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SPIN - Science Policy Insider NewsAPA's Science Policy Insider News
February 2003

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APA Meets with New NIMH Director

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.

Stimulating Discussions on Research and Development with TSA

On January 15th, Geoff Mumford, PhD, Director of Science Policy and Peter Hancock, PhD, Provost Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida and Senior Scientist Susan Brandon, PhD, met with Paul Polski, the Chief of Staff of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Chief Technology Officer. The purpose of the meeting was to reassert the need to add additional expertise to the Transportation Security Administration’s Scientific Advisory Panel and to discuss the role of psychological and behavioral science within TSA’s R&D portfolio. Mumford arranged for Mr. Polski to meet with the National Research Council’s Committee on Human Factors (Chaired by APA member Raja Parasuraman) the following day to discuss opportunities for the Committee to help shape the TSA’s research portfolio. The discussion was fruitful and the Committee drafted a proposal, Integrating Human Factors and Ergonomics into Homeland Security Initiatives, which is under consideration by TSA.

Convention Trifecta -- New Institute Directors to Present Jointly

On January 16th Science Policy staff invited the new Directors of NIMH, NIAAA and NIDA to participate in a joint session at the annual APA Convention in Toronto and we were delighted that Drs. Insel, Li and Volkow all accepted. The session will provide an opportunity for the new Directors to describe the role psychological and behavioral sciences play within the programmatic mission of their Institutes. Those attending the program will qualify for Continuing Education credit and we are hoping to draw in both scientists interested in basic research as well as practitioners interested in learning about science-practice translation initiatives. The session is scheduled for Friday, August 8, from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

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NIH Director Meets with APA's Anderson and Science Directorate

Elias Zerhouni, M.D. has been director of the National Institutes of Health for about six months, but already he’s met twice with the APA leadership. The first meeting was with a coalition of behavioral and social science organizations at the end of October, which we reported to you in the November SPIN. In January, he met for a wide-ranging discussion with APA’s new CEO, Norman Anderson, Ph.D., and senior staff from the Science Directorate and Public Policy Office.

Anderson embraced the opportunity to explain APA’s programs and priorities to the director of NIH. He particularly emphasized his goal to make psychology more useful in the ‘real world.’ Zerhouni asked questions about the training, income and debt burden of scientific and practicing psychologists, remarking that psychologists seem to experience the same pressures as other NIH constituent scientists in deciding whether to specialize in research or practice.

Dr. Zerhouni encouraged APA to step into the forefront of efforts to improve U.S. health. He cited the growing rates of obesity in the U.S. in all age ranges, and mentioned how a concerted effort by psychologists to help people change behavior could be helpful. He also spoke about the problem of medical errors, and mentioned that he feels behavioral research is the key to minimizing errors by health care providers. He said he is conscious of moving quickly in his job to areas where NIH focus can bring results.

"It’s clear Dr. Zerhouni is a strong leader and consummate manager," said Norman Anderson. "He is focused on moving NIH forward in areas that depend on behavioral research—elimination of minority health disparities, for example, and healthy behavior change."

"Even given his focus on results, it was clear that he is very supportive of basic research," said Merry Bullock, Ph.D., Associate Executive Director for Science. "He said we can’t have one without the other."

"I was especially pleased that Dr. Zerhouni has such a good working relationship with the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research," said Kurt Salzinger, APA’s Executive Director for Science. "He clearly relies on the Office for information and support. It’s the role we hoped and expected the Office would play when it was created."

Raynard Kington, M.D. Ph.D. who directs the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and was recently appointed Deputy NIH Director, attended, as well as Ruth Kirschstein, who recently moved from the position of Deputy NIH Director to Senior Adviser to the NIH Director, attended the meeting for NIH. Pat Kobor, APA’s Sr. Science Policy Analyst, represented the Public Policy Office.

Back to School at the FBI Academy

On January 21st, Senior Scientist, Susan Brandon, PhD, Director of Science Policy, Geoff Mumford, PhD, and the Director of the Crime Control and Prevention Research Division at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bryan Vila, PhD, met with several staff of the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy. Our goal was to discuss a continuation of the "teach-ins" we initiated in November with leaders in law enforcement and to talk about future collaborations. Information on the November meeting is available here.

In addition to the BSU Chief, Steve Band, PhD, and forensic psychologist, Tony Pinizzotto, PhD, we were joined by APA member Ellen Scrivner, PhD, who is a detailee from the Department of Justice working on the implementation of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force program. As a former Marine, South Central LA police officer, head of Micronesia's Bureau of Investigation, and an emergency preparedness coordinator for the Department of Interior, Dr. Vila has a unique perspective on law enforcement and first responder issues. He also has a doctorate in human ecology and worked as an academic at UC Irvine and the University of Wyoming before taking his present position at NIJ. Dr. Vila is interested in a range of research issues related to operational performance in the law enforcement environment and will be co-presenting with us on March 4 to students enrolled in a course entitled, "Violence Behavior: A Biopsychosocial Approach".

