As we reconvene after an eventful summer, we have a lot of exciting items to discuss with you. We are updating the NIMH Strategic Plan, promoting data sharing through the development of new repositories, funding the first round of grants via the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, and much, much more.
Updated NIMH Strategic Plan in Progress: NIMH has been working to update the NIMH Strategic Plan, released in 2008. While the major strategic objectives have not changed substantially, the scientific opportunities and the public health context are both quite different from 2008. This revised plan is currently under review by our National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC), and will be available for public comment in the coming months.
NIMH Data Repositories: Efforts to expand the impact of data sharing are taking shape across the NIH. On the genomics front, the NIH recently released the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy (NOT-OD-14-124) which expands data-sharing expectations to all large-scale human and non-human genomic data generated by NIH-supported research, while assuring the protection of human genomic data. In line with this renewed agency-wide effort to facilitate and promote data sharing, NIMH is developing federated data repositories—to be referred to in general as the NIMH Data Repositories—that will store data collected from participants in a variety of research studies. The NIMH Data Repositories will include: the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR); the NIH Pediatric MRI Data Repository (PedsMRI); the National Database for Clinical Trials Related to Mental Illness (NDCT); and the Research Domain Criteria Database (RDoCdb). NDAR and PedsMRI have been facilitating data sharing for several years now, whereas NDCT and RDoCdb are new initiatives. For NDCT, as noted in the recently released Guide Notice (NOT-MH-14-015), we currently expect individual-level data to be shared from trials funded through a series of NIMH funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) while the trials are ongoing, but we anticipate expanding that expectation to other NIMH-funded clinical research in the future. Regarding RDoCdb, we will be releasing similar guidance regarding data from grants funded through RDoC-related FOAs.
BRAIN Initiative: In June, the BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision report was presented to and accepted by the Advisory Committee to the Director. As mentioned in previous editions of Inside NIMH, NIH released its first round of funding opportunities in support of the President's BRAIN Initiative in December 2013. The awards will be made by September 2014. The process for making BRAIN awards has more steps than normal. In addition to first-level peer review and second-level advisory council review, both proposed BRAIN Initiative pay plans and potential program announcements are discussed with a special Multi-council Working Group (MCWG). Their scientific expertise is an important component in keeping BRAIN Initiative planning up to date. The pay plans have also been reviewed by the directors of the ten Institutes and Centers that are participating in the BRAIN Initiative.
BRAIN preparation for fiscal year (FY) 2015 is well underway. The President's budget called for an increase in funding for the BRAIN Initiative from $40M in FY 2014 to $100M in FY 2015. The additional $60M will likely be used to support new program announcements as well as reissues of some of the announcements released in FY 2014. We will not know how many new initiatives or new applications can be funded until the FY 2015 budget is finalized.
Dr. Story Landis, the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke, and my co-leader in the BRAIN Initiative, announced her plans to retire in early October. Her contributions to the program will be greatly missed, but her leadership in the early stages of the BRAIN Initiative has been vital to its success so far.
Follow that Cell Challenge: The NIH Common Fund's Single Cell Analysis Working Group, co-led by NIMH, announced the launch of the Single Cell Analysis Program (SCAP) Challenge on August 15, 2014. This challenge is a $500,000 prize competition to spur the development of innovative solutions in single cell analysis that will allow us to "Follow that Cell." Specifically, NIH is seeking novel robust methods for analysis of individual cells that can detect and assess changes in cell behavior and function over time, either as a result of natural-state changes or exogenous perturbations.
NIMH Guidance on Coordinated Specialty Care for Mental Illness: The Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) 5% Set Aside is a partnership between the federal government and States to direct 5% of the state's MHBG allocation administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to support "evidence-based programs that address the needs of individuals with early serious mental illness, including psychotic disorders." To prepare states to implement the set-aside, NIMH worked collaboratively with SAMHSA to provide States with guidance, and along with NIMH has held national webinars to inform States of the evidence-based components of coordinated specialty care. Early intervention is critical to preventing negative outcomes.
