FABBS Holds 2024 Annual Council Meeting 

On Monday, December 9th, FABBS was delighted to host our Board members, Council of Representatives, and Corporate Affiliates for our 2024 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. FABBS President, Jeffrey M. Zacks, PhD, welcomed attendees to the meeting, which featured speakers from several federal agencies and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). 

The theme of the meeting was “Understanding the behavioral and brain sciences ecosystem,” of which federal agencies are a key part. Members had the opportunity to hear from and engage with behavioral and brain sciences leadership from across the federal government. 

FABBS Board Member-at-Large Colin Saldanha, PhD, moderated the opening panel, SBS Leadership at NSF and NIH, which featured Jane M. Simoni, PhD, Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Kaye Husbands Fealing, PhD, the Assistant Director of the Social, Behavioral and Economic Directorate (SBE) at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Simoni provided an overview of the state of health in the United States and the key role that behavioral and social science research (BSSR) plays in tackling public health challenges. Dr. Husbands Fealing followed with a presentation on the great work that SBE is supporting. During a Question-and-Answer Session, both speakers assured attendees that their offices will continue to champion BSSR. 

In the second panel, Leveraging Behavioral and Brain Sciences Across Federal Agencies, moderator William Klein, PhD, (National Cancer Institute’s Behavioral Research Program) led a discussion on how mission-driven agencies and departments – rather than science-funding agencies – leverage the behavioral and brain sciences in their work. Panelists included Louie Rivers, PhD, from the Environmental Protection Agency; David Portnoy, PhD, from the Center for Tobacco Products within the Food and Drug Administration; and Nancy La Vigne from the National Institute of Justice within the Department of Justice. The panelists also discussed how behavioral and brain scientists can work in the federal government, both on a temporary and permanent basis. 

Attendees also heard from Ourania Kosti, PhD, Director of the Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO), which is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Next, FABBS Board Member-at-Large Kerri Johnson, PhD, announced the 2024 FABBS awardees, who received one of the following: the Early Career Award; the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Award; the Doctoral Dissertation Research Excellence Award; and the Undergraduate Research Excellence Award. Additionally, FABBS Executive Director, Juliane Baron, gave an update on the advocacy work that FABBS has engaged in over the past year. 

To end the meeting, attendees joined breakout sessions focused on four of FABBS’ strategic priorities for 2025: 

• Enhancing Behavioral and Brain Research Integrity: hosted by Ed Liebow (American Anthropological Association, retired), and Dena K. Plemmons (Association for Practical and Professional Ethics). 

• OSTP Blueprint for the Use of Behavioral and Social Science to Advance Evidence-based Policymaking: hosted by Christine Hunter (Society of Behavioral Medicine). 

• NIH Reauthorization: hosted by Erin Heath (American Association for the Advancement of Science). 

• Resources for Science Communication and Impact: hosted by Camille Gamboa, SAGE Publishing. 

FABBS thanks SAGE Publishing and the American Psychological Association for their generous support. We also thank thanks our attendees for joining us and representing the many disciplines in our sciences. FABBS will continue to work toward further advancing our fields in the year ahead.