DIRECTOR’S SPOTLIGHT

The Future of Scientific Conferencing: Behavioral and Social Science Insights

I vividly remember attending my first scientific conference as a graduate student. A $150 travel award enabled me to book a discounted flight and hotel room, and a generous senior colleague gave me a ticket to the opening night gala! Gaining access to the field’s leaders, hearing cutting-edge talks, and connecting with fellow graduate students during poster sessions energized my commitment to research.

Scientific conferences are a vital aspect of our work as scientists, providing key opportunities for training, research dissemination, and networking. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a swift shift to virtual and hybrid approaches to conferences and meetings. This transition exposed challenges like reduced interpersonal connections but also highlighted benefits such as improved accessibility.

In June 2024, OBSSR hosted a virtual workshop titled The Future of Scientific Conferencing. This event brought together multi-disciplinary thought leaders to discuss the future of scientific conferences and meetings, with a focus on diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability, and technology-driven innovation. The workshop aimed to facilitate interdisciplinary communication and networking, identify crosscutting scientific gaps, and inform practical strategies for designing effective, engaging, and sustainable scientific conferences and meetings.

Save the Date! OBSSR Director’s Webinar with Jenna Nobles
February 26, 2025, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET

Recording Now Available! 2024 Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Festival

A recording of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) BSSR Festival is now available. The festival highlights outstanding research from across the NIH Institutes and Centers, offering a comprehensive view of the latest NIH-funded BSSR projects and their impact on biomedical research. Highlights included a keynote panel on artificial intelligence and BSSR and a fireside chat with Drs. Jane M. Simoni, Director of OBSSR, and Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

OBSSR Welcomes NIH Climate and Health Scholar Eugene Richardson

NIH has selected 13 scientists as its third class of Climate and Health Scholars. OBSSR is hosting Eugene Richardson, M.D., Ph.D., from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Richardson will work with OBSSR to advance the office’s capacity and efforts at the intersection of behavioral and social sciences research, climate change, and health. The NIH Climate and Health Scholars Program connects climate and health scientists from outside the federal government with NIH researchers to share knowledge and expertise in this important field.

Applications Now Open: Michigan Integrative Well-Being and Inequality (MIWI) Training Program

The MIWI Training Program invites early career investigators to apply for an interdisciplinary methods training program aimed at improving scientific progress and clinical care by investigating the intersection of mental and physical health, focusing on health disparities. This program is supported by OBSSR and the National Institute of Mental Health. Applications are due February 1, 2025.

Apply for the 2025 Cohort of the ORBIT Institute: Developing Behavioral Treatments to Improve Health

The ORBIT Institute, supported by OBSSR and other NIH partners, is accepting applications for its course on developing behavioral treatments to improve health behaviors. Although applied behavioral and social scientists are the primary audience, basic scientists and methods experts are also encouraged to apply. Applications are due December 6, 2024.

Virtual Workshop on Geospatial Data Science

NIDA is hosting a workshop on December 3, 2024, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET exploring how geospatial data science can advance our understanding of the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of drug use and addiction. The goal of the workshop is to bring together research communities at the forefront of leveraging geospatial data in drug use and addiction research and to inspire new directions in methodology and advancing practice.

Webinar: Finding and Using the National Addiction & HIV Data Archive Program (NAHDAP) Data

NAHDAP is hosting a webinar on December 11, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview of its data and resources for substance use and HIV research and best practices for accessing them. NAHDAP facilitates research on drug addiction and HIV infection by acquiring, enhancing, preserving, and sharing data produced by research grants, particularly those funded by NIDA.