The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2014: The Autism CARES Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-157), signed into law on August 8, 2014 by President Obama, reauthorizes and expands upon the provisions of the Combating Autism Act of 2006, including extension until 2019 of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). The IACC is an advisory body charged with coordination of federal autism spectrum disorder (ASD) activities and with providing advice on ASD-related issues to the Secretary of HHS. Under the new law, the IACC will be required to increase its focus on service provision activities, in addition to its current focus on biomedical and services research activities. New provisions also include a requirement that the Secretary of HHS designate an official within HHS to oversee national ASD research, services, and support activities. The law also requires HHS to prepare and submit a new report to Congress on the transition for adolescents and young adults from school-based services to adult services.
Update from the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's Research Prioritization Task Force: NIMH staff in the Division of Services and Intervention Research (DSIR) contributed to a supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine entitled,"Expert Recommendations for U.S. Research Priorities in Suicide Prevention." NIMH staff served as guest editors, authors, and co-authors of the supplement, which expanded on research which had contributed to the basis for the Prioritized Research Agenda, which was released in February of this year.
FY 2014 Budget: We are currently on track to award approximately 542 new and competing research project grants (RPGs) in FY 2014, a notable increase over the 517 we estimated earlier. The projected success rate for competing RPGs in FY 2014 is 19%, which is comparable to the FY 2013 success rate of 19%. The projected success rate for Early Stage Investigators (ESIs) is 19%, compared to 22% in FY 2013. We anticipate funding a total of 77 new Principal Investigators (PIs) in FY 2014, compared to the 96 new PIs we funded in FY 2013.
Outlook for FY 2015: FY 2015 will almost certainly begin under a continuing resolution (CR). As in the past, while operating under a CR, non-competing grants will be awarded at levels below committed amounts, likely at 90%. As in previous years when operating under a CR, the commitment level for NIMH grants will be determined after we receive a full-year appropriation for FY 2015.
The NIMH Division of AIDS Research (DAR) Has Physically Moved: The NIMH DAR has moved their offices to a new location; DAR staff are now co-located with their colleagues in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This move will facilitate a more cohesive scientific agenda and more tightly integrated basic and behavioral science research programs, aligned with the highest priorities of current AIDS research, as defined by the Report of the HIV/AIDS Research Portfolio Review Working Group of the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) to the NIH Director in May 2014. The NIMH DAR continues to fund innovative research in their priority areas.
Ellen Stover, PhD: Ellen joined NIMH in 1976 and rose through the ranks to lead our AIDS efforts. She became the Director of the Center for Mental Health Research on AIDS at NIMH in 1988 and Division Director beginning in 1997, first of the Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research and AIDS and most recently of the Division of AIDS Research. Her international leadership fighting for those at risk for, or already infected with, HIV led to many awards, including NIMH and NIH Director's awards and the UCLA/Drew University Distinguished Achievement Award. In addition to her leadership in AIDS research, Ellen and her colleague Wayne Fenton, MD, led the NIMH effort to find new treatments for the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Ellen famously recruited some of the best and brightest to the NIMH extramural program, using her administrative and leadership skills to create outstanding program officer teams. Over the past three years, Ellen served in the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) where she was a special advisor to the Director.
Varda Shoham, PhD: Varda joined NIMH in 2010 after a long and distinguished career in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona. She was a national expert on psychosocial treatments and was one of the leaders in the controversial effort to require certification for behavior therapists. We were fortunate to have her spend the last phase of her career at NIMH, both for her commitment to ensure fidelity for psychosocial treatments and for the enthusiasm and positive energy she brought to so many projects at NIMH. Varda served as head of the Psychopathology, Behavioral Dysregulation, and Measurement Development Research Program in the Division of Adult Translational Research (DATR). She was one of the lead authors of the new NIMH clinical trials initiatives, which she believed would have a major positive impact on the field of psychosocial treatment development. The Association for Psychological Science has established the Varda Shoham Scholarship Fund in her memory.
