NIH Director Meets with Behavioral and Social Science Organizations

Representatives of APA, along with members of thirteen other behavioral and social science organizations, met on October 31st with Elias Zerhouni, MD, the director of the National Institutes of Health. The organizations, members of the Coalition for the Advancement of Health Through Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (CAHT-BSSR) included: the Consortium of Social Science Associations; Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences; Society for Research in Child Development; and American Educational Research Association.  APA staff member Pat Kobor co-chairs the coalition and helped arrange the meeting.

Zerhouni, who joined NIH in the spring of 2002, was joined by Deputy Director Ruth Kirschstein, PhD, and Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, who directs the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR).   The meeting lasted nearly an hour and gave behavioral and social science leaders a rare opportunity to discuss issues directly with the NIH Director.

Zerhouni opened the meeting by noting that behavioral and social science research is in the forefront of some of NIH’s most important priorities, including obesity research. He said that during the NIH Director’s retreat in September, during which the NIH senior staff discussed priority issues, the topic of behavioral and social science research was prominent.   

APA’s Executive Director of Science, Kurt Salzinger, PhD, asked Zerhouni about his views on strengthening basic behavioral and social science research at NIH. Zerhouni explained that he does not hold the view that all behavioral and social science research should be considered “applied.” Instead he conceptualizes research as either “discovery research,” or “derivative research.” Discovery research provides knowledge that is new, and ought not imply “pipettes and molecules.”    Asked whether there might be opportunities for enhancing basic behavioral and social science research in the NIH intramural program, Zerhouni replied that leadership from the institute directors, and from top scientists willing to come to NIH, would be the key factors.

In a discussion of scientific training, Zerhouni said that he and the NIH leadership are starting to take a fresh look at the issue. “What kind of scientific workforce do we need, and what can we do to create it?” he said, indicating that factors such as high school and undergraduate science education are important steps in the training of that workforce.  Coalition members explained to Zerhouni that behavioral and social scientists have been concerned since a National Research Council committee in 2000 reported to NIH that the numbers of biomedical and behavioral scientists being trained should remain stable and not increase.  The coalition shares the view of psychologist John Kihlstrom, a dissenting member of the NRC committee, that more behavioral and social scientists are needed in health research.

Zerhouni was asked his views about restructuring NIH.  (At the request of Congress, an Institute of Medicine committee is investigating options for restructuring and improving the management of NIH).  He replied that he does not believe there will be a wholesale restructuring of NIH, noting that there would be resistance to merging or eliminating any of the NIH institutes and centers.  He cited OBSSR as an example of alternate ways to promote trans-institute collaborations.   

Developmental psychologist Deborah Phillips of Georgetown University raised the issue of the National Children’s Study. Now in the planning stage, this large longitudinal study has the potential to be a very important instrument for gaining information about the social environment of children. However, coalition members have been advocating, so far without success, for additional behavioral and social science experts to be added to the planning committees for the study.  Phillips also raised the concern that the large study be given its own budgetary line item so that it does not supplant funding from other research funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, the study’s chief sponsor.

The coalition members were enthusiastic about the meeting.  “I felt that Dr. Zerhouni was genuinely interested in hearing our points of view,” Salzinger said.  “He is clearly supportive of behavioral research, the OBSSR, and Dr. Kington personally. He gave us very positive feedback.  I believe we have laid the groundwork for a good working relationship between our organizations and the office of the NIH Director.”       

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