Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research National Institutes of Health

Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee

NIH Opportunity Network to Expand Basic Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OppNet)
November 18, 2009
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., today announced the launch of the Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet).

NIH’s Role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
NIH is well positioned to fund the best science in pursuit of improving the length and the quality of the lives of our citizens, while at the same time stimulating the economy.

May 3-8, 2009
OBSSR Holds First Institute on Systems Science and Health

OBSSR and CDC teamed up to produce the first Institute on Systems Science and Health (ISSH) which was held May 3-8, 2009.

March 06, 2009
OBSSR Hosts Conference on Dissemination, Implementation

Harvard Medical School’s
Dr. Jim Yong Kim

As a way to improve public health in a battered world, understanding poverty counts as much as knowing how proteins fold.

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November 20, 2009,
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
The Challenges and Opportunities of Interdisciplinary Research: The Case of Genetics and Demography

December 2, 2009,
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m
SYMPOSIUM #2: EDUCATION

March 15 – 16, 2010
3rd Annual NIH Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation: Methods and Measurement

Registration now open until February 12, 2010

July 11-23, 2010
9th Annual Summer Institute on Design and Conduct of Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) Involving Behavioral Interventions,

Application Deadline: January 15, 2010

More Events >>

Home > About OBSSR > Mission

Mission

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) opened officially on July 1, 1995. The major responsibilities of the office and its director, set forth in its formal mission statement, are:

	To provide leadership and direction in the development, refinement, and implementation of a trans-NIH plan to increase the scope of and support for behavioral and social sciences research.

	To inform and advise the NIH director and other key officials of trends and developments having significant bearing on the missions of the NIH, DHHS, and other federal agencies.

	To serve as the principal NIH spokesperson regarding research on the importance of behavioral, social, and lifestyle factors in the causation, treatment, and prevention of diseases; and to advise and consult on these topics with NIH scientists and others within and outside the federal government.

	To develop a standard definition of "behavioral and social sciences research," assess the current levels of NIH support for this research, and develop an overall strategy for the uniform expansion and integration of these disciplines across NIH institutes and centers.

	To develop initiatives designed to stimulate research in the behavioral and social sciences arena, integrate a bio-behavioral perspective across the research areas of the NIH, and encourage the study of behavioral and social sciences across NIH's institutes and centers.

	To initiate and promote studies to evaluate the contributions of behavioral, social, and lifestyle determinants in the development, course, treatment, and prevention of illness and related public health problems.

	To provide leadership in ensuring that findings from behavioral and social sciences research are disseminated to the public.

	To sponsor seminars, symposia, workshops, and conferences at the NIH and at national and international scientific meetings on state-of-the-art behavioral and social sciences research.

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