Robert 'Bob' Mays Jr., PhD: Bob joined NIMH in 2000 after a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, and after having served as the Department of Defense representative to the National Advisory Mental Health Council for four years. In his career at NIMH, Bob led our efforts to eliminate health disparities and improve scientific workforce diversity. He administered the Minority Research Infrastructure Support Program, the Undergraduate Career Opportunities in Research Program, and the High School Career Opportunities in Research Program. He also served as the Acting Director of the Office of Special Populations, the predecessor to the NIMH Office of Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health (ORDGMH), for three years. Bob was an active participant in federal efforts to reduce health disparities. He was a member of the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET), and served in a number of leadership positions with this group. He was Co-chair for the Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC) member recruitment committee in 2011, Co-chair for the FIHET's Awareness committee from 2011 through January 2013, and Co-chair for the youth National Partnership for Action work group through February 2013. Most recently, Bob served as the Chief of the Rural Mental Health Program in the Office for Rural Mental Health Research and as a member of the mental health disparities team in ORDGMH.
Philip D. Harvey, PhD, (University of Miami).
Theodore Satterthwaite, MD, MA, (University of Pennsylvania).
Elena Ivleva, MD, PhD, (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center).
Aristotle Voineskos, MD, PhD, (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health).
Bo Li, PhD, MSc, (University of British Columbia).
Mazen Kheirbek, PhD, (New York State Psychiatric Hospital).
Philip D. Harvey, PhD, (University of Miami) for outstanding scientific achievement in clinical science.
Mary-Claire King, PhD, (University of Washington) for bold, imaginative, and diverse contributions to medical science and human rights.
Michael Foster Green, PhD, (UCLA).
Akira Sawa, PhD, (Johns Hopkins University).
In 2009 there were ~9.8 million emergency room visits for youth ages 10-17; ~700,000 visits involved a psychiatric concern, and ~128,000 visits were for intentional self-harm (Nationwide Emergency Department Sample), making the emergency department a prime setting for suicide prevention efforts. With the recently launched Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide (ED-STARS) study, Cheryl King, PhD, (University of Michigan), and colleagues will develop and prospectively validate an instrument to screen for suicide risk as well as refine algorithms capable of predicting which youth are most likely at risk for attempting suicide in the future. The capacity to classify youth as high, moderate, or low risk would be of tremendous benefit to emergency department clinicians as it will enable efficient triaging of limited resources and identification of modifiable risk factors to target in treatment. The study will take place in 13 hospital emergency departments affiliated with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) and the Whiteriver PHS Indian Hospital. These emergency departments serve geographically and socio-demographically diverse groups of youth, including American Indian youth. More than 8,000 youth will be enrolled over the three-year project period. This project aligns with research gaps in risk detection research identified in the Prioritized Agenda for Suicide Prevention.
Scientists are using technologies recently developed through the Human Connectome Project to visualize how different brain regions connect to each other, providing unique insight into brain organization. Jed Elison, PhD, (University of Minnesota) will use these cutting edge technologies to characterize the rapid and intensive brain development that occurs between 3 and 15 months of age. The project will advance our understanding of early brain development and behavioral associations in healthy infants, providing a foundation for understanding when and how brain development can go awry in neurodevelopmental disorders. This grant was funded under the Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) program, which supports outstanding scientists in the formative stages of their careers.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability in females and often includes features of autism. RTT is caused by mutation of the DNA binding protein MECP2, resulting in aberrant MECP2 levels. Rudolf Jaenisch, MD, (Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research) is setting up an experimental paradigm to determine how MECP2 affects gene expression and the manifestation of the RTT phenotype, to test the possibility of pharmacologically reversing the RTT phenotype using cell-culture approaches in various types of stem cell lines and in mice transplanted with human RTT neurons. This highly innovative work could help validate compounds of potential therapeutic benefit to patients with RTT.
Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health: On June 12-13, 2014, more than 200 individuals from 31 countries participated in NIMH's fifth annual global mental health workshop, "Solving the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health: Partnerships for Research and Practice." During the workshop, which NIMH co-sponsored with Grand Challenges Canada, grantees of both organizations, global mental health innovators, and other key stakeholders discussed research activities required to solve the six priority areas identified in the Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health study. Participants noted the tremendous growth over the past five years in the number of mental health research projects in low- and middle-income countries, due in large part to initiatives launched by NIMH and by Grand Challenges Canada.
2014 Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) Investigator Meeting: The annual meeting of investigators from the ACE Program took place on June 16-17, 2014 at the NIH Neuroscience Center. Principal investigators (PIs), project PIs, junior faculty, and trainees from all of the ACE centers and networks attended the meeting. The meeting opened with a webinar featuring presentations on the state of science in research on minimally verbal children with autism, and neuroimaging techniques in autism. The remainder of the meeting was punctuated with breakout sessions on high-priority topics such as: special and under-represented populations with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); genetic and non-genetic factors of familial ASD risk; training programs and activities at the ACEs; opportunities for data sharing and research collaboration through National Database for Autism Research (NDAR); neuroimaging in ASD; and, minimally verbal children with ASD. The breakout sessions fostered discussions among the ACE investigators and strengthened research collaborations.
NIH Upgrades to Unicode Successfully Completed: The project to enable eRA systems to accept Greek characters has been completed successfully and ahead of schedule. Adopting a universal computing standard called Unicode completes a major effort to improve the quality of data in eRA systems.
Copy an application: This allows Signing Officials (SOs) and Administrative Officials (AOs) to duplicate an existing application or components of an application (minus attachments) for submission under another Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
Delete a component: From the Summary tab of a component, SOs, AOs, and Principal Investigators (PIs) can select the "Delete Component" button to permanently delete a specific component. This removes the component from the application and updates the Application Status History to reflect the deletion.
Extended access: Access to ASSIST is now extended to all those with an eRA Commons Role.
Enhanced PDF usability: The PDF version of multi-project applications has been enhanced for greater usability. The Table of Contents now indents the forms and attachments of each component of a particular component type.
New file name requirements: A new file name restriction has been implemented for form attachments, such that when multiple attachments are made on a single form, each file name must be unique.
New Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) Inclusion Forms: For RPPRs requiring inclusion enrollment reporting, users can attach inclusion enrollment forms. The enrollment forms can be downloaded from the RPPR, completed by the user, and then added as a PDF attachment within Section G Special Reporting Requirements (G.4.b specifically). This is a temporary process until the new Inclusion Management System is deployed in a future release.
As we transition to the new inclusion report format, it is important to select the correct form to use. For awards with start dates BEFORE October 1, 2014, use the previous inclusion enrollment reporting format. For awards with start dates ON or AFTER October 1, 2014, use the updated inclusion enrollment format.
See Guide Notice NOT-OD-14-085 for more information.
Public Access Progress Report Additional Materials (PRAM) Updated: The PRAM feature has been modified to require the addition of the My NCBI PDF report as proof of compliance with NIH Public Access Policy. Users select the Add Attachment button on the PRAM screen to upload the PDF, and Attachments will be viewable within the PRAM PDF document.
Multi-year Funded Award (MYF) RPPRs and Multi-component Pre-population: Many of the common fields of the MYF RPPR and Multi-component will be pre-populated with data from the previously submitted report. This greatly reduces the burden on the grantee of completing the forms. See the eRA Commons Release Notes for a complete list of which fields get pre-populated.
Basic information about the institution is grouped into components by type of data, making such data easier to find and maintain.
Warning icons and messages highlight fields that are missing information.
