Over a quarter of the U.S. workforce is comprised of shift workers. Those who work outside traditional work hours commonly include essential and frontline workers such as healthcare workers, emergency responders, and pilots. Shift workers often experience disruptions in sleep-activity and eating-fasting patterns, which are associated with chronic circadian disruptions, and in turn, increased risk for cardiometabolic disease, cancer, infections, and autoimmune diseases. Despite these documented risks, relatively few lifestyle interventions have been developed to improve the health for vulnerable shift work populations. Recently published research supported by the NIDDK, NCI, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and others examined the feasibility and efficacy of a time-restricted eating (TRE) intervention for improving the health of firefighters who work 24-hour shifts. TRE is a behavioral intervention that limits time of daily caloric intake to a consistent window of 6 to 12 hours, without overly restricting energy (caloric) intake.
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Anxiety is prevalent during pregnancy, with approximately 18% of women reporting elevated anxiety symptoms during their first trimester, 19% in the second trimester, and 25% in the third trimester. “Pregnancy anxiety” (also known as pregnancy-specific anxiety or prenatal anxiety) is an affective state where a pregnant woman experiences anxiety involving concerns and worries about her prenatal health, baby, labor, delivery, and/or future parenting. Pregnancy anxiety has been shown to be associated with adverse birth outcomes, including shorter gestation length/preterm birth, as well as negative early childhood outcomes, such as developmental delays, emotional or behavioral concerns, or cognitive difficulties. Less is known about whether timing of prenatal anxiety during pregnancy has an impact on birth outcomes, and the optimal timing for risk screening in women. Recently published research supported by the NICHD and NIDA aimed to enhance understanding of the predictive impact of the timing of risk screening on multiple measures of anxiety and distress in the first and third trimesters.
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Is it possible to leverage the emotional valence of memories to treat certain disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder? In recent research supported by an NIH Early Independence Award (OD, NIMH), the NICHD, and others, researchers gain a better understanding of how the brain processes and stores emotional memories. Memories are stored in different areas across the brain, and individual memories exist as networks of cells known as engrams. In prior research, the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) has been shown to be important in the processing of emotion and valence. In the current study, the researchers sought to characterize the key molecular and genetic differences between positive and negative memories in the cells of the vHPC of mice.
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Input requested on scientific priorities and cross-cutting themes for OBSSR Strategic Plan 2023-2028
OBSSR is seeking input on scientific priorities and cross-cutting themes for the OBSSR Strategic Plan 2023-2028. OBSSR’s mission is to enhance the impact of health related behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR); coordinate BSSR conducted or supported by the NIH and integrate these sciences within the larger NIH research enterprise; and communicate health related BSSR findings to various stakeholders within and outside the federal government.
The purpose of this recently released Request for Information (RFI) (NOT-OD-22-211) is to obtain input on cross-cutting themes and scientific priorities that will help inform OBSSR’s Strategic Plan 2023-2028. You can view the most recent strategic plan (2017-2021) here: https://obssr.od.nih.gov/about/strategic-plan/.
The proposed scientific priorities and themes for the OBSSR Strategic Plan 2023-2028 include:
Three scientific priorities:
- Improve the synergy between basic BSSR and research testing approaches to improve health outcomes
- Enhance and promote research measures, methods, and infrastructure needed to support an integrated and more cumulative approach to BSSR
- Accelerate sustained adoption of BSSR findings in practice
Four cross-cutting themes:
- Integration of BSSR across NIH research
- Science of science
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)
- Training and capacity building
Review the new RFI: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-22-211.html and respond by November 14, 2022, 11:59:59 PM EST: https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=6318d59514480000ab000fa2
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Career opportunity: Scientific Diversity Advisor, NIH's DPCPSI
The Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the NIH Office of the Director is seeking exceptional candidates to lead the development and implementation of proactive diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives to ensure a learning and working environment in DPCPSI where all have an opportunity to succeed. The Scientific Diversity Advisor will also collaborate with 14 DPCPSI offices to assess the need for and recommend training initiatives on cultural competency, gender differences, disability, harassment, and other topics designed to increase awareness and support of equity and inclusion values and maintaining compliance with applicable laws. The candidate will work with the Division offices to strengthen, support, and diversify the workforce to make the workplace a fair, equitable, and safe environment for all employees.
For more information about this position, and to access the links to apply using the USA JOBS application click here: https://dpcpsi.nih.gov/careers.
If you have additional questions, feel free to contact Robin Kawazoe, Deputy Director, DPCPSI at [email protected] or Liz Spencer, Senior Workforce Advisor at [email protected].
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Resources for PAR-22-233: Time-Sensitive Opportunities for Health Research (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
This FOA establishes an accelerated review/award process to support research to understand health outcomes related to an unexpected and/or time-sensitive event (e.g., emergent environmental threat; pandemic; change in local, state, or national policy; natural disaster). Applications in response to this FOA must demonstrate that the research proposed is time-sensitive and must be initiated with minimum delay due to a limited window of opportunity to collect baseline data, answer key research questions, and/or prospectively evaluate a new policy or program. This FOA is intended to support opportunities in which empirical study could only be available through expedited review and funding, necessitating a substantially shorter process than the typical NIH grant review/award cycle. The time from submission to award is expected to occur within 4-5 months. However, administrative requirements and other unforeseen circumstances may delay issuance dates beyond that timeline.
