Director's Voice Blog

In the monthly Director’s Voice Blog, OBSSR leadership discusses timely topics related to behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR). Subscribe to receive updates.

Archived Director’s Blogs by Year

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017
As you weigh the risks and benefits of COVID vaccination, consider the benefits that extend beyond yourself to the many millions of people like my wife, including some you probably know, who depend on the rest of us to help protect them from COVID.
NIH has provided new guidance for basic experimental studies involving humans (BESH).
The NIH has added a new component to RADx—to find ways to understand and address the concerns of people worried about COVID-19 testing, vaccine safety, and efficacy.
The NIH launched the UNITE initiative to end structural racism and racial inequities in the health research enterprise.
A working group of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee has been charged with evaluating the research on racism and health that we fund and to make recommendations for future directions. This working group has and will continue to provide input to larger NIH-wide efforts.
Reflections on what occurred in 2020, including racial injustice and a public health pandemic, and the role behavioral and social sciences research played and can continue to play.
This report, which was developed in consultation with leading experts in social and behavioral sciences and public health, outlines evidence-informed communication strategies in support of national COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts across federal agencies and their state and local partners. The report builds on four foundational principles (coordinated and consistent messaging, building trust, consideration of health literacy, and prioritizing equity) to offer concrete recommendations for targeted and tailored communication.
As we celebrate 25 years of the OBSSR, we have asked the former Directors to reflect on their time at the OBSSR. This guest blog was authored by the OBSSR’s fourth Director, Robert Kaplan, Ph.D.
NIH funded behavioral and social sciences-related COVID-19 research including survey item repositories DR2 and PhenX, supplemental funding to the NIH ICOs, SBE health impacts research, and the development of RADx-UP.
As we celebrate 25 years of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), we have asked the former Directors to reflect on their time at the OBSSR. This guest blog was authored by OBSSR’s third Director, David Abrams, Ph.D.