Leadership

William T. Riley, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH

Areas of expertise:  behavioral assessment, research methodology, tech-based interventions, tobacco control.

Christine Hunter, Ph.D., ABPP
Deputy Director

Areas of expertise: behavior change interventions, mechanisms/processes of behavior change, implementation science, and obesity and diabetes research.

Wendy B. Smith, MA., Ph.D., B.C.B
Associate Director

Areas of expertise: clinical pain research, complementary and alternative medicine, research methodologies, patient reported outcomes, public private partnership development.

Staff

Farheen Akbar, M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst

Areas of expertise: portfolio analysis, policy and evaluation, public health, population health, behavioral and social science research in aging.

Deshirée Belis, M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst

Areas of Expertise: global health, implementation research, non-communicable diseases, portfolio analysis, evaluation, public health, health inequities.

Dara R. Blachman-Demner, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: dissemination and implementation research, community based-participatory research, multi-level prevention and intervention research, developmental psychopathology.

Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz, Ph.D.
Social & Behavioral Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: empathy, social decision making, cognitive neuroscience.

Caitlin Burgdorf, Ph.D.
American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) Science and Technology Fellow

Areas of expertise: behavioral neuroscience, addiction, mental health disorders, animal models.

Alyssa Dolge, M.P.H.
Public Health Analyst

Areas of expertise: budget, contracts, cancer control research, health care delivery research

William Elwood, Ph.D.,
OppNet Coordinator/Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: basic social and behavioral mechanisms and processes, community-engaged research, cultural and communication processes, health literacy and numeracy, management of chronic conditions, minority health issues.

Elizabeth Ginexi, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: tobacco, alcohol, drug use, mental health prevention and treatment, policy interventions, statistical and computational modeling.

Dana Greene, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, circadian biology, radiation biology, animal models.      

Erica Moore
Communications Director

Areas of expertise: health communications, strategic planning, traditional and digital media, stakeholder engagement, branding, media relations, crisis communications.

Kathryn (Katie) Morris, M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst

Areas of expertise: global health, portfolio analysis, policy and evaluation, public health, maternal and child health intervention research, reproductive health research.

Sarika Parasuraman, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst

Areas of expertise: health services research, child and adolescent health, policy and evaluation, social determinants of health, health systems, portfolio analysis

Michael Spittel, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: innovative methodology and statistics, survey and data systems, and population health.

Erica Spotts, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise:  behavior genetics, developmental psychology, interpersonal relationships, family systems, depression.

Dana Wolff-Hughes, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise: mobile and wireless health technology, epidemiology, physical activity and sedentary behavior research, methods and measures.

Deborah Young-Hyman, Ph.D., CDE
Health Scientist Administrator

Areas of expertise:  bio-psychosocial interventions, psychosocial treatment of diabetes, adherence to prevention/treatment behaviors, clinical trial design in BSSR.