A staple since COSSAās earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.Ā
NIH Releases Alzheimerās Disease Bypass Budget Proposal for FY 2017
On July 27, National Institutes of Health (NIH) director Francis Collins released the first Professional Judgement Budget, also known as the Bypass Budget, for Alzheimerās disease (AD) and related dementias, Bypass Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2017āReaching for a Cure: Alzheimerās Disease and Related Dementias Research at NIH. The bypass budget was mandated by Congress in the National Alzheimerās Project Act enacted in 2011 (P.L. 111-375). The fiscal year (FY) 2017 bypass budget outlines the āoptimal approach NIH would take in an ideal world unconstrained by fiscal limitations.ā It concludes that NIH could āsignificantly accelerate progress against Alzheimerās disease with…
AAAS Calls for Nominations for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
Nominations are being sought for the American Association for the Advancement of Scienceās (AAAS) Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award. The award recognizes scientists, engineers, or associations who have acted to foster scientific freedom and responsibility, for example, āacting to protect the public’s health, safety or welfare; focusing public attention on important potential impacts of science and technology on society by their responsible participation in public policy debates; or establishing important new precedents in carrying out the social responsibilities or in defending the professional freedom of scientists and engineers.ā Nominations are due by September 1, 2015. Back to this issueās table…
DBASSE Seeks Science Education Program Officer
The Board on Science Education (BOSE) within the National Academiesā Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) is accepting applications for a Program Officer. The Program Officer āwill be responsible for managing programs or projects and is responsible for developing project strategies and ensuring projects meet their stated objectives. He/she will serve as the liaison between expert committee members, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and other applicable parties and will supervise staff.ā More information and application instructions are available here. Back to this issueās table of contents.
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows to Host Live Chat
On August 20, Science and Technology Policy Fellows from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will host a live chat session to answer questions about the fellowship. The session is geared in particular towards those with backgrounds in the social sciences who want to learn more. More details and a link to watch are available on the AAAS website. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NCHS/CDC: Research and Methods in Health Statistics (RFA-SH-16-001) NIMHD:Ā NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research on Chronic Disease Prevention (U54)(RFA-MD-15-014) NICHD:Ā Biomedical and Behavioral Research Innovations to Ensure Equity (BRITE) in Maternal and Child Health (R15) (PAR-15-319) NIMH:Ā Pilot Services Research Grants Not Involving Interventions (R34) (PAR-15-323) NIH:Ā BRAIN: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01)Ā (RFA-EB-15-006) (NBIB, NCCIH, NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NICHD, NIDA,Ā NIDCD, NIMH, NINDS, OBSSR, ORWH) Back to this issueās table of contents.
Congressional Briefing Explores the Impact of Education on Mortality
On July 27, the Population Association of America (PAA) held a congressional briefing, āLive Long and Prosper: The Impact of Education on Mortality,ā which focused on the federal investments in longitudinal demographic research that have allowed researchers to identify and measure how educational attainment affects important life factors, including long-term health and mortality. COSSA joined PAA, a COSSA Governing Member, along with several other COSSA member organizations in sponsoring the briefing. Sharing the latest findings with a standing-room-only audience, the panel of distinguished researchers included Robert M. Kaplan, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and former director of the…
CASBS Is Accepting Applications for Its 2016-2017 Residential Fellowship
Stanford Universityās Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is currently accepting applications for residential fellowships for the 2016-17 academic year. The CASBS fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity for scholars to pursue innovative research and expand their horizons while engaging in a diverse, interdisciplinary community. A CASBS fellowship has been considered a career milestone for any scholar, and most recipients report that the year had a transformative effect on their work. Online applications will be accepted at the Centerās website through November 6, 2015, for the 2016-2017 fellowship year. For more information, guidelines, and application requirements,…
Events Calendar
American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 Enhancing Policy, Transforming Careers: Chat Series with S&T Policy Fellows, August 20, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 National Conference on Health Statistics, Bethesda, MD, August 24-26, 2015 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, September 3-5, 2015 Economic History Association Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN, September 11-13, 2015 Innovations in Research: Collaborations & Transformations, Cleveland, OH, September 16, 2015 Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Denver, CO, October 15-18, 2015 A list of COSSA membersā annual meetings and…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 34 Issue 14
Featured News Why Social Science? Share Your Stories! Congressional News Senate Committee Seeks Comments on COMPETES Revision FY 2016 Process Stalled as Congress Heads for Summer Break Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill Advances through Committee Federal Agency & Administration News NIH Seeks Input on Congressionally-Mandated Agency-Wide Strategic Plan NIH Seeks Comments on Proposed Alternative to National Childrenās Study Publications & Community Events AAAS Collecting Stories to Highlight the Importance of Scientific Conferences Funding Opportunity Announcements COSSA Member Spotlight COSSA Welcomes Virginia Tech Events Calendar
Senate Committee Seeks Comments on COMPETES Revision
