The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) was created by Congress in 1993 and is responsible for coordinating the health-relevant behavioral and social sciences and identifying challenges and opportunities to advance these sciences at the NIH. The Office recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) intended to gather broad public input on a revised definition of behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR). The field has evolved significantly during the last two decades, and a more extensive update of the BSSR definition is needed to improve OBSSR’s and NIH’s ability to assess and monitor funding. The OBSSR invites input from behavioral and social science researchers in academia and industry, health care professionals, patient advocates and advocacy organizations, scientific or professional organizations, federal agencies, and other interested members of the public. When providing input on behalf of an organization, a single coordinated response reflecting the views of the organization and its members is encouraged. To ensure consideration, input must be submitted at https://obssr.ideascale.com by February 22, 2019. IdeaScale will also allow users to view and comment on others’ input.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to: Farheen Akbar, MPH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Telephone: 301-496-9165 Email: OBSSRNews@mail.nih.gov