On July 6, 2023, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the selection of Jane M. Simoni, PhD, as the associate director for behavioral and social sciences research and director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). Simoni, a clinical psychologist and professor, officially began her role on July 30, 2023.
Simoni brings more than 25 years of research experience, including intervention research examining behavioral aspects of chronic illness, using mixed methods and clinical trials to evaluate strategies such as peer support, medical record alerts, provider training and counseling, and mobile health to promote treatment engagement and health outcomes. She has collaborated on research and training awards on HIV, mental health, substance use, trauma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and pediatric overweight treatment in the United States and globally.
Simoni joins NIH from the University of Washington (UW). She is the founding director of the UW Behavioral Research Center for HIV and codirects the UW/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research, where she also is associate director of the Behavioral Science Core and senior advisor to the eHealth Scientific Working Group. She is also a fellow in four APA divisions.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for NIH to increase its investment in human behavior research and the racial and ethnic health disparities that impact health and mental health. “Dr. Simoni brings the broad research experience needed to continue to leverage OBSSR’s efforts and develop synergy, and integration of the social and behavioral sciences across the NIH,” said APA Chief Science Officer Mitch Prinstein, PhD. APA looks forward to working with her to use the insights and expertise of behavioral and social sciences to achieve NIH’s mission.
Congress created OBSSR in recognition of the importance of behavioral and social sciences to NIH’s mission. To this end, APA worked through a coalition of sister organizations to help draft and enact the legislation as part of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-43), which authorized OBSSR. NIH officially opened the office in 1995.
For more information, contact Angela L. Sharpe.