NIH
Inaugural NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival â December 2, 2016
On December 2, 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) will hold an inaugural NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival. Intended to become an annual event, the festival âwill highlight recently funded contributions of behavioral and social science to health research.â It will also âexplore new directions for health-related behavioral and social science research.â The event is tailored to build the âunderstanding and capacity to implement transformative behavioral and system interventions that lead to sustainable improvements in health and well-being.â The festival agenda and additional information is available on OBSSRâs website….
Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program Renamed âAll of Usâ Research Program
On October 12, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program has been renamed the All of Us Research Program. The name change, according to the announcement, reflects the studyâs core values, which include âparticipation is open to all; participants reflect the rich diversity of the U.S.; participants are partners; participants have access to their information; data will be accessed broadly for research purposes; security and privacy will be of highest priority; and the program will be a catalyst for positive change in research.â The programâs name change also incorporates the feedback NIH…
NIH Releases Five-Year Rehabilitation Research Plan
After two years of planning and soliciting public input, the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released the NIH Research Plan on Rehabilitation. The government-wide plan, coordinated by NCMRR, addresses the need for rehabilitation research; NIHâs investment in rehabilitation research; current medical rehabilitation research activities at NIH; opportunities, needs, and priorities; and NIHâs coordination with other federal agencies. Seventeen NIH institutes and centers support rehabilitation research, and the plan âcalls for the continuation of programs to understand the…
NIH Seeks Information on Research Supplement to Promote Workforce Diversity in Small Business
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting input on a âproposed new supplement to facilitate participation of women and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in small businessesâ 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 âexisting diversity supplement program…
NRMN Seeking Applicants for Grant Proposal Writing & Professional Development Coaching Groups
The National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) recently announced a new “R01 Resubmission” Grant Proposal Writing Coaching Group, designed for individuals who are resubmitting an R01 (investigator-initiated) grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the spring and summer of 2017. A ânationwide consortium of biomedical professionals and institutions collaborating to provide all trainees across the biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences with evidence-based mentorship and professional development programming that emphasizes the benefits and challenges of diversity, inclusivity and culture within mentoring relationships, and more broadly the research workforce,â NRMNâs specific goal is to enhance the diversity of the…
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 PĂ©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…
National Institute of Mental Health Releases Update of Strategic Research Priorities
On October 12, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released updates to its Strategic Research Priorities, which provides guidance to potential grant applicants, NIMH grantees, and NIMH staff “for the design and implementation of future research.” The priorities address the four strategic areas outlined in NIMH’s 2015 Strategic Plan for Research. The recently released Strategic Research Priorities highlight the use of common data elements, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project, the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, and NIMH’s experimental therapeutics approach. Back to this issueâs table of contents.Â
NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Research: ‘A Wealth of New Opportunities’
In a recent National Institute on Aging (NIA) blog, Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers, Director Richard Hodes highlighted the latest concept clearances approved by NIA’s advisory committee. Hodes also announced that the Institute expects to release a record number of new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) over the next several months. He emphasized that the FOAs that are developed from the concept proposals will involve “every NIA division” and, in “a number of cases, two or more divisions will co-sponsor an FOA.” Hodes encourages researchers to examine the list of concepts and begin to think about submitting a grant proposal….
