Operational Priority 1: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Values

OBSSR is committed to enhancing DEIA consistent with the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, both within the behavioral and social sciences and across health research at NIH, and to demonstrating this commitment with transparency and accountability.

In 2019, an analysis completed by the NIH Office of Portfolio Analysis and the NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity showed a concentration of African American/Black and Hispanic principal investigators in six areas of critical importance to BSSR—training programs, health disparities, child development, sexual risk behaviors and sexual and gender minority health, health services research, and community and population influences.¹⁶

OBSSR will continue to promote diversity within all research teams and ensure equitable participation in all phases of training and research. Supporting investigative teams with a breadth of social and cultural influences and experiences is likely to expand and diversify the research topics within the overall BSSR portfolio. Further expansion of DEIA within the BSSR workforce should continue to have a positive impact on population-level studies by improving participant sampling approaches, community-based participatory methods, and recruitment.

OBSSR is also committed to understanding how DEIA programs and practices influence research practices and outcomes. For example, with 13 NIH ICO partners, OBSSR is supporting a NASEM consensus study on research and application in team science. The goals of the study include an assessment of the role of DEIA in current team science practices, including the principles and practices that best promote DEIA integration into team science at all stages and across the translational continuum. OBSSR will use findings and recommendations from this study to inform future initiatives and investments.

Operational Priority 2: Collaborative Partnerships

OBSSR is committed to building equitable collaborations with NIH staff, federal agencies, and external partners to accelerate translation of BSSR evidence into programs, practice, and policies. To foster team science and enhance multidisciplinary research, OBSSR strategically provides co-funding support for NIH-wide initiatives that encompass OBSSR priorities and intersect with the interests of multiple NIH ICOs.

OBSSR has a long-standing BSSR-CC with representatives from the NIH ICOs. The BSSR-CC also holds open sessions designed to enhance communication with other federal agencies and BSSR scientists via professional scientific organizations or coalitions. Work of the BSSR CC is facilitated by the assignment of OBSSR liaisons to each of the ICOs to further strengthen collaborations across NIH.

OBSSR also seeks and maintains cross-agency partnerships to ensure that accurate and up-to-date research findings are widely available and included in federal initiatives. For example, the OBSSR Director serves as co-chair of the Subcommittee on Social and Behavioral Sciences of the White House National Science and Technology Council.

Operational Priority 3: Communication and Outreach

Effective communication and outreach are essential for facilitating knowledge exchange, enhancing research capacity, and maximizing the real-world impact of research findings. Clear and targeted communication bridges scientific advancements with practical applications, promoting equity, well-being, and public health.

OBSSR shares the latest BSSR findings with the broader research community and enhances the visibility of behavioral and social sciences within NIH. We use a variety of channels to disseminate our messages, including webinars, conferences, social media, and our website. These activities help keep researchers, partners, and the public informed about the latest BSSR research findings and OBSSR initiatives and opportunities. They strengthen our relationships with the scientific community and establish our office as a credible source of information, a crucial activity for advancing progress in BSSR.

Communication and outreach have always been an important part of our success in promoting BSSR and reaching new audiences. During our previous strategic planning period, OBSSR focused on strengthening our partnerships with NIH ICOs to better integrate BSSR within NIH. These partnerships enhanced OBSSR’s promotion of BSSR through such events as our annual Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival, periodic Director’s Webinars, and the annual NIH Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors.

OBSSR also made significant efforts to increase the visibility and accessibility of BSSR activities. We collaborated with several NIH Institutes and Centers to co-author Director’s Spotlights, which have attracted a wide and diverse audience. We redesigned our website content to enhance accessibility and streamline navigation for OBSSR and BSSR activities, events, and research. We expanded our outreach efforts, increasing both email marketing reach and social media following. Additionally, in response to feedback from the research community, OBBSR partnered with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to update the Good Clinical Practice for Social and Behavioral Research eLearning Course, enhancing its accessibility and adding a new training module on community and stakeholder engagement.

During the next five years, we will build on these successes by reaching out to new and more diverse audiences. This includes refining existing content for accessibility and plain language while creating new, impactful, and innovative materials that underscore the significance of BSSR and communicate timely findings to the research community and the public.

Recognizing the evolving landscape of our partnerships, OBSSR will strengthen these relationships and expand our outreach to nontraditional partners. This effort will involve refining communication strategies tailored to the specific needs and preferences of our audiences, aligning with our overarching goal of promoting health equity.

OBSSR will continue to advance its mission through strategic communication and outreach. By refining our methods and broadening engagement with diverse stakeholders, including nontraditional partners, we aim to enhance the impact of BSSR on public health. Through ongoing collaboration and innovation, OBSSR will continue to promote equity, improve research dissemination, and foster meaningful connections within NIH and the broader research community.

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