Depression is a public health crisis and specifically, prenatal depression affects 12-27% of individuals and is a strong predictor of persistent, postnatal depression. Based on clinical guidelines, all pregnant and postpartum women are screened for depression and given referrals if necessary. Mental health screening is a pivotal part of maternal mental health care but there are limited scalable and affordable interventions readily accessible. Previous research has primarily focused on non-Hispanic White women and mainly followed study participants for 1-year postpartum. Recently published research supported by the NHLBI, NIMH, and others examined the sustained effectiveness of a prenatal mindfulness intervention, with proven benefits during the early postpartum period (6 months postpartum), on reducing maternal depressive symptoms long-term (8 years postpartum).
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Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the popularity and consumption of non-traditional nicotine via electronic nicotine delivery systems (vaping), cannabis (vaped and edible), and misuse of prescription opioids—collectively termed “ECPO” by the authors—by adolescents (ages 13-18). The uptick in popularity of has come with the challenge of medical providers and caregivers being able to identify adolescent users due to the lack of immediately conspicuous physical or behavioral signs after use. It is therefore difficult for providers and caregivers to target screening and provide the appropriate intervention(s), despite evidence that use of these substances during adolescence may adversely impact long-term brain development structure and function. In response to this challenge, a recent publication supported by the NIAAA and NIDA, provides a brief screening, detection, prevention, and intervention framework to help identify adolescents at risk.
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The prevalence of obesity in adults has been increasing over the few decades in the U.S., with a substantially higher percentage of racial and ethnic minority groups being affected. Obesity is known to contribute to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, and comes with a high economic burden attributable to these obesity-related illnesses. Further compounding this problem is that individuals with obesity are more likely than their “normal-weight” counterparts to experience social stigma, including employment discrimination, further exacerbating health and socioeconomic disparities. Currently there are evidence-based strategies for weight loss however, these strategies are often underused in practice. In a recent study, supported by the NIMHD, NCATS, and others sought to determine if using a behavioral economics approach, which applied economic and psychology concepts through financial incentives, could be an effective tool for weight loss. The authors hypothesized that goal-directed incentives would lead to greater and more sustained weight loss than outcome-based incentives or the provision of behavior change resources alone.
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NIH Matilda White Riley Honors Early-Stage Investigator Paper Competition
[Submission Period Opening Soon!]
Important Dates
ESI Paper Competition Open: January 2 - January 14, 2023
Submission Deadline: January 14, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET
Awardees Notified: April 14, 2023
NIH Matilda White Riley Honors Event: Date to be confirmed
OBSSR's Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Paper Competition awards recognize emerging scientists whose research reflects Dr. Matilda White Riley’s vision of research excellence in health-related behavioral and social sciences. OBSSR will invite up to four ESI awardees to present the findings from their accepted paper and participate in a moderated discussion of future research possibilities during the 16th NIH Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors.
Visit the NIH Matilda White Riley Paper Competition website for details regarding eligibility criteria. A review committee of NIH scientists will consider all relevant submissions to assess both the potential impact or influence of the paper on the field and how well the paper meets the eligibility criteria.
If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. For more information about past NIH Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors events, visit the OBSSR website.
The application portal will be open from January 2 through January 14, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
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Mixed Methods Research Training Program for the Health Sciences
Applications are now open for the 2023 Mixed Methods Research Training Program for the Health Sciences. The program, funded by OBSSR, fulfills a national need for training in mixed methods and is a natural next step following the publication of OBSSR's "Best Practices for Mixed Methods Research in the Health Sciences." Selected scholars have access to webinars, resources, come to an in-person retreat to discuss their research project, and are matched with mixed methods expert consultants. The program has reported results in three peer-reviewed publications.
The MMRTP Retreat will be held in summer 2023.
The deadline for submission is Friday January 13, 2023 at 5pm ET.
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mHealth Training Institute 2023
The NIH mHealth Training Institute (mHTI) was created to serve as an incubator for developing transdisciplinary scientists capable of co-creating mHealth solutions for healthcare problems. Funded through a competitive renewal (OBSSR/ODP/NIDA: 5 R25 DAO38167), version 2.0 of the mHTI builds on the experiences of earlier mHTIs and the feedback of its graduates.
