The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) opened in 1995 with a mandate from the U.S. Congress to be a focal point for the advancement of behavioral and social sciences research across the 24 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The guiding philosophy of the office has been that scientific advances in the understanding, treatment, and prevention of disease will be accelerated and enhanced by greater attention to behavioral and social factors and their interaction with biomedical variables. That is, the ultimate objective of the OBSSR is to improve the effectiveness of the NIH through a greater focus on behavioral and social sciences research.

The OBSSR Strategic Plan, which was developed with the assistance of over twenty scientific societies, outlines three principal goals for the office for the next three to five years:

	Advancing Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and Training
	Integrating a biobehavioral perspective across NIH; and
	Improving communication among scientists and with the public.

Advancing Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and Training

The office plays a leadership role in developing ideas for initiatives, and in gaining the support for them within the NIH Institutes. Although the OBSSR does not have grant-making authority, it has been active in organizing trans-NIH and trans-agency Requests for Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements (PAs).

Setting Priorities for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the NIH

Through the sponsorship and organization of workshops, conferences, lectures, and planning groups, the office works with NIH Institutes and Offices as well with outside organizations to specify priorities for behavioral and social sciences research.

OBSSR is participating in the NIH initiative on reducing health disparities (requires Abobe Acrobat Reader) and is developing its own strategic plan within the framework of the overall NIH initiative.

Facilitating Communication Among NIH Institutes and Centers

Periodically OBSSR staff provides substantive, methodological, or grantsmanship training for social and behavioral scientists, often in conjunction with professional meetings.

Career Development for Minority Students and Researchers

Briefing the Director of NIH

The visible presence of behavioral and social sciences research in the vibrant intellectual community on the NIH campus is of critical importance to increasing support for these sciences. In order to highlight discoveries in the field, the office periodically coordinates briefings for the NIH Director. Individual behavioral and social scientists are invited to discuss their research with the director in an informal setting. Since September 1995, fourteen meetings involving seventeen behavioral and social scientists have been held.

Integrating a Biobehavioral Perspective across NIH

Funding Educational Workshops in Interdisciplinary Research

Improving Communication among Scientists and with the Public

Although a number of studies have been conducted on scientific literacy and knowledge in the natural and physical sciences, there is limited information on the views of the public on behavioral and social science. To address this, the OBSSR is collaborating with the National Opinion Research Center on a national survey of the public's knowledge and attitudes about behavioral and social sciences research, and its role in health and health care. It is hoped that the survey will help us better ascertain "where we stand" in the eyes of the public, and provide direction to the OBSSR as it develops communications activities.

Integrating Behavioral Treatments into Medical Care

Understanding the barriers to the integration of empirically validated behavioral treatments into clinical care is essential to ensuring that behavioral research actually serves the public. The OBSSR organized a working group of scientists to identify these barriers and recommended ways to overcome them, with an emphasis on activities that could be initiated by the OBSSR. The working group, chaired by Drs. Jessie Gruman and Michael Follick, issued its report "Putting Evidence into Practice."

Increasing the Awareness of Sociobehavioral Sciences in the Schools

In collaboration with the Alliance on Health and Behavior (a coalition of science organizations) and the Boston Museum of Science, the OBSSR worked to increase the involvement of behavioral and social scientists in the Science-by-Mail program. Science-by-Mail was started by the Boston Museum of Science to link classrooms around the country with active scientists, who serve as scientific "mentors" for the classes. Scientists who volunteer to participate are assigned to classes, where the students correspond with them about the science projects they are doing. The kits for the science projects are provided by the Boston Museum. Until recently, very few of the 1,200 volunteer scientists in the Science-by-Mail program had backgrounds in sociobehavioral science. However, after a massive mailing to the members of the organizations of the Alliance, sociobehavioral scientists now make up 8% of the volunteer scientists, with efforts underway to increase our percentage. The next step will be to work with the Boston Museum to develop science project kits based on the sociobehavioral sciences.

Highlighting Accomplishments in Prevention Research

The OBSSR, in collaboration with the NIH Office of Disease Prevention (ODP), held a conference entitled Preventive Intervention Research at the Crossroads: Contributions and Opportunities from the Behavioral and Social Sciences. This national conference was designed to showcase examples of NIH-supported preventive research; highlight contributions of the behavioral and social sciences in preventive research; and provide recommendations for addressing both the challenges and opportunities in prevention research across the life span.

Sponsoring a Conference on Sociocultural Aspects of Health

The OBSSR convened a two-day conference to be held June 27-28, 2000, entitled "Toward Higher Levels of Analysis: Progress and Promise in Research on Social and Cultural Dimensions of Health." The conference showcased the social and cultural dimensions of health. The Co-Chairs of the planning committee are Christine Bachrach of the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and David Takeuchi of the University of Indiana. In addition to highlighting a broad array of important social and behavioral research in this area, a selected group of conferees convened on a third day to draft a research agenda in the social sciences to help inform NIH deliberations about future funding.

Publishing the OBSSR Newsletter

The OBSSR launched a newsletter to better inform the NIH community, the general public, and policy makers about scientific developments in NIH-supported behavioral and social sciences research. Entitled Research and Discovery, each issue features a research theme that cuts across the boundaries of NIH institutes and scientific disciplines, often highlighting the intersection of sociobehavioral and biomedical research. The first issue addressed violence research supported by NIH.

Organizing Research Seminar Series

These presentations by prominent behavioral and social scientists provide overviews of current research on topics of scientific and social interest. The Seminar Series is open to the NIH community and the general public.

Promoting Technology Transfer in the Behavioral and Social Sciences

A major emphasis for the OBSSR over the next few years will be the development of effective methods for ensuring the findings from NIH-supported discoveries in the behavioral and social sciences are ultimately used to benefit the public. In the behavioral and social sciences, we do not have the luxury of a pharmaceutical industry waiting to turn our discoveries into products that fight disease. Therefore, we must be creative in ensuring that the ultimate aims of our treatment and prevention research are met. To move toward accomplishing this, the office will develop a NIH-wide plan to systematically transfer knowledge from NIH-supported behavioral and social research to public and private organizations whose mission is the dissemination and implementation of intervention programs.

Keeping Policymakers Informed on Accomplishments in the Sociobehavioral Sciences

Over the years Congress has expressed strong interest in and consistent support for behavioral and social sciences research. Through briefings and testimony before Congressional Committees and NIH Reports to the Congress, the OBSSR works to keep Congress informed of recent developments in the behavioral and social sciences, as well as the activities of the office.

Electronic Information Exchange

Working with the Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee and the Behavioral and Social Sciences Interest Group, the Office has established an electronic mailing list with over 500 subscribers at the NIH.  In addition, OBSSR distributes monthly Guide to research and training opportunities for behavioral and social research.