| Section Two: The OBSSR Strategic Plan |
| This section unites the OBSSR goals and strategies with specific actions. Each goal is connected to several strategies and an even larger number of actions. The strategies and actions associated with each goal are provided below. In cases where particular actions address more than one strategy or goal, cross-referencing is used. | |
Strategy 1.1
...........................
Capitalize
on scientific
opportunities
in behavioral
and social
research
across NIH
areas. |
Goal 1
Enhance behavioral and social sciences research and training Actions:
| 1.1a. |
Develop trans-NIH requests for applications and program announcements. |
| 1.1b. |
Explore partnerships between NIH institutes & centers and the private sector (e.g. managed care companies, foundations, etc.) for the funding of behavioral and social sciences research. |
| 1.1c. |
Use OBSSR funds to support peer-reviewed, highly rated, but unfunded behavioral and social science proposals. |
| 1.1d. |
Supplement biomedical Center Grants to add behavioral and social components (also relates to strategy 2.3). |
| 1.1e. |
Supplement behavioral and psychosocial treatment-related grants to support the dissemination and implementation of findings (also relates to strategy 3.2). |
| 1.1f. |
Explore ways to expand small grant mechanisms for newer investigators. |
| 1.1g. |
Support conferences designed to increase interest of behavioral and social scientists in relatively unexplored health |
| 1.1h. |
Provide assistance when warranted to ensure the appropriate review of social and behavioral research grant proposals. |
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Strategy 1.2
......................
Enhance
behavioral
and
social research
in the
NIH Intramural
Research
Program |
Actions:
| 1.2a. |
Meet with intramural research program science directors to discuss inclusion of behavioral and social research. |
| 1.2b. |
Develop a postdoctoral training program for behavioral and social scientists in the intramural research program (also relates to strategy 2.2). |
| 1.2c. |
Develop interagency personnel agreements for senior behavioral and social scientists to work in the intramural research program (also relates to strategies 2.2). |
| 1.2d. |
Form an intramural research task group to make additional recommendations for enhancing behavioral and social research presence in the intramural research program. |
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Strategy 1.3
......................
Increase
training
opportunities in
behavioral
and
social sciences
research |
Actions:
| 1.3a. |
Develop postdoctoral training programs for behavioral and social scientists in the NIH intramural research program (also relates to strategy 1.2). |
| 1.3b. |
Explore ways of expanding National Research Service Award support for behavioral and social scientists. |
| 1.3c. |
Support short-term summer training workshops for interdisciplinary research for social, behavioral, and biomedical scientists (also relates to strategies 2.1 and 2.2). |
| 1.3d. |
Create social and behavioral science training programs for middle and high school teachers (also relates to strategy 3.2). |
| 1.3e. |
Develop partnerships with foundations for funding of behavioral and social science training. |
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Strategy 1.4
......................
Highlight
the
contributions
of behavioral
and social
sciences
research
to the
improvement
of health |
Actions:
| 1.4a. |
Commission literature reviews for biomedical journals on selected topics related to behavioral and social science contributions to public health and health science. |
| 1.4b. |
Develop and distribute fact sheets to relevant parties on behavioral and social contributors to the etiology, prevention, and treatment of disease. |
| 1.4c. |
Develop and distribute fact sheets to relevant parties on reductions in costs and health-care utilization resulting from behavioral and social interventions. |
| 1.4d. |
Identify institute & center scientific problems and provide solutions based on behavioral and social sciences research. |
| 1.4e. |
Provide forums for behavioral treatment researchers to meet with service providers (also relates to strategy 3.2). |
| 1.4f. |
Establish intergovernmental personnel agreements program for behavioral and social science researchers to work in institute & center administrative offices. |
| |
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Strategy 1.5
......................
Increase
the visibility
of behavioral
and
social sciences
within
the NIH
community |
Actions:
| 1.5a. |
Sponsor an ongoing scientific seminar series in conjunction with the Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee (BSSR-CC). |
| 1.5b. |
Organize regular informal briefing sessions on behavioral and social research for the NIH director and for institute & center directors. |
| 1.5c. |
Facilitate behavioral and social sciences research interest groups within the NIH community. |
| 1.5d. |
Organize regular conferences at NIH on cross-cutting behavioral and social science topics. |
| 1.5e. |
Send the OBSSR definition of behavioral and social sciences research to all institute & center directors and to the NIH director explaining the process of development of the definition and recommending that it be adopted as the official NIH definition. |
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Strategy 2.1
......................
