By now you’ve heard about the inaugural session of the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Festival on December 2, 2016, at Natcher Conference Center. We’ll be highlighting behavioral and social science research and exploring new directions for research through panel discussions addressing the synergy of basic and applied research, innovations in methodology and measurement, and the adoption of research findings into practice.

The morning panel at the BSSR Festival will highlight the synergy of basic and applied behavioral and social sciences. This panel will be moderated by Lisbeth Nielsen, Ph.D., chief of the Individual Behavioral Processes Branch in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Nielsen’s branch develops research programs with a broad scientific scope, encompassing research on behavior change and behavioral interventions, cognitive and emotional functioning, behavior genetics and sociogenomics, technology and human factors, family and interpersonal relationships, and integrative biobehavioral research on the pathways linking social and behavioral factors to health in mid-life and older age. Dr. Nielsen’s scientific interests and research lie at the intersection of affective science and aging research.

The goal of this research panel is to showcase exciting new lines of research examining how behavioral, social, and biological processes intersect to shape health over the life course and illustrate the complexities involved in identifying potentially modifiable behavioral or social mechanisms on the causal pathway to health and disease.

To bring this synergy to life, Gene Brody, Ph.D., founder and director of the Center for Family Research at The University of Georgia, will be presenting on his research recently highlighted in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry titled, “Family-Centered Prevention Ameliorates the Longitudinal Association Between Risky Family Processes and Epigenetic Aging.” This work was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1P30DA027827).

Peter Gianaros, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. He will be presenting on his work published in Cerebral Cortex titled “Community Socioeconomic Disadvantage in Midlife Relates to Cortical Morphology via Neuroendocrine and Cardiometabolic Pathways.” This work was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL089850).

Barbara Fedrickson, Ph.D., is currently Kenan Distinguished Professor at the The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with appointments in psychology and the Kenan Flagler School of Business. She will be presenting on her research published in Psychology & Health titled, “Beyond Emotional Benefits: Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Affect Psychosocial Resources Through Emotions.” This work was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R01AT007884).

These presentations reveal how our fundamental understanding of how social and behavioral factors get “under the skin” to impact health can be advanced through both observational and interventional studies.

The goal of this research festival is to build our understanding and capacity to implement transformative behavioral and system interventions that lead to sustainable improvements in health and well-being. We look forward to seeing you there! Register Today!