The annual institute identifies academics - from disciplines ranging from medicine and psychology to computer science and biomedical engineering - with an aptitude for interdisciplinarity and a passion for translational research with societal impact. Through a week-long workshop, the mHTI helps the selected scholars develop a shared vocabulary and conceptual framework, acquire core domain expertise in latest mHealth technologies and methodologies, and get practical experience in cross-disciplinary mHealth innovation.
The application deadline for the 2023 mHealth Training Institute is January 15, 2023.
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Michigan Integrative Well-Being and Inequality (MIWI) Training Program
The MIWI Training Program is a interdisciplinary methods training program that prepares participating scholars to investigate the intersection of mental and physical health, with an emphasis on how this intersection relates to health disparities. The training encompasses conceptual frameworks, study designs, data collection needs, and analytic approaches necessary to conduct this innovative research. The program includes an intensive 3-day summer institute in Ann Arbor, MI, followed by ongoing collaboration with a mentorship team.
This program is funded through OBSSR and NCCIH. It is the only NIH-funded program focused on building the methodological expertise needed to address the intersection of mental and physical health. This program will support efforts to increase cross-pollination in interdisciplinary scientific teams, and foster an integrative approach to clinical care and health services programming that can better meet the needs of persons with comorbid mental and physical health conditions.
Application Deadline: February 1, 2023
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Summer Institute on Randomized Behavioral Clinical Trials
The 23rd annual Summer Institute on Randomized Behavioral Clinical Trials will be held from July 12 – 22, 2023, at the Bolger Hotel and Conference Center in Potomac, Maryland. The Institute is sponsored by OBSSR and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Learn more about the training objectives, agenda, eligibility requirements and more on the OBSSR website.
Please address questions about eligibility to apply for the Summer Institute or about the program to Kenneth Freedland, PhD, Program Director, at [email protected].
Applications are due by February 21, 2023.
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Call for Papers: Public Health Reports Supplement Issue on COVID-19, Stay-at-Home Orders, and Interpersonal Violence: Findings and Implications for Emergency Response Efforts
Public Health Reports, the official journal of the Office of the US Surgeon General and the US Public Health Service, recently announced a new call for papers for the Public Health Reports Supplement Issue on “COVID-19, Stay-at-Home Orders, and Interpersonal Violence: Findings and Implications for Emergency Response Efforts.” The supplement, sponsored by OTIP, aims to build the evidence base on pandemic preparedness, emergency response efforts, and strategies that prevent and respond to interpersonal violence such as child maltreatment, domestic violence, and human trafficking.
The editors encourage submissions that draw on an equity lens and address populations which are under-researched (e.g., at-risk populations and those experiencing exploitation who have received limited attention in scientific studies such as people who have experienced labor trafficking; American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders; unaccompanied migrant minors; men and boys; and transgender populations).
The submission deadline for full manuscripts is March 23, 2023.
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Call for Special Issue Papers: Violence and Related Health Outcomes in Sexual & Gender Minority Communities
In 2021, NIH sponsored a multi-phase scientific workshop, “Violence & Related Health Outcomes in Sexual & Gender Minority (SGM) Communities.” The agenda for this workshop was informed by the feedback received from research investigators, community representatives, patient and family advocates, scientific and professional organizations, federal partners, internal NIH stakeholders, and other interested members of the public from a wide range of disciplines, in response to NIH’s “Request for Information (RFI) on Research Opportunities Related to the National Institutes of Health Scientific Workshop on Violence and Related Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Communities."
Participants of this workshop identified key research priorities, and stressed the importance of community collaboration, which together are needed to advance our understanding of violence in SGM communities and its consequences. Although violence affects every community, violence occurs against SGM individuals at higher rates. To further advance the understanding of the impact of violence on health within sexual and gender minority communities, LGBT Health, with support from NIH, will be publishing a Special Issue devoted to Violence and Related Health Outcomes in Sexual & Gender Minority Communities.
