Brief Biography
Dr. Gillian Acca joined the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the NIH as a health science policy analyst in 2017. Here, she performs portfolio analyses for various research needs and provides support for the Program Coordination and Policy and Evaluation teams. She is responsible for highlighting behavioral and social sciences research to the broader community and assists with the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee. Prior to joining the NIH, Gillian completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience at Texas A&M University, where she studied hormonal regulation of fear and anxiety disorders. During this time, she was involved in both science policy and science communication efforts at a state and federal level with the university as well as the Alzheimer’s Association. Her research interests include meaningful use of animal models to inform human health, especially as it relates to mental health, and moving basic science into human applications and interventions.