A pre-application webinar was held on October 6, 2022, that provided an overview of the FOA and provided an opportunity to address participant questions. NIH staff discussed the purpose and scope of this funding opportunity, went over the scientific review process, and reviewed criteria and other logistical information.
The slides and webinar recording are now available on the OBSSR website.
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NIH All About Grants Podcast – Phase III Trials
NIH’s definition of a Phase III clinical trial is quite broad, including drug studies, device studies, behavioral interventions, epidemiological studies, community trials, and more. Phase III trials are usually large, prospective trials that compare two or more interventions against other standard or experimental interventions. In this next episode of our NIH All About Grants podcast (MP3 / Transcript) we explain what a Phase III trial is, how it compares to other types of clinical trials, considerations for your application and its review, how these studies influence standards of care, helpful tools and other resources, and much more.
The guests include Ms. Dawn Corbett, NIH’s Inclusion Policy Officer, and Dr. Christine Hunter, Acting Director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.
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Announcing the new Advancing Health Communication Science and Practice Program
This program will investigate, develop, test, and share new approaches for effective and equitable health communication by addressing critical gaps in health and science communication relevant across NIH Institutes and Centers while developing approaches to foster equitable health outcomes.
Through community-engaged research across diverse communities, this program aims to increase understanding of what health communication approaches work for whom, under what circumstances, and why. This approach will help meet the information needs of diverse individuals while working toward improving trust in science and enhancing public health.
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NIH ComPASS Team office hours for the Research Opportunity Announcement (OTA-22-007 Required LOI)
The NIH staff will host virtual office hours sessions via Zoom to provide additional assistance with preparing a letter of intent (LOI) for the Research Opportunity Announcement OTA-22-007. NIH staff will be available to answer questions from potential applicants and discuss information required for the LOI. These sessions are optional and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. You can submit questions prior to the sessions by emailing [email protected] or on the registration form.
NIH is soliciting applications from community organizations in support of the goals of the ComPASS Program’s Community-Led, Health Equity Structural Intervention (CHESI) Initiative. Under OTA-22-007, community organizations will develop, implement, assess, and disseminate community-led, health equity structural interventions in partnership with a research organization. Applicants are required to submit an LOI by November 18, 2022, 11:59 PM ET.
Office Hours Dates and Times
- October 26th at 1:00pm -2:00pm ET
- November 8th at 2pm-3pm ET
Register Here (please choose only one meeting to attend):
https://roseliassociates.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_IO36bmeZTTScmTBmDcqeJQ
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New Dates for the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival: 12/8-12/9
The 2022 NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Festival will be held on December 8-9, 2022, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST each day. Registration information will be available soon.
Festival Overview: This annual meeting, organized by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) and the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee (BSSR-CC), informs the wider BSSR community, interested parties, and NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) about the latest BSSR funded by the NIH and its overall impact and importance across the entire field of biomedical research. Additional goals are to assist the ICs with the establishment of research priorities and the coordination of their programmatic efforts, thus minimizing redundancy and maximizing returns on NIH investments in BSSR.
The festival highlights exciting research results, emerging areas, and innovations in health related BSSR. This NIH-wide event enables efficient leveraging of NIH resources and expertise. The BSSR-CC members contribute diverse and comprehensive perspectives on the NIH BSSR portfolio, thus facilitating the selection of an outstanding array of research results that are highlighted at the festival.
View Past Festival Materials
NIH ECHO Program FOAs
The NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program announces its latest funding opportunities.
The ECHO Program consists of 69 existing and ongoing observational studies that together form the ECHO Cohort, as well as a pediatric clinical trials network. Research conducted through ECHO focuses on five key pediatric outcomes: pre-, peri- and postnatal outcomes; upper and lower airway health; obesity; neurodevelopment; and positive health, such as happiness and a sense of wellbeing.
These new Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) invite applications to extend and expand the ECHO Cohort to further investigate the influences of a broad range of early exposures from society to biology, including the preconception period, on child health. In addition to following existing ECHO participants, ECHO seeks to fund cohorts to recruit an additional 20,000 pregnant people and their partners, with follow-up of their children.
More information about these opportunities, including Frequently Asked Questions and pre-recorded informational webinars, is available on the NIH ECHO website. Applications are due by November 21, 2022.
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Policy Development in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Subcommittee (SBS) of the National Science and Technology Council
The Biden-Harris Administration formally rechartered the Social and Behavioral Sciences Subcommittee (SBS) of the Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council in April 2022. The SBS coordinates policy action to address pressing social issues and Biden-Harris Administration priorities using the tools and insights of the social and behavioral sciences.
