The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Strategic Plan 2025–2029 (PDF, 1.87MB)opens in new window. In the plan’s forward, Tara Schwetz, PhD, NIH deputy director for program coordination, planning, and strategic initiatives, notes “with this new 5-year Strategic Plan, OBSSR is well positioned to build on its previous successes, harnessing a shared sense of purpose across NIH to promote and align [behavioral and social sciences research] BSSR as an integral component of NIH research efforts.”
As previously reported, APA Services responded (PDF, 354KB)opens in new window to NIH’s request for information on the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Strategic Plan 2023–2028 (NOT-OD-22-211)opens in new window. The submitted comments and recommendations—informed by APA’s boards, committees, and divisions—reflected the association’s support for the draft strategic plan's scientific priorities and cross-cutting themes.
Observing that “OBSSR has been at the forefront of driving transformative change in how we understand and address health changes,” Schwetz cited the NIH Social, Behavioral, and Economic Initiative on the Health Impacts of covid-19opens in new window as an example of the office “leveraging insights from BSSR to facilitate the implementation of behavioral mitigation strategies, tackle health disparities, and expedite critical research efforts on the adverse health impacts of social isolation and loneliness.”
OBSSR director, Jane Simoni, PhD, added that beyond viral pandemics, there are “other pressing health issues with major BSSR implications, includ[ing] the opioid epidemic, rising rates of depression and anxiety, widespread loneliness and isolation, and 'deaths of despair' from suicide and drug overdose.” Simoni also cites the ongoing trauma and psychological distress caused by mass shootings, political and economic uncertainty, global conflicts, and climate change. NIH recognizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as “intrinsic to the achievement of better health for all,” therefore, a strategic plan priority for OBSSR is “workforce development to increase the involvement of underrepresented groups in science.” This includes training the next generation of BSSR researchers with the necessary tools to better understand the impact of health disparities and advance health equity.
The OBSSR strategic plan “is grounded in the principle of health equity” which is achieved when “everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.” The plan’s research priorities include:
- collaborative science,
- innovative scientific investigation, and
- implementation, dissemination, and equitable impact.
The research priorities support the Objective 1 of the 2021–2025 NIH-Wide Strategic Planopens in new window. APA Services provided recommendations prioritizing behavioral science in response to NIH’s request for information on its agency-wide strategic plan, which are included in the compendium (PDF, 1.23MB)opens in new window accompanying the plan.
For more information, contact Angela L. Sharpe.