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
PCORI Challenge Offers Prize for Research Questions on Addressing Cardiovascular Disease
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have announced a contest for researchers and clinicians to submit research questions that can help address evidence gaps to improve treatment for people with cardiovascular disease. The challenge will award four cash prizes of $5,000. Proposed hypotheses should pose questions that can be answered using comparative effectiveness research and a precision medicine approach. Entries must be submitted by October 6, 2016. More information is available on the PCORI website. Back to this issue’s table of contents.Ā
Funding Opportunity Announcements
AHRQ: Developing Measures of Shared Decision Making (R01) (PA-16-424) AHRQ: Large Research Projects for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB) (R01) (PA-16-423) AHRQ: Large Health Services Research Demonstration and Dissemination Projects for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB) (R18) (PA-16-422) AHRQ: Advancing Patient Safety Implementation through Safe Medication Use Research (R18) (PA-16-421) AHRQ: Advances in Patient Safety through Simulation Research (R18) (PA-16-420) NIH: Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Enhancing Diversity in Biomedical Data Science (R25) (RFA-MD-16-002) NIH: BD2K Research Education Curriculum Development: Data Science Overview for Biomedical Scientists (R25) (RFA-ES-16-011) NIDCD: Notice of NIDCD’s Participation in PA-16-305 “Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award…
AERA Releases “Ed-Talks”
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing member, has released over thirty “Ed-Talk” videos, which feature discussions of cutting-edge research on education and learning. Additionally, AERA released research fact sheets to provide more details on the findings and research presented in the “Ed-Talks”. These presentations were given at a forum held in Washington, DC as well as the AERA annual meeting in April of 2016. More details can be foundĀ here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.Ā
Events Calendar
Golden Goose Award Ceremony, Washington, DC, September 22, 2016 Congressional Briefing on Violence Prevention from the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy and WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center, Washington, DC, September 27, 2016 Summit on Social and Behavioral Sciences for National Security, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, October 4-5, 2016 Center for Public Scholarship 35th Social Research Conference, New York, NY, October 13-14, 2016 Evaluation 2016,Ā Atlanta, GA,Ā October 22-30, 2016 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Convention,Ā New York, NY, October 27-30, 2016 A list of COSSA members’ annual meetings and other events can be found on the COSSAĀ webpage. COSSA…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 35, Issue 17
Featured News Congress Returns with Much Left Undone COSSA in Action COSSA Releases Second Issue of āSetting the Record Straight on āWasteful Researchāā Congressional News Congressional Briefing on Violence Prevention Federal Agency & Administration News NSF Seeks Input into Next Strategic PlanĀ NIH Center for Scientific Review Seeks Director for Division of AIDS, Behavioral, and Population Sciences Diana Bianchi Named director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development NIH Seeks Input on Metrics to Assess Value of Biomedical Digital Repositories NIOSH Requests Input on Motor Vehicle Safety Research Priorities Candidates Sought for CDC Health Disparities Advisory Subcommittee…
Congress Returns with Much Left Undone
Congress returns to work this week for one more stretch before the November elections. This will be the final work period before the current fiscal year (FY 2016) expires on September 30. That means some type of action is needed in the coming weeks to keep the federal government funded and operating come October 1. See COSSAās analysis of the state of play of FY 2017 Appropriations bills for full details. In addition to action on the annual spending bills (which will undoubtedly result in a continuing resolution punting final action to after the election), Congress will be looking to…
COSSA Releases Second Issue of āSetting the Record Straight on āWasteful Researchāā
COSSA has released the second issue ofĀ Setting the Record Straight on “Wasteful Research”Ā (PDF available here). This series features interviews with researchers whose work has been called out in Congressional wastebooks or other attacks. We are hoping to give these scientists 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 editionĀ features Lisa Neff (University of Texas, Austin), whose National Science Foundation-funded study on relationships among older adults was ridiculed in James Lankford’s “Federal Fumbles” wastebook. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Congressional Briefing on Violence Prevention
The Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy and WestEdās Justice and Prevention Research Center are hosting a Congressional Briefing on Tuesday, September 27 on violence and violence prevention. Topics covered will include strategies for violence prevention, patterns of violence, as well as the influences and costs of violence. Nancy Rodriguez, the Director of the National Institute of Justice, will introduce a diverse panel of experts from the public, academic, and non-profit sectors, including COSSA board member and Director of the Urban Instituteās Justice Policy Center Nancy La Vigne. Register to attend the briefing here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NSF Seeks Input into Next Strategic Plan
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is in the beginning stages of updating its strategic plan, which it does every four years. Its current strategic plan, Investing in Science, Engineering, and Education for the Nationās Future, was released in 2014 and runs through 2018. As an initial step, NSF is soliciting comment on the āVision, Core Values, Strategic Goals, and Strategic Objectivesā included in the current plan (2014-2018). Public input can be provided on the NSF website by September 27. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
NIH Center for Scientific Review Seeks Director for Division of AIDS, Behavioral, and Population Sciences
The National Institute of Healthās (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 CSRās 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. DABPās director will āprovide 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…