Dr. Band also informed us that FBI Director Mueller wants every law enforcement agent in the country to gain some uniform counter-terrorism training experience. Working through the Academy, they will soon be initiating a Train-the-Trainers program out of BSU. It will involve training several agents from each field office who will then return to the field to train local law enforcement officials. We've asked to review the training syllabus and also asked that the FBI incorporate a system to collect questions that arise from local law enforcement during training as an extension of what we're doing in the classroom setting.

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APA Invited to Discuss Scientific Advisory Appointments with NAS

The Scientific Advisory Council appointment process continues to generate interest and press here in Washington and elsewhere, most recently from the Editor of Science (see Science 1/31/03). On January 22, APA CEO Norman Anderson, PhD, and Director of Science Policy, Geoff Mumford, PhD, received invitations to discuss the appointment process and related issues with the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP), at the National Academy of Sciences at its next meeting on February 19.

The invitation states: "As you may be aware, a number of scientists have expressed concern about 'litmus tests' for the appointment of scientific experts to HHS advisory committees and the procedures and processes that are used as those committees provide advice. The NAS Council has requested that COSEPUP prepare a report on this general issue (not just for HHS but all such federal committees). At this meeting, COSEPUP would like your thoughts as part of a discussion with former White House Science advisors and disciplinary societies on the utility of this task and the questions that would be addressed in such a study."

The meeting will include former White House Science Advisors Neal Lane, PhD, and D. Allan Bromley, PhD, and high-level representatives of three other scientific organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), and the American Public Health Association (APHA). It's likely COSEPUP will use this input to frame a study that will identify the principles that should be used to guide such appointments.

We expect that this activity will complement an on-going Government Accounting Office (GAO) investigation on this issue. That investigation has been assigned to Ross Campbell, a Senior Analyst with the Natural Resources and Environment Team at GAO. According to Ross, GAO will be in the "design phase" for another month or so learning more about the issue and determining the scope and methodology they will use. They've defined 3 researchable questions that will guide the investigation:

  1. What is the role of advisory councils government-wide in helping shape policies and regulations?

  2. What policies and procedures are in place to ensure that advisory councils provide balanced advice?

  3. Are there any improvements to be made in those policies and procedures?

If you or your colleagues have information that you think would aid this investigation please contact Ross Campbell via email. 

Behind Every Good Workforce is a Psychologist

Everyone is probably aware that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been responsible for federalizing the airport screener workforce, but it's unlikely many know that APA member Elizabeth Kolmstetter, PhD, was in charge of the effort. On January 29th, Dianne Maranto, APA’s Director for Psychology in the Workplace, and Geoff Mumford, PhD, Director of Science Policy, met with Dr. Kolmstetter, an I/O psychologist who is now the Director of Standards, Testing & Accreditation for TSA. For the past year she has been responsible for establishing the selection, training and certification of airport security screeners and will be developing such systems in the future for air marshals, Federal Flight Deck Officers (armed pilots), and for security personnel in relation to other modes of transportation.

Dr. Kolmstetter’s office is within Training and Quality Performance but they apparently have a close working relationship with the human factors research group at what used to be the Howard Hughes Technical Center in NJ, (now in effect the intramural research laboratory for TSA). Its not clear at this point exactly how TSA will meld the research and development needs within Training and Quality Performance with the programs directed by the Office of Science and Technology. However, as noted in the January 15th, item above, APA and various human factors groups will be working to facilitate those connections because research is critical to the development of screening tests and integral to the job design and development of selection and training programs for the baggage screeners. While there are no immediate plans to establish a scientific advisory group to provide oversight for the Training & Performance area, there may be a future need to establish one in the area of certification. The current TSA organizational chart is available here. [PDF format]

APA Reaches out to Members for Study Section Training at NIH

The Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research at NIH developed a model training program at the request of APA and other behavioral and social science organizations. The program is designed to help scientists develop a culture of service and interdisciplinary cooperation desirable in service on study sections. Pat Kobor, Senior Science Policy Analyst, worked with the Board of Scientific Affairs and several APA Divisions during the early part of February to develop a slate of nominees for this important training program. This effort complements a broader effort Pat has taken to solicit nominations for study section service at the Center for Scientific Review within NIH. The NIH Center for Scientific Review is eager to receive nominees for study section service who have prior funding from the NIH or National Science Foundation. For more information, see the announcement that went to division executive committees.

