Division of AIDS, Behavioral and Population SciencesRisk, Prevention and Health Behavior IRGAugust, 2014

Reorganization/Realignment of RPHB Addictive Behavior Study Sections

In 2010, the Risk, Prevention and Intervention for Addictions Study Section (RPIA) began to receive over 150 applications per round. An “Overflow” panel (RPIA-N) was set up, and has been in operation for the past 4 years. RPIA and RPIA-N have each been reviewing around 60-80 applications every round consistently

Use of RPIA-N as an overflow panel (with own percentile base) results in less transparency to investigators

Identical expertise and scoring behavior are expected for the two panels, but this has proven difficult to maintain

Continuation of RPIA-N is unsustainable – a second addictive behavior study section needs to be chartered

Background and Rationale

Understanding Addictive Behavior (Understanding)

What is it?

Preventing and Treating Addictive Behavior (Intervening)

What can we do about it?

Proposal for Two Addictive Behavior Study Sections by Content Division

Risk factors predicting onset, development, progression of addictions (longitudinal)

Prevalence, nature (survey, secondary analysis) Characteristics (group comparison) Effects of drugs and addictive behaviors (lab studies of

drug effects, cognition, etc.) Effects of society and policies on addictive behaviors

(e.g., effects of marijuana legalization on drug use initiation)

Development/testing of tools/methods for understanding addictive behaviors

Understanding

Testing prevention interventions (clinical trials; e.g., RCT, adaptive designs)

Testing treatment interventions (clinical trials; e.g., RCT, adaptive designs)

Testing intervention delivery methods Evaluating implementation or marketing of interventions

(health services) Evaluating regulatory policy as an intervention (e.g.,

smoking bans) Development and preliminary testing of interventions

(pilot)

Intervening

Understanding Intervening

2014/10 59 62 2014/05 74 77 2014/01 59 74 2013/10 76 84

Historical data (past four rounds), in terms of number of applications, support the rationale to establish two study sections by content division: Understanding vs. Intervening

Reliability test by independent coders resulted in 93% agreement on the division of applications

Analysis of RPIA/RPIA-N Applications: Distribution of Applications by Proposed Content Division

DA AA CA DA AA CA2014/10 46 12 1 2014/10 54 62014/05 55 16 1 2014/05 63 4 62014/01 43 16 2014/01 54 6 122013/10 52 19 2 2013/10 69 4 9

Understanding Intervening

Applications submitted to NIDA are evenly distributed across the two content areas

There is a critical mass of NIAAA applications in “Understanding” and a critical mass of NCI applications in “Intervening”

Analysis of RPIA/RPIA-N Applications: Content Division and Funding ICs

• Lisa Marsch, Ph.D. (Former RPIA Member) Associate Professor Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center

• Christi Patten, Ph.D. (Current RPIA Chair) Professor Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic

• Steven Schinke, Ph.D. (Former RPIA Chair) D’Elbert and Selma Kennan Professor School of Social Work, Columbia University

• Robert Schnoll, Ph.D. (Former RPIA Chair) Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

• Eric Strain, M.D. (Current RPIA-N Chair) Professor Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Leading Scientists

In Addictive Behavior Research

• Karyl Swartz, Ph.D. Director, DABP, CSR

• Weijia Ni, Ph.D Chief, RPHB, DABP, CSR

• Kristen Prentice, Ph.D. SRO, RPIA-N

• Miriam Mintzer, Ph.D. SRO, RPIA

CSR Staff

• Redonna Chandler, Ph.D. Acting Director, DESPR, NIDA

• Joseph Frascella, Ph.D. Director, DCNBR, NIDA

• Elizabeth Ginexi, Ph.D. Program Director, TCRB, BRP, NCI

• Michael Hilton, Ph.D. Associate Director, DEPR, NIAAA

• William Klein, Ph.D. Associate Director, BRP, NCI

• Ivan Montoya, M.D., M.P.H. Deputy Director, DPMCDA, NIDA

NIH/IC Program Staff

Working Group Participants

Two WG meetings: April 9, 2014 and July 30, 2014 Stakeholders from NIH Institutes and Scientific

Community participated (See List) Advantages of the proposal for the two study sections:

More transparency More consistency and equity Greater likelihood of specific expertise Less competition for reviewers

Minor edits to specific content division areas Unanimous support for process and proposal

Working Group Discussion Summary

August 2014: Guidelines developed for the two study sections: “Understanding” Addiction Risks and Mechanisms (ARM); “Intervening” Interventions to Prevent and Treat Addictions (IPTA).

September 2014: Approved by CSR Senior Staff October 2014: Present to CSR Advisory Council January 2015: Submit slates of both study sections for

approval February 2015: Public Announcement of Committees for

June/July submission October 2015: First review meetings of both study sections Post-implementation: Regular monitoring will be conducted

and guidelines adjusted as needed

Next steps