Diana Bianchi Named director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
On August 25, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins announced the selection of Diana Bianchi as director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). She is expected to begin her NIH tenure on October 31, 2016. Bianchi joins the NIH from the Floating Hospital for Children and Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and is the fou nding director of the Mother Infant Research Institute and vice chair for pediatric research. A medical geneticist with special expertise in reproductive genetics, Bianchiās research focuses on prenatal genomics. Read more about Bianchi and NICHD…
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 āmetrics 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 āis 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…
NIOSH Requests Input on Motor Vehicle Safety Research Priorities
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking for input from the scientific community on the direction of its motor vehicle safety research efforts (see its Center for Motor Vehicle Safety strategic plan). Specifically, the Institute is seeking feedback on its research priorities, communications and outreach efforts, and how its products are used by stakeholders. Comments may be submitted in writing by October 14, 2016 or during a public web meeting on September 14, 2016. More information is available in the Federal Register. Back to this issue’s table…
Candidates Sought for CDC Health Disparities Advisory Subcommittee
The Health Disparities Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACD, CDC) is seeking nominations for new members. The Subcommittee provides expert advice to the CDC Director and Health and Human Services leadership on ways to reduce health disparities, including through research, program and policy analysis, and other CDC activities. Candidates should have expertise in āhealth policy, public health, global health, preparedness, preventive medicine, the faith-based and community-based sector, and allied fields.ā More information is available in the Federal Register notice. Nominations are due by September 30, 2016. Back to this…
Webinar on NIJ Fellowships
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) will host a webinar on Monday, September 19 at 3:00-4:00pm to provide an overview of research fellowship opportunities with NIJ. NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation division of the Department of Justice and provides fellowship opportunities for both early career researchers and experienced researchers in the social and behavioral sciences and other STEM fields. NIJās fellowship programs include the Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship, the Visiting Fellows Program, the New Investigator/Early Career Program, and the Research Assistantship Program. The webinar is free and open to the public. Registration can be…
New Social Science-Extreme Weather Research Alliance Being Formed, Input Sought
A new public-private research partnership is taking shape, looking specifically at the interdisciplinary and highly complex challenges associated with extreme weather events. The Alliance for Social-Behavioral Systems and Extreme Environmental Events (The Alliance) is the product of several years of community workshops, reports and other discussions on ways in which to bring the social, behavioral, and economic sciences to bear on helping society better āunderstand, prepare for, mitigate, and respond and adapt to extreme environmental events.ā The most recent workshop, held in May 2015, served as an impetus for The Alliance as it is now conceptualized. It will be formally…
2016 Golden Goose Award Ceremony
The 2016 Golden Goose Award Ceremony will be held at 5:30pm on Thursday, September 22 in the Coolidge Auditorium in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The Golden Goose Award celebrates federally-funded research that may seem obscure but has led to major scientific breakthroughs. This yearās honorees include researchers in the social and behavioral sciences, including the team who conducted the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Attendance at the award ceremony and reception is free and open to the public. Registration can be found here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
National Academies Seeks Comments on Indicators for Undergrad STEM Education
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineās (NAS) Board on Science Education (BSE) seeks comments on its draft report, Developing Indicators for Undergraduate STEM Education. An expert panel, the Committee on Developing Indicators for Undergraduate STEM Education, was convened to develop national indicators for monitoring the quality of undergraduate STEM. The Committee proposes āa conceptual framework of goals and objectives for improving the quality of undergraduate STEM.ā A two-phase study, the Committee now seeks input as it prepares to develop indicators. A series of questions for consideration can be accessed on BSEās website. In addition, a one-day public meeting…
2017 National Academies Workshop on Current and Future Training Needs in Social and Behavioral Sciences
In an August 31 blog post, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Director William Riley announced the convening of a 2017 National Academies workshop that is being sponsored by OBSSR and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Directorate. The workshop will address the current and future training needs in the behavioral and social sciences and responds to the various reports in recent years that āindicate that a majority of behavioral and social sciences doctors are entering research careers in areas outside of the traditional academic research track; and…
Academies National Security Study Committee Seeks Nominations
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is conducting a decadal survey to identify opportunities from the social and behavioral sciences that can assist the intelligence community in its analytic responsibilities and contribute to national security. The project, which sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will be launched at a summit in early October. The Academies is seeking nominations for members to serve on the study committee for the survey, particularly those with expertise in the social and behavioral sciences, national security, intelligence analysis, related professional disciplines, and interdisciplinary approaches to science. More information is…