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. . 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 issueâs table of contents.Â
COSSA Releases Third Issue of âSetting the Record Straight on âWasteful Researchââ
COSSA has released the third issue of Setting the Record Straight on “Wasteful Research” (PDF available here). This series features interviews with researchers whose work has been called out in Congressional wastebooks or other attacks. Through this series, researchers are given the chance to set the record straight about the value and potential of their work–and confront misconceptions about social science research funded by the federal government. This edition features Kimberley Phillips (Trinity University), whose grant to study the effect of exercise on neurodegenerative diseases was caricatured in Sen. Jeff Flake’s 2015 “The Farce Awakens” wastebook. Back to this issueâs table…
ABCD Study Begins Enrollment; Congressional Briefing Highlights Studyâs Potential
On September 16, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the beginning of participant recruitment for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. The project is the largest long-term study of brain development in the United States, with 19 research sites positioned around the country to examine âhow childhood experiences affect brain, social, emotional, and cognitive development, including those that directly affect classroom behavior and academic success.â In addition to looking at brain development, the study will allow researchers to examine health outcomes, such as weight, growth, sleep quality, mental health, substance use, and injury. It will also let them examine…
GAO: Agencies Involved in the Indirect Cost Rate-Setting Process Need to Improve Controls
A September 7 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, NIH Biomedical Research: Agencies Involved in the Indirect Cost Rate-Setting Process Need to Improve Controls (GAO-16-616), includes 12 recommendations for the Department of Health and Human Serviceâs Cost Allocation Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Division of Financial Advisory Services, and the Department of Defenseâs Office of Naval Research. According to GAO, the recommendations are designed to improve controls over the agencyâs indirect cost rate process. GAO was asked to âreview the internal controls for overseeing the validity of indirect cost rates for NIHâs research organization.â The study was initiated by…
NIA Council Approves Continued Support of Health and Retirement Study and Other Research Programs
On September 28, the National Advisory Council on Aging of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) approved a concept clearance allowing the Institute to move forward with the next Health and Retirement Study (HRS) funding opportunity announcement. HRS, a longitudinal study, is the âleading source for information on the health and economic well-being of adults age 50 and older in the United States.â The Council also approved four other concept clearances related to behavioral and social research: development of socially assistive robots, pragmatic trials for dementia care, delirium and Alzheimerâs and Related Dementia, and multi-morbidity in Alzheimerâs impacts choice of ancillary treatments. Back…
NIH Launches ECHO Program
On September 21, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the launch of the seven-year Environmental Influences on Children Health Outcomes (ECHO) program designed to âinvestigate how exposure to a range of environmental factors in early development–from conception through early childhood–influences the health of children and adolescents.â 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 agencyâs goals for the…
NIGMS/NRMN Announces New Web-Based Platform for Mentoring; Highlights Special Journal Issue on Broadening Participation
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced the launch of MyNRMN, part of the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). NIGMS manages NRMN for the NIHâs Common Fund Diversity Program Consortium, which in addition to the NRMN includes the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative and the Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC). In a recent NIGMS Feedback Loop blog post announcing MyNRMN, NIGMS staff explained that the new web-based platform is intended to help researchers and students connect professionally and is âdesigned for scientists at every level.â Additionally, it can be…
NIGMS Director Updates Council on Second Phase of MIRA Pilot
During the September 16 meeting of the National Advisory General Medical Sciences Council, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Director Jon Lorsch provided an update on the second phase of a two-part pilot program for funding research supported by the Institute. The goal of the Maximizing Investigatorâs Research Award (MIRA) for New and Early Stage Investigators (R35) pilot is to âincrease the efficiency and efficacy of NIGMS funding.â Lorsch defined new investigators as individuals who have not had a major NIH grant, and early stage investigators (ESI) as individuals within 10 years of their terminal degree, research, or medical…
âStatisticians Share Insights for Applicants and Reviewersâ 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 the American Statistical Association (ASA). According to CSR, the discussion âcovered 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.â The American Statistical Association is a COSSA Governing member. Back to this issueâs table of contents.Â
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…
Request for Information Solicits Input on International Trends in Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released a request for information (RFI) (NOT-HL-16-440) seeking input for an October 2018 conference that will address “international trends in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.” The conference will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landmark “Conference on the Declining Mortality from Coronary Heart Disease” (CHD). That conference brought together experts from epidemiology, clinical research, cardiology, and public health. Similarly, NHLBI would like to bring experts “in a broad range of fields to consider from a global perspective where we are in terms of understanding the…
Nursing Institute Releases New Strategic Plan
On September 15, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a new strategic plan, “Advancing Science, Improving Lives: A Vision for Nursing Science.” The new strategic plan was informed by NINR’s Innovative Question (IQ) initiative, which “sought to explore unanswered questions, promote results-oriented research, and guide the science over the next five to 10 years.” Four areas of scientific focus are highlighted in the plan: symptom science, wellness, self-management, and end of life and palliative care. Back to this issue’s table of contents.Â