FABBS reports on items of interest to many communities – scientists, policymakers, and the public. In our news, you will see updates on science funding and policy, articles that translate research for policy, and descriptions of the research contributions of scientists at all stages of their research careers.
Bipartisan Group Proposes Funding for Research on Mental Health Effects of COVID-19
FABBS is monitoring new legislation recently introduced by a bipartisan and bicameral group of Members of Congress: the COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act. Senators Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kaine (D-VA) introduced the bill in the Senate, while Representatives Tonko (D-NY) and Katko (R-NY) are sponsoring the House Version.
The bill would direct $100 million annually for five years to the National Institute of Mental Health to fund research on the mental health consequences of the pandemic, with
read moreNIH Announces UNITE Initiative to End Structural Racism
On March 1st, the Director of NIH, Dr. Francis Collins, announced a new NIH initiative called UNITE:
U — Understanding stakeholder experiences through listening and learning
N — New research on health disparities, minority health, and health equity
I — Improving the NIH culture and structure for equity, inclusion, and excellence
T — Transparency, communication, and accountability with our internal and external stakeholders
E — Extramural research ecosystem: changing
read moreScience of Behavioral Change (SOBC) Celebrate a Decade of Advances
The NIH Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) Common Fund Program celebrated its tenth anniversary with a Capstone Research Conference. SOBC’s objective is to promote behavioral change science with an emphasis on processes and the incorporation of fundamental research into applied/ interventional research. The capstone conference provided critical examples of behavioral modification experiments that had an impact on health outcomes.
On February 22nd, three panels of scientists
read moreHouse Science Committee Holds Hearing on Building Back the U.S. Research Enterprise: COVID Impacts and Recovery
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee met on Thursday, February 25th to discuss the impact that COVID-19 is having on research and researcher productivity, including the science pipeline. Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) began the hearing by outlining challenges to researchers caused by the pandemic including: time and financial constraints; losing graduate and future researchers; a reduction in productivity; the challenges of resuming paused research; and elevated stress
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