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SPIN - Science Policy Insider NewsAPA's Science Policy Insider News
June 2005

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University Scientist Delivers APA's Congressional Testimony on Funding for DoD Behavioral Research

Jennifer Vendemia, PhD, a psychologist from the University of South Carolina, presented APA's testimony before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on May 17th. Vendemia's fMRI research focuses on modeling the neurocognitive processes of lying in order to formulate new deception detection techniques using measures of specific brain activity. She advocated for restoring cuts to behavioral research programs in the Department of Defense (DoD) laboratories and for increasing DoD's support of smaller, human-centered research programs related to counterintelligence and special operations.

Vendemia and Science Policy staffer Heather Kelly also met with Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) defense aide regarding research language in the FY06 DoD authorization bill and a possible visit from the Senator to psychological research labs at USC and nearby Ft. Jackson Army Base. 

Read Dr. Vendemia's testimony [PDF 50K]

90th Meeting of the NIDA Advisory Council

On May 17th, Geoff Mumford, Director of Science Policy, attended the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Advisory Council. In addition to the Directors report, which included an appreciative mention of the March Friends of NIDA briefing that Geoff and Sara Robinson coordinated, the Council received reports from two APA Fellows. Jose Szapocznik delivered a Report of the Minority Health Disparities Work Group and Dorothy Hatsukami discussed the findings of the Bioethics Taskforce Report

Geoff and Sara are also coordinating the next Friends of NIDA briefing [PDF 20K] scheduled for June 28th, which will focus on NIDA's methamphetamine research portfolio. Alongside Nora Volkow, APA member Richard Rawson will be presenting results from his MATRIX methamphetamine treatment studies at the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program. 

Any SPIN readers who happen to be in town are cordially invited to attend.

Read the Dear Colleague invitation from the Chairs of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine and the Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus [PDF 260K]

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Congress Makes Date with Democracy

The week of May 23rd began with an extraordinary event sponsored by the Decade of Behavior. APA Science Policy staffer Pat Kobor worked with the National Communication Association, Association of American Geographers, and American Political Science Association to showcase the 2005 Decade of Behavior Research Award winners in the study of democracy, one of the five themes of the Decade. The event was called “The State of Democracy: Engaging a Changing Citizenry. “ Over 70 congressional staff and policymakers attended the symposium, including staff from the Department of Homeland Security, State Department and Library of Congress among others. APA fellow Judith Torney-Purta, PhD, of the University of Maryland, was honored for her work on the beliefs and attitudes of young people in the United States and abroad on democracy and civic involvement. Pointing out that young people in the U.S. received only mediocre scores on understanding the concepts and ideals of democracy, Dr. Torney-Purta called for more participatory experiences as part of the civic education of young people. Other scientists who gave award addresses were political scientists James Gibson, PhD, Washington University-St. Louis; David Epstein PhD, and Sharyn O’Halloran, PhD, Columbia University; geographer William A.V. Clark, PhD, University of California-Los Angeles; and communication scholar Kathleen Hall Jamieson, PhD, University of Pennsylvania.

Read the full article

House and Senate Science Leaders Seek to Increase Role of Women in Science

On May 25th, APA cosponsored a congressional briefing, "Advancing Women in Science," with a number of organizations in coordination with the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues and the Congressional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education Caucus. Given the recent controversy over remarks by Harvard President Larry Summers, Members of Congress and the scientific communities are also seeking answers to why women are underrepresented in many fields of science and engineering. Psychologist Nora Newcombe, PhD, Temple University, provided a brief summary of the current state of cognitive science research on gender differences in learning, and brought the role of culture and the social environment front and center to the debate.

