins 2017 Moynihan Prize

The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, announced economist Alan Kruger as the winner of the 2017 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize. Kruger is a professor at Princeton University and served as Chairman of President Obamaā€™s Council of Economic Advisors from 2011 to 2013. Kruger also served as the Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Chief Economic at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor. The Moynihan Prize was established in 2007 to ā€œrecognize social scientists, public officials, and civic leaders who champion the use of informed judgement…

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NIH Recognizes Sexual and Gender Minorities as a Health Disparity Population

On October 6, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Director Eliseo PĆ©rez-Stable announced the “formal designation of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) as a health disparity population” for the purposes of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research. The Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-525) gives the directors of NIMHD and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) authority to define health disparity populations. The designation follows recommendations of a 2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM) (now the National Academy of Medicine) Committee tasked with assessing the current state of…

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NIH to Develop First NIH-Wide Nutrition Strategic Plan

On October 11, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Nutrition Research Task Force (NRTF) announced that the agency will develop a strategic plan for nutrition research for the next decade.Ā  . The strategic plan, to be developed over the next two years, is expected to “emphasize cross-cutting, innovative opportunities to accelerate nutrition research across a wide range of areas, from basic science to experimental design to training.” In addition to soliciting feedback from the public and the scientific community, NRTF will appoint a senior leadership group to guide the plan’s implementation. Back to this issueā€™s table of contents.Ā 

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NIH Launches ECHO Program

On September 21, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the launch of the seven-yearĀ Environmental Influences on Children Health Outcomes (ECHO) programĀ designed to ā€œinvestigate how exposure to a range of environmental factors in early development–from conception through early childhood–influences the health of children and adolescents.ā€ The agency planned to allocate $157 million in funding in fiscal year (FY) 2016 for ECHO. Presenting at the September 21 National Advisory Child Health and Human Development (NACHHD) Council, ECHO Director Matthew Gillman outlined the goals of the study. Gillman noted that the aims for ECHO are consistent with the agencyā€™s goals for the…

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ā€˜Statisticians Share Insights for Applicants and Reviewersā€™ with NIH Center for Scientific Review

In its September 2016 edition of Peer Review Notes, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) shared a recent discussion the Center had with members and staff of theĀ American Statistical Association (ASA). According to CSR, the discussion ā€œcovered many important topics and insights… including how statisticians can (1) help improve rigor and reproducibility, (2) be key members of a research team, (3) identify common statistical issues, and (4) play valuable roles in peer review meetings.ā€ The American Statistical Association is a COSSA Governing member. Back to this issueā€™s table of contents.Ā 

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NIH Department of Bioethics Fellowship Opportunities Available for Fall 2017

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Department of Bioethics is accepting applications for its fall 2017 fellowship program. The two-year post-doctoral and pre-doctoral fellows engage in the activities and “intellectual life” of the Department, as well as study “ethical issues related to conduct of research, clinical practice, genetics, and health policy.” In addition to having access to educational opportunities at NIH, fellows also have opportunities to participate in weekly bioethics seminars, case conferences, ethics consultations, and IRB deliberations. The application deadline for the post-doctoral fellowship is December 31, 2016 and January 15, 2017 for the pre-doctoral fellowship. To view the…

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NIH Center for Scientific Review Seeks Director for Division of AIDS, Behavioral, and Population Sciences

The National Institute of Healthā€™s (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is seeking a Director for its Division of AIDS, Behavioral, and Population Sciences (DABP). The Director of DABP is a member of CSRā€™s senior management, advises the Director of CSR and other NIH officials on scientific issues relevant to the Division and its mission, and represents CSR within and outside of NIH. DABPā€™s director will ā€œprovide scientific leadership for the Division, which handles reviews covering the broad fields of AIDS and AIDS related research, biobehavioral and behavioral processes, epidemiology and population sciences, healthcare delivery and methodologies, and risk, prevention…

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NIH Seeks Input on Metrics to Assess Value of Biomedical Digital Repositories

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting the input of the scientific community regarding ā€œmetrics to assess the value and impact of biomedical digital data repositories that may provide a basis for technical and science policy actions required to supportā€ repositoriesā€™ long-term sustainability. NIH notes that its goal for data management and sharing ā€œis to make publicly-funded data broadly accessible to support reuse, reproducibility and discovery while simultaneously balancing the costs and the benefits.ā€ Accordingly, the agency has issued a request for information (RFI), (NOT-OD-16-133), seeking information on qualitative and quantitative metrics that describe utilization at multiple levels; quality…