The work of the SBS meets the mandates of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018; the January 20, 2021 Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support of Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; and the January 27, 2021 Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking.
The social and behavioral sciences offer unique tools for describing, understanding, and addressing societal challenges, and assessing and evaluating initiatives, programs, and policies. As described in its Charter, the SBS leverages these tools to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s agenda, to carry out short-term, high-priority tasks, and to lay the groundwork for longer-term coordination of agency efforts related to the social and behavioral sciences.
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PATH Study has released a new data set
The NIH’s National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) announce the release of Special Collection Public-Use data files (SCPUFs) from Wave 5.5 and from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH Study) Adult Telephone Survey (ATS). The Wave 5.5 Special Collection data were collected from youth participants ages 13 to 19 between July and December 2020. Data in the PATH-ATS were collected between September and December 2020 from a subsample of adult participants ages 20 and older, complementing the Wave 5.5 Special Collection. Researchers may access the SCPUF at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37786. In addition, the PATH Study Public-Use Files (PUF) have been updated to include Wave 5 Ever/Never Reference Data for all participants, which can be accessed athttps://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36498. The Restricted-Use and Public-Use Master Linkage Files have each been updated to reflect the new SCPUF files and the current availability of biospecimens in the Biospecimen Access Program. Master Linkage Files can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38008.
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Implementation Science to Advance Maternal Health and Maternal Health Equity for the IMPROVE initiative
FOA Number
NOT-HD-22-043
Key Dates
First Available Due Date: February 6, 2023
Expiration Date: May 8, 2025
Purpose
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and participating NIH Institutes and Offices announce this new funding opportunity to advance the goals of the NIH Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative. IMPROVE aims to understand the biological, behavioral, environmental, sociocultural, and structural factors that affect pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated morbidity and mortality and build an evidence base for improved care and outcomes. The initiative promotes research to address health disparities associated with pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated morbidity and mortality.
The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to stimulate dissemination and implementation research on innovative approaches built on evidence-based findings from foundational research on factors that contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality (MMM). This NOSI will support the development and implementation of strategies to inform integrated efforts involving policy and practice changes to improve preconception, pregnancy, perinatal, and postpartum care and advance maternal health and maternal health equity.
View NOT-HD-22-043
BRAIN Initiative: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
FOA Number
RFA-DA-23-039
Key Dates
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): November 15, 2022
Expiration Date: September 13, 2024
Purpose
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) seeks the development of theories, computational models, and analytical tools to derive understanding of brain function from complex neuroscience data. Proposed projects could develop tools to integrate existing theories or formulate new theories; conceptual frameworks to organize or fuse data to infer general principles of brain function; multiscale/multiphysics models to generate new testable hypotheses to design/drive future experiments; new analytical methods to substantiate falsifiable hypotheses about brain function. It is expected that the tools developed under this FOA will be made widely available to the neuroscience research community for their use and modification. Investigative studies should be limited to model parameter estimation and/or validity testing of the tools being developed.
View RFA-DA-23-039
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): BRAIN Initiative: Notice of Support for Research on Interoception Circuits
FOA Number
NOT-AT-23-003
Key Dates
First Available Due Date: June 15, 2023
Expiration Date: October 3, 2024
Purpose
The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative is aimed at revolutionizing neuroscience through development and application of innovative technologies to map neural circuits, monitor and modulate their activity, and understand how they contribute to thoughts, sensations, emotions, and behaviors. NIH has issued a variety of Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) that will support projects that apply technologies to understand neural circuit function in the context of specific circuits, resulting in a diverse portfolio of research into the fundamental biology of nervous system function.
The purpose of this announcement is to notify the research community that NIH welcomes BRAIN Initiative applications targeting interoceptive processes and circuits, as appropriate to the goals and requirements of specific BRAIN Initiative FOAs.
View NOT-AT-23-003
BRAIN Initiative: Brain-Behavior Quantification and Synchronization – Transformative and Integrative Models of Behavior at the Organismal Level (R34 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
FOA Number
RFA-DA-23-030
Key Dates
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date): January 14, 2023
Expiration Date: February 15, 2023
Purpose
This FOA seeks applications with limited scope proposing a set of planning activities that will lay the groundwork for a scientific project aimed at integrating complementary theories and methods to 1) develop, validate, and apply cutting-edge tools and methods for minimally invasive, multi-dimensional, high-resolution measurement of behavior at the level of the organism, with synchronous capture of changes in the organism’s social or physical environment; and/or 2) develop computational methods that allow for integration of multidimensional behavioral and environmental data representing multiple timescales into a conceptual and/or computational model of behavior as a complex dynamic system, designed with the capacity to integrate synchronously recorded neural data and/or inform existing models of neurobehavioral function, such as those developed with the support of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. The purpose of this FOA is to support planning and development of the research framework, design, and approach, including activities that will establish feasibility, validity, and/or other technically qualifying results that, if successful, would support a competitive application for a U01, R01 or equivalent NIH research award.
View RFA-DA-23-030