Increase
communication
and
cooperation
between
sociobehavioral
and
biomedical
researchers |
Goal 2
Integrate a biobehavioral interdisciplinary perspective into all NIH research areas Actions:
| 2.1a. |
Sponsor workshops, speakers, and symposia at NIH and at professional meetings on interdisciplinary research for behavioral and biomedical investigators. |
| 2.1b. |
Commission literature reviews for biomedical publications that integrate and highlight biobehavioral interactions (also relates to strategy 1.4). |
| 2.1c. |
Develop cross-disciplinary funding initiatives (also relates to strategy 2.3). |
| 2.1d. |
Create an internet-based discussion group for cross-disciplinary exchanges. |
| 2.1e. |
Establish a working group to promote cross-disciplinary research. |
| 2.1f. |
Convene a consensus conference on a common nomenclature for "phases" of behavioral treatment research, analogous to that used for clinical trials in medical studies, to facilitate communication and understanding across biomedical and behavioral treatment areas. |
| 2.1g. |
Establish intergovernmental personnel agreements program for extramural behavioral and social scientists to work at NIH (also relates to strategies 1.2 and 1.4). |
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Strategy 2.2
......................
Increase
inter-disciplinary
training
opportunities |
Actions:
| 2.2a. |
Support short-term training workshops for biomedical and behavioral scientists to become familiar with each others' methods and procedures (also relates to strategy 1.3). |
| 2.2b. |
Conduct behavioral and social science research methodology workshops at biomedical meetings (also relates to strategy 1.3). |
| 2.2c. |
Develop post-doctoral fellowship program in the NIH intramural research program (also relates to strategies 1.2, 1.3, 2.4). |
| 2.2d. |
Enlist the assistance of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in examining training requirements for interdisciplinary research (also relates to strategy 1.3). |
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Strategy 2.3
......................
Create
inter-
disciplinary
funding
initiatives |
Actions:
| 2.3a. |
Supplement biomedical research centers with funds for interdisciplinary pilot research (also relates to strategy 1.1). |
| 2.3b. |
Develop trans-NIH requests for applications and program announcements that require interdisciplinary collaborations (also relates to strategy 1.1). |
| 2.3c. |
Supplement biomedical requests for applications and program announcements to support biobehavioral research (also relates to strategy 1.1). | |
Strategy 2.4
......................
Increase
the visibility
of behavioral
and
social sciences
within
the NIH
community
|
(see strategy 1.5 for specific actions)
|
Strategy 3.1
......................
Establish
communication
links between
OBSSR and
the behavioral
and
social science
community
|
Goal 3
Improve communication among scientists and with the public Actions:
|
3.1a. |
Create an internet-based forum for the behavioral and social research community to communicate with each other and to give suggestions to OBSSR. |
|
3.1b. |
Create an OBSSR newsletter. |
|
3.1c. |
Consult regularly with behavioral and social research organizations on OBSSR activities. |
|
3.1d. |
Establish OBSSR external task groups to advise the office on specific activities. |
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Strategy 3.2
......................
Disseminate
behavioral and
social science
research findings
to the public
and to
practitioners |
Actions:
|
3.2a. |
Improve media coverage of behavioral research (also relates to strategy 3.3). |
|
3.2b. |
Create a website for lay audiences summarizing new findings. |
|
3.2c. |
Provide forums for clinical researchers to meet with service providers (also relates to strategy 1.4). |
|
3.2d. |
Assist in the development of clinical guidelines for the use of behavioral treatment approaches. |
|
3.2e. |
Develop funding initiatives on dissemination of behavioral and social science research findings (also relates to strategy 1.1). |
|
3.2f. |
Hold periodic briefings for Congressional members and staffers on important findings in the behavioral and social sciences. |
|
3.2g. |
Write Opinion/Editorial articles on findings relevant to current issues in public health (also relates to strategy 3.3). |
|
3.2h. |
Work with health care providers and managed care companies to incorporate scientifically validated behavioral treatment approaches into medical care. |
|
3.2i. |
Conduct lectures for patient advocacy groups. |
|
3.2j. |
Create social and behavioral science training programs for middle and high school teachers (also relates to strategy 1.3). |
|
3.2k. |
Create programs that encourage researchers to guest lecture in local community. |
|
3.2l. |
Meet regularly with representatives from behavioral and social science organizations and their boards of directors. |
|
3.2m. |
Organize workshops on how behavioral and social scientists can involve and get the support of local communities for research. |
| |
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Strategy 3.3
......................
Improve
media coverage |
Actions:
|
3.3a. |
Assess the current status of behavioral and social science research coverage in the print media. |
|
3.3b. |
Organize a series of seminars for medical and science writers on important new findings. |
|
3.3c. |
Invite media representatives to visit active sociobehavioral laboratories and field sites. |
|
3.3d. |
Provide information on new findings in the behavioral and social sciences to NIH public affairs and communications offices. |
|
3.3e. |
Co-sponsor science writer fellowships in conjunction with science organizations. |
|
3.3f. |
Write Opinion/Editorial pieces on social and behavioral research relevant to current public health issues (also relates to strategy 3.2). |
|
3.3g. |
Develop and distribute one-page fact sheets to media representatives on the relevance of behavioral and social factors to the etiology, prevention, and treatment of disease (also relates to strategy 1.4). |
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Strategy 3.4
......................
Increase
communications
and
cooperation
between
sociobehavioral
and
biomedical
researchers
|
(see strategy 2.1 for specific actions)
|
Strategy 3.5
......................
Increase
visibility
of behavioral and
social sciences
within
the NIH
community
|
(see strategy 1.5 for specific actions)
|