Two options, View and Edit, allow users to view a summary of information for each component of the profile, or, if you are an SO, allow you to access to perform edits.
Assurance and Certification fields are easily updated with clear checkboxes and explanation of text fields.
Support is now provided for maintaining multiple DUNS Numbers in IPF. The About the Institution component of the profile includes two fields: the Primary and Secondary DUNS. The Primary DUNS is read-only, populated by the original institution registration and is not able to be edited. Please contact the eRA Commons Help Desk if this number needs to be corrected.
ERA Videos Update: The tutorial For Reviewers: Navigating Internet Assisted Review (IAR) walks reviewers through submitting critiques and preliminary scores in the IAR module.
In 2013, the NIH encouraged institutions to develop and use Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to assist graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to achieve their career goals (NOT-OD-13-093). Beginning on October 1, 2014, NIH grant progress reports must describe whether and how IDPs are used to help manage the career development of students and postdoctoral researchers associated with their award (see NOT-OD-14-113). This requirement applies to: research project grants (e.g. R01); institutional training awards (e.g. T32); individual fellowship awards (e.g., F30, F31, F32); individual career development awards (K); and, research education grants (R25).
As part of our commitment to supporting the research training of physician-scientists, the NIMH recently issued the NIMH Administrative Supplement Program to Enable Continuity of Research Experiences of MD/PhDs during Clinical Training (PA-14-263). This program supports advanced research opportunities for individuals holding an MD/PhD degree who are early in their research careers, with the goal of helping these individuals transition efficiently and effectively from the period of clinical training to the next stage of their research careers. This supplemental award will provide focused, protected research time for eligible individuals during residency and/or clinical fellowship.
The Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) submitted the Physician-Scientist Workforce Working Group Report and recommendations to the NIH Director at the June 2014 ACD meeting. Interested individuals may submit feedback on these recommendations to NIMH_Training@mail.nih.gov by October 17, 2014.
NIMH Mentoring Networks for Mental Health Research Education (R25; PAR-14-304).
In 2015 and beyond, the application due date will be May 25. Please visit our website for information about currently supported research education awards.
Childhood and Beyond - Services Research for ASD (September 11, 2014): Dr. Insel talks about new NIMH grants that will support research on services for people of all ages with autism.
Manipulating Memory (August 28, 2014): Neurotechnologies are making it possible to finely tune brain circuitry to manipulate memory.
Robin Williams (August 13, 2014): In referring to the recent death of Robin Williams, Dr. Insel talks about the continuing need for research to develop better treatments for serious mental illness.
Funding Research – It Takes a Village (August 8, 2014): The importance of recent large philanthropic gifts to fund basic research on the brain.
Mapping the Risk Architecture of Mental Disorders (July 22, 2014): Dr. Insel describes the results of two new genetics studies and why they are milestones in our understanding of the genetics of autism and schizophrenia.
AIDS: A Cautionary Tale (June 20, 2014): There are many obstacles to controlling illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, even when effective treatment is available; Dr. Insel talks about what is needed to ensure that effective health care is delivered to those who need it.
SAMHSA and NIMH Partner to Support Early Intervention for Serious Mental Illness (June 17, 2014): Dr. Insel and SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde provide an update on funding to support evidence-based programs that address the needs of individuals with early serious mental illness across the country.
BRAIN – Creating the Next Generation of Tools (June 11, 2014): The BRAIN Working Group unveiled an extraordinary report last week, providing a 12-year roadmap for the development of a new generation of neuroscience tools. Dr. Insel discusses how their vision provides hope for preventing and treating brain diseases and disorders.
Are Children Overmedicated? (June 6, 2014): Despite common assumptions about why more children are being treated with medications for mental disorders, the reasons remain unclear.
The Paradox of Parity (May 30, 2014): Recent changes in health care law are prompting consideration of how to ensure that treatments provided are evidence-based; Dr. Insel talks about the implications for mental health care.