On July 8, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee issued a press release requesting public input to help guide the Committee’s development of America COMPETES Act reauthorization legislation. A follow-up release was issued last week providing additional details on the Committeeās plans. COMPETES is legislation originally enacted in 2007 that sought to ensure U.S. leadership in science and technology by making targeted investments at U.S. basic science agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF). As COSSA has been reporting, the House introduced and ultimately passed its version of COMPETES legislation earlier this year with steep proposed cuts to social…
FY 2016 Process Stalled as Congress Heads for Summer Break
Despite promises from Republican leaders in the House and Senate to pass fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations legislation through āregular orderā this year, the FY 2016 process has stalled amid issues ranging from a policy rider pertaining to flying of the Confederate flag on federal grounds that killed the bills in the House and calls for the need to broker a larger budget deal. The House and Senate made some progress before the process sputtered out in recent weeks, with both chambers advancing all 12 of their bills through committee and the House managing to pass six of them; however,…
AAAS Collecting Stories to Highlight the Importance of Scientific Conferences
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has launched a campaign to illustrate for policymakers the positive impacts scientific and technical conferences have on research. Over the past several years, federal regulations and policies have made it increasingly difficult for scientists and researchers employed by the federal government to attend conferences. AAAS is asking for stories that āhighlighting the importance of conference participation to a healthy scientific and technical community,ā particularly stories that involve collaboration with scientists from federal agencies, national labs, or research institutes. Stories may be submitted on the AAAS website. Back to this issueās table…
Funding Opportunity Announcements
NICHD: Innovative Development/Use of Technology to Increase HIV Testing and Linkage to Care Efforts in Adolescent Populations (R41/R42, R43/R44) (RFA-HD-16-029) (RFA-HD-16-030) NHLBI: Sickle Cell Disease Implementation Consortium (SCDIC): Using Implementation Science to Optimize Care of Adolescents and Adults with Sickle Cell Disease (U01, U24) (RFA-HL-16-010) (RFA-HL-16-011) NIAAA: Alcohol Use Disorders: Behavioral Treatment, Services and Recovery Research (R01, R03) (PA-15-299) (PA-15-300) Back to this issueās table of contents.
COSSA Welcomes Virginia Tech
COSSA is thrilled to welcome Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) as its newest university member. Located in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Tech receives more than $7 million annually in federal social and behavioral science research awards and is home to the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment. COSSA’s full membership list can be viewed here. Interested in joining COSSA? More information here. Back to this issueās table of contents.
Events Calendar
Live Long and Prosper: the Impact of Education on Mortality, Washington, DC, July 27, 2015 Toxic Stress: How Economic Inequality Hurts Early Childhood Development, Washington, DC, July 30, 2015 American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada, August 6-9, 2015 Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting, Madison, WI, August 6-9, 2015 American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meetings, Seattle, WA, August 8-13, 2015 American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 22-25, 2015 National Conference on Health Statistics, Bethesda, MD, August 24-26, 2015 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, September 3-5, 2015 Economic History Association Annual Meeting, Nashville,…
NIH Seeks Input on Congressionally-Mandated Agency-Wide Strategic Plan
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently issued a time-sensitive Request for Information (RFI) (NOT-OD-15-118) inviting comments and suggestions on the framework for its congressionally-mandated NIH-wide Strategic Plan. NIH is requesting feedback by August 16, 2015. The agency also plans to host webinars in early to mid-August to gather additional input. NIH Deputy Director Larry Tabak presented the agencyās first iteration of its draft plan at the June 11 meeting of the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) (see Update, July 14, 2015). At the July 20 meeting of the ACD, Tabak presented a revised draft framework incorporating the…
Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill Advances through Committee
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY 2016 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill (S. 1800) on July 16, after the billās approval by the Agriculture Subcommittee earlier in the week. Among the agencies funded in the bill are the U.S. Department of Agricultureās (USDA) principal statistical agencies, the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which houses the Departmentās main competitive grants program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). The House Appropriations Committee passed its version of…
NIH Seeks Comments on Proposed Alternative to National Childrenās Study
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is inviting comments on its proposed plan for the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program and has issued a time-sensitive Request for Information (RFI). Background The ECHO program responds to the NIHās decision to discontinue the National Childrenās Study (NCS) in December 2014, per the recommendations of a working group of the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) of NIH (See Update, December 19, 2014). NIH emphasizes that in keeping with the spirit of the NCS, ECHO aims to address the critical goal of understanding the impact of environmental influences on childrenās…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 34 Issue 13
Featured News COSSA Releases Statement on House & Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Bills COSSA in Action COSSA Joins Partners in Advocating for BTS, AHRQ Congressional News 21st Century Cures Act Passes the House with Bipartisan Support Federal Agency & Administration News White House Issues Annual S&T Guidance for FY 2017 Budget Congressionally-Mandated Strategic Plan, FY 2016 Budget Discussed by NIH Advisory Committee to the Director NIH SMRB Working Group Approves Recommendations on Streamlining the NIH Grant Award Process NIH Seeks Feedback on Using mHealth for the Precision Medicine Cohort Publications & Community Events AAAS Seeks Nominations for Science Diplomacy Award Funding…