LGBT Health invites your submissions for consideration for this Special Issue and welcomes manuscripts from scholars across various fields in the format of original research articles, reviews, short reports, perspectives, and commentaries, including manuscripts that address best practices, public policy, and program evaluation. Submissions should be focused on, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Demographics and Epidemiology related to the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of violence in SGM communities.
- Risk Factors and Pathways related to conditions, contexts, or other variables that increase the likelihood of being impacted by violence across the life course in SGM individuals and in SGM communities, whether as victim and/or perpetrator, with a particular interest in the consideration of social and economic structures.
- Preventive Interventions designed to address the emergence of violence in SGM communities (including within interpersonal relationships) as well as potential adaptation of existing evidence based preventive interventions to the unique social, contextual, and structural needs of SGM populations.
- Treatment-related Interventions that could reduce perpetration or exposure to violence in SGM individuals and communities and subsequently impact health related outcomes.
- Ethical, Legal, and Structural Challenges related to conducting research on exposure to or experience of victimization and perpetration of violence in SGM populations.
Manuscript submission guidelines are available on the LGBT Health website.
Deadline for Manuscript Submission: March 31, 2023
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NIH Scientific Data Sharing
The new NIH Data Management and Sharing policy goes into effect January 25, 2023. Under the DMS policy, NIH requires researcher to submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan, and comply with the Data Management and Sharing Plan approved by the funding Institute or Center. During a research project’s funding period, compliance with the DMS Plan will be determined by the NIH Institute or Center. After the end of the funding period, non-compliance with the DMS Plan may be taken into account by NIH for future funding decisions for the recipient institution.
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Research on Community Level Interventions for Firearm and Related Violence, Injury and Mortality Prevention (CLIF-VP) (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
FOA Number
PAR-23-066
Key Dates
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): February 3, 2023
Expiration Date: March 18, 2023
Purpose
Violence affects people of all ages and its impact is far-reaching. It is a leading cause of death and nonfatal injuries in the United States and constitutes a major public health crisis, especially among young people, and in particular among racial/ethnic minority, sexual and gender minority (SGM) and disability populations. NIH is committed to supporting research that identifies innovative prevention approaches to reduce firearm and related violence, injury and mortality. Within the legislative mandates and limitations of NIH funding (NOT-OD-21-058, NOT-OD-21-056), this initiative will support a network of research projects to develop and test interventions at the community or community organization level that aim to prevent firearm and related violence, injury and mortality.
View PAR-23-066
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Research
Notice Number
NOT-OD-23-039
Key Dates
First Available Due Date: February 5, 2023
Expiration Date: February 5, 2026
Purpose
The purpose of this Notice is to highlight interest in research to improve understanding of the determinants of firearm injury, the identification of those at risk of firearm injury (including self- and other-directed, victims and perpetrators, accidental injury), the development, piloting, and testing of innovative interventions to prevent firearm injury and mortality, and the examination of approaches to improve the implementation of existing, evidence-based interventions to prevent firearm injury and mortality.
View NOT-OD-23-039
Short Courses on Innovative Methodologies and Approaches in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R25 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
FOA Number
RFA-OD-23-003
Key Dates
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): March 17, 2023
Expiration Date: April 18, 2023
Purpose
The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nation’s biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs.
View RFA-OD-23-003
Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS): Coordination Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)
FOA Number
RFA-RM-23-001
Key Dates
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): December 27, 2022
Expiration Date: January 28, 2023
Purpose
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications for the Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Coordination Center (CCC). The CCC will provide administration, coordination, data, and research capacity-building and training support to the ComPASS consortium. In addition to the CCC, the consortium includes Community-led, Health Equity Structural Intervention (CHESI) projects that intervene on structural factors that create and perpetuate health inequities and Health Equity Research Hubs to provide localized technical assistance to the community-led health equity structural interventions. This FOA seeks to fund a single Coordination Center as an integral part of the ComPASS Program.
View RFA-RM-23-001
