L-R:
Merry Bullock, PhD
APA Science Directorate Assoc. Exec. Dir.;
Duane Alexander, MD
NICHD Director;
Norman Anderson, PhD
APA CEO
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On July 24th, APA CEO Norman Anderson, Science Directorate
Associate Director Merry Bullock, and PPO staff Karen Studwell met with
Duane Alexander, MD, Director of the National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development to discuss the behavioral research portfolio at
NICHD and some NIH issues that have recently been of concern to APA. Dr.
Alexander first thanked APA and its members for their advocacy efforts to
defeat the amendment offered in the House of Representatives that would
have removed funding from several NICHD grants involving sexual and
demographic research. He indicated that NIH is working on follow up
materials to further educate members of Congress about the importance of
sexual health research and that NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, MD, has been
very supportive of the research as well.
Other items of discussion included the need for greater
representation of behavioral science in the NIH Roadmap, which
we have reported on previously in SPIN. Dr. Alexander, who co-chaired
the Roadmap working group on the clinical research workforce, indicated
that behavioral research training was included into their initiatives. He
noted that one new emphasis will be on training broad multidisciplinary
research teams. He also said that the working group is working on
addressing ways to standardize and streamline federal regulations
governing research so that all research comes under a single policy. This
will include standardization of required paperwork and example-based
guidance to the regulations.
Dr. Alexander encouraged psychological researchers to take
advantage of the current friendly climate for research on prevention; in
particular, childhood obesity. As physical activity and eating behaviors
are directly linked to the rise in obesity, it represents an opportunity
for behavioral approaches in multidisciplinary efforts contribute to new
knowledge and interventions, targeted directly to children.
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