Read the full article 

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APA Sponsors Congressional Briefing on Military and Mental Health Needs

On May 26th, APA held a standing-room-only Congressional briefing on "Psychology in Service to America's Military Personnel, Veterans and Their Families," co-sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Three distinguished psychologist speakers highlighted important roles played by psychology within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), focusing on training, research and clinical care. Antonette Zeiss, PhD (Director of Training, Psychology Service, VA Palo Alto Healthcare System) discussed cutting-edge models of VA internship training designed to meet the needs of returning military personnel; Terence Keane, PhD (Associate Chief of Staff for Research & Development, VA Boston Healthcare System) presented the most up-to-date research in the areas of assessing and treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; and Harold Wain, PhD (Chief, Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center) outlined his team's clinical work with hospitalized, traumatically injured soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom deployments.

Read the full article 

109th Meeting of the NIAAA Advisory Council

On May 26th, Geoff Mumford, Director of Science Policy, attended the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Advisory Council. Director Li has initiated a series of portfolio reviews via an extramural advisory board (EAB) on which APA Fellow (and NIAAA Council member) Ken Sher serves. At this meeting the EAB presented two reviews: gene and environment interactions, and medications development.

The EAB concluded that there was still too much to learn about how genetics and environment [PDF 200K] separately contribute to the etiology of risk for alcohol use disorders to start large scale studies of their interactive contributions. However they did make a number of suggestions as to how NIAAA could adjust the existing portfolio to prepare for the future when such interactive studies might become appropriate. Dr. Raye Litten provided a summary of NIAAA's robust medication development program  [PDF 200K] which was followed by the EAB portfolio review  [PDF 650K].

Council also received a report from Dr. Mark Willenbring on the development of the new Clinical Treatment Guidelines to be released later this summer. When NIAAA Director Li brought Dr. Willenbring on board as the new Director of the Division of Treatment and Recovery Research, they decided that revising the screening guide for clinicians should be a top priority. The resulting 2005 edition “Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinicians Guide” was designed to broaden the target audience and provide a simpler screening method.

The last edition of the guidelines, released in 2003, focused on primary care practitioners, but Dr. Willenbring, a psychiatrist by training, brought a “many hands make light work” philosophy with him to NIAAA and realized that expanding the clinician base to include mental health providers would be essential. Why? Because substance use disorders, primarily alcohol use disorders, are much more prevalent in patients with other mental health problems than in the general population, and many mental health patients do not regularly see primary care providers.

In addition to offering a step-by-step approach to providing brief interventions for non-dependent drinkers, the new guidelines also provide advice on how to deal with an alcohol dependent patient who refuses or fails to follow up with a referral, or who fails to respond to a behavioral treatment program. For the first time, medications for treating alcohol dependence are covered as well. Future products related to the new Clinicians Guide will include patient education materials and continuing education for professionals who take an on-line instruction planned for NIAAA’s website.

Geoff Mumford will be working with NIAAA and APA’s Professional Development Staff to disseminate the new guidelines. “The field of psychology has provided important leadership in researching and treating substance use disorders, and APA is in an ideal position to help us get these new guidelines into the hands of those who can really use them,” said Willenbring.

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APA Co-sponsors Congressional Briefing Featuring Social Network Analysis

Building on the work of social psychologist Stanley Milgram, a diverse group of scientists are now utilizing social network analysis to improve outcomes in fields from national security to public health. Under the leadership of the Coalition to Protect Research, co-chaired by APA's Karen Studwell, APA joined the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the American Sociological Association and other scientific organizations to sponsor a congressional briefing entitled, Six Degrees of Separation: Using Social Network Research to Inform Public Health and National Security to educate congressional staff and policymakers about the need for this research. Featured speakers included: Brian Reed, Fellow, Center for Research on Military Organization at the Department of Sociology, University of Maryland College Park, Duncan Watts, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, Katherine Stovel, PhD, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Washington. Each of the speakers represented a unique perspective on how social network analysis is informing policy decisions and the importance of continued federal support for this research, even in times of budget constraints.

Social network analysis has become particularly useful in the public health battle against sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Dr. Stovell presented data from the Add Health Study, which was funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is helping to inform scientists what types of interventions might be most successful at breaking some of the chains involved in disease transmission.

View Dr. Stovel's presentation [PPT 1 MB]
View Dr. Watts' presentation [PPT 370K]

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

Sara Robinson, Legislative Assistant

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