Susan Brandon Moves to NIMH

At the end of January, Senior Scientist, Susan Brandon left APA for greener pastures and a permanent position as Chief of the Emotional Processes Program in the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science within the Behavioral Science Research Branch at the National Institute on Mental Health. Susan spearheaded much of our early outreach efforts on the counter-terrorism front. Shortly after 9/11, when we appealed to Division leaders to help us think about how psychological science could help counter terrorism, she took the lead on organizing the flood of response we received to compile a set of useful references. Drawing from that information, she compiled a series of vignettes related to counter-terrorism, constructed as research-based answers to provocative questions. The vignettes were circulated far and wide in an attempt to stimulate greater appreciation of the role of behavioral sciences, and did so. Susan organized a very successful counter-terrorism conference at the FBI Academy (in collaboration with our colleagues at UPenn and the Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict) and served as lead author on the final report. She further championed our outreach to other government units/agencies including the CIA, Office of Homeland Security, and National Security Council among others. She did not, however, forget her roots and rallied several senior academic researchers in an important initiative to resucitate basic animal learning research at NSF. A proposal for a follow-on workshop is currently under review at NSF. In sum, Susan served as a a tremendously productive part of our Science/Science Policy team, has been a true colleague in every sense of the word, and her daily presence will be sorely missed. However, we look forward to continued collaboration with her on many fronts and wish her the very best in her new position at NIMH.

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APA Testifies at Institute of Medicine Meeting on NIH Center Grants

APA was the only behavioral science organization scheduled to testify at a February 7, 2003 meeting of the Institute of Medicine’s Board of Health Sciences Policy subcommittee examining NIH center grants. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the value of center grants in comparison with other grant mechanisms, especially the investigator-initiated (R01) grant. Merry Bullock, PhD, Associate Executive Director for Science, gave the testimony on behalf of APA. The APA statement was written with input from the Board of Scientific Affairs, Committee on Scientific Awards, and the executive committees of several divisions. Dr. Bullock’s testimony can be found here.

In response to the APA request for comments, scientists expressed widely disparate views about the value of center grants. Some commented that center grants waste scarce resources by protecting mediocre science under the umbrella of the best science in a center. Others pointed out that the administrative core funding in centers provides an important environment for multidisciplinary research efforts, which are particularly needed in investigations of complex phenomena such as gene-environment interactions or health-related behavior change.

"The hallmark of NIH-funded research is excellence, and …NIH needs multiple ways to foster excellence. Sometimes science is best served when its caretakers merely recognize excellence in a grant proposal and let it flourish unencumbered. Sometimes a measure of coordination, whether directed by NIH, scientists in the field, or even Congress, sparks new conversations and connections between scientists and adds value and company to a lone good idea," Bullock said.

APA’s statement contained several recommendations for strengthening the center grant mechanism. First, NIH needs to collect more data about centers. It was not possible to find data to show how many people had been trained through center grants vs. other grant mechanisms, for example. Second, leadership is a critical component in the success or failure of a center, and NIH needs additional ways to build leadership skills in its grantees and to review for leadership skills in the peer review process. Third, NIH needs greater flexibility to manage center grants, including funds to conduct site visits. Site visits were more common ten years ago than today. APA also recommended that NIH explore the concept of a new grant type, the R01-Plus, that would help bridge the large gap between investigator-initiated grants and center grants by providing some administrative or core support funding to an R01 grant.

APA member Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob, PhD, Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Pittsburgh and herself a center director, testified on behalf of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Dr. Dunbar-Jacob is a member of the NINR Advisory Council. She pointed out ways that NINR has used relatively small center grants to help train nurse researchers to work in multidisciplinary environments.

Among the APA scientists who contributed their thoughts and expertise to this issue were Ken Sher, PhD, of the University of Missouri-Columbia; Linda Bartoshuk, PhD, of Yale University; David Barlow, PhD, of Boston University; Karen Matthews, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; David Abrams, PhD, of Brown University; Nora Newcombe, PhD, of Temple University; Denise Park, PhD, of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Neil Schneiderman, PhD, of the University of Miami School of Medicine; Ed Wasserman, PhD, of the University of Iowa; Michael Scheier of Carnegie Mellon University; and Norman Anderson, PhD, Kurt Salzinger, PhD , Merry Bullock, PhD and Geoff Mumford, PhD, of the APA staff.

The Institute of Medicine subcommittee on centers will issue its report in 2004. More information is available here.

Any questions?

If you have any questions regarding SPIN or specific science policy issues, please feel free to contact any of APA’s Science PPO staff.

Geoff Mumford, Ph.D., Director of Science Policy

Pat Kobor, Senior Science Policy Analyst

Heather O'Beirne Kelly, Ph.D., Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer

Karen Studwell, J.D., Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer

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