L-R:
Kurt Salzinger, PhD
APA Science Directorate Exec. Dir.;
Tom Insel, MD
NIMH Director;
Norman Anderson, PhD
APA CEO;
Richard Nakamura, PhD
NIMH Deputy Director
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On January 3, APA CEO Norman Anderson, PhD, began his
tenure at APA with a meeting with NIMH Director Tom Insel, MD, to discuss
how APA and NIMH can work together to increase support for behavioral
research and to fulfill NIMH’s mission to reduce the public health
burden of mental illnesses. Kurt Salzinger, PhD, Executive Director for
Science, Merry Bullock, PhD, Associate Executive Director for Science, and
science policy staff Karen Studwell, JD, also participated in the meeting.
Insel began his tenure at NIMH in November 2002, and has yet to propose
any major organizational changes to the institute, but indicated that he
will seek to increase the pool of behavioral neuroscientists in the
intramural program.
While FY03 funding remains uncertain and a proposed 2%
increase for NIH in FY04 funding will require Insel to make some tough
decisions about priorities, he is developing a research agenda and looking
forward to leading the institute. Like the new NIH Director, Elias
Zerhouni, MD, Insel is interested in improving NIMH’s ability to fund
translational research that can bridge the gap between research and
practice, thereby reducing the time for interventions to become adopted
into practice. Insel also would like to see NIMH reduce the stigma of
mental illness, as well as increase support for suicide research and
animal research. Insel stated that current advances in animal research are
providing answers to research questions for a range of conditions, from
PTSD to the emotional memory of learning. Finally, Insel reiterated his
interest in working with APA and its members during his tenure at NIMH.
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