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National Plan to Address Alzheimerā€™s Disease Updated; NIH Releases FY 2018 AD Bypass Budget

On August 1, the Advisory Council on Alzheimerā€™s Research, Care, and Services under the auspices of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) discussed a draft of the National Plan to Address Alzheimerā€™s Disease: 2016 Update. At that same meeting, National Institute on Aging (NIA) Director Richard Hodes presented the NIAā€™s fiscal year (FY) 2018 Alzheimerā€™s Disease (and related dementias) Bypass Budget, ā€œStopping Alzheimerā€™s Disease and Related Dementias: Advancing Our Nationā€™s Research Agenda.ā€

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NIH Aging Institute Seeking to Fill Vacancies

The National Institute on AgingĀ (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking candidates forĀ a number of job vacancies and has released pre-announcements for the positions. NIAā€™s Division of Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) and its recently appointed director John Haaga are looking to fill the following positions: Deputy Director Research Program Analysts (2 positions) Health Scientist Administrator for Alzheimerā€™s Disease Chief of BSRā€™s Population and Social Processes Branch Health Scientist Administrator The Institute is also seeking a Public Affairs Specialist in the Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL), a Program Analyst in the Division of Neuroscience, a…

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Video Shares Insights into NIH Grant Application and Peer Review Process

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific ReviewĀ (CSR) recently posted a video compiling insights from individuals who have participated in the NIHā€™s peer review process, including peer reviewers, study section chairs, and NIH staff. The video is designed to guide applicants in planning and writing a competitive grant application, including writing the summary and specific aims sections of the application; explaining why the research is essential; and the importance of explaining proposed techniques, among other suggestions. The video is part of CSRā€™sĀ Insiderā€™s Guide to Peer Review for Applicants. Back to this issueā€™s table of contents.

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Scientific Workforce Diversity Discussed at NIH Advisory Committee Meeting

On June 9, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity Hannah Valantine updated the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) on the findings and recommendations of the ACDā€™s African American/Black Funding Disparity Working Group. Valantine presented the key findings of the Working Group followed by a discussion of how the Working Group framed its suggestions regarding NIHā€™s plans to address the issue in the coming months. She reported that the Groupā€™s analysis found that there are funding disparities at every stage of the application process from submissions to funding. In particular, the analysis found…

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OBSSR 2016-2020 Strategic Plan Discussed at NIH Council of Councils

On May 20, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Director William Riley updated and received feedback from the NIH Council of Councils regarding the progress of the OBSSR 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. The Council consists of approximately 30 members, selected from the various NIH Institute and Center (IC) Advisory Councils, representatives nominated by the Office of the Director program offices, and broad lay representation. It also advises the NIH Director on matters related to the policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), where OBSSR is housed.

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Maureen Goodenow Appointed NIH Associate Director for AIDS Research

On May 18, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins announced the selection of Maureen M. Goodenow as NIH Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director of the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR). Goodenow, currently at the University of Florida, Gainesville, is a professor of pathology, immunology, and laboratory medicine, and the Director of the Florida Center for AIDS Research. She is expected to join the agency in July. Back to this issueā€™s table of contents.

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NIH Appoints Director of National Library of Medicine

On May 11, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins announced the appointment of Patricia Flatly Brennan as the new director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The Lillian L. Moehlman Bascom Professor at the School of Nursing and College of Engineering, Brennan comes to the NIH from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she leads the Living Environments Laboratory at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. A pioneer in the development of information systems for patients, she developed ComputerLink, ā€œan electronic network designed to reduce isolation and improve self-care among home care patients.ā€ Brennan is expected to join the…

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Office of AIDS Research Issues RFI on Trans-NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of AIDS Research (OAR) in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) recently issued a request-for-information (RFI) (NOT-OD-16-089) seeking input on the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Trans-NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research. The 2018 Plan is ā€œdesigned to identify and articulate possible future directions to maximize benefits of investments in HIV/AIDS research.ā€ In August 2015, NIH issued ā€œnew overarching prioritiesā€ for the next three to five years for HIV/AIDS research in a Notice, NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities and Guidelines for Determining AIDS Funding (NOT-OD-15-137). The Notice also outlined guidelines the agency…

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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 NIHā€™s 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).

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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).

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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. COSSAā€™s 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 issueā€™s table of contents.

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