Contact person:  Emeline Otey, National Institute of Mental Health, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18C-26, Rockville, MD 20857; phone (301) 443-9400, fax (301) 443-9876; email: eotey@nih.gov; homepage: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funds and conducts research and supports research training on mental health and illness. NIMH support in the social and behavioral sciences addresses such issues as the factors associated with health and well-being; the etiology, genetics, prevention, treatment, and clinical course of mental disorders; clinical mental health services and service systems research; epidemiology; assessment and classification of mental disorders; violence and traumatic stress; and law and mental health.

Contact person: Richard Suzman, National Institute on Aging (NIA), Gateway Building, Room 533, 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, MSC 9205, Bethesda, MD 20892; phone (301) 496-3138; fax (301) 402-0051; email: Richard_Suzman@nih.gov; homepage: http://www.nih.gov/nia/.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) supports a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative sociological research and training related to aging processes, the relationship between the aging population and social institutions (including the health care system), and the impact on society of the changing age composition. Opportunities and options for Federal funding of aging research will be available. Of particular interest is the potential for sociological contributions to issues of women and minorities in later life.

Presenter: Susan Martin, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 6000 Executive Boulevard, Suite 505, Rockville, MD 20892; phone (301) 443-8767; fax (301) 443-8774; email: smartin@willco.niaaa.nih.gov; homepage: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) supports basic and applied research related to the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcohol-related problems. Most social science research is funded through the Division of Clinical and Prevention Research and the Division of Biometry and Epidemiology. NIAAA also supports several alcohol research centers and an intramural research program. Research priorities include sociocultural and environmental determinants of drinking; safety, trauma, and alcohol-related performance; economic and socioeconomic issues in the prevention and treatment of alcohol problems; the prevention of alcohol-related problems in children, adolescents, and other at-risk populations; and alcohol-related health services studies.

Contact : National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857; homepage: http://www.nida.nih.gov.

Note: Although not part of the Research Support Poster Session this year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse is exhibiting (at booth #71) and information can be obtained there.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the nation’s foremost biomedical and behavioral research organization on drug abuse issues. Its mission is to bring the power of science to bear on understanding, preventing, and treating drug abuse. NIDA supports a wide range of research and training activities, and is a prominent source of funding for social and behavioral sciences research on drug abuse, dependence, and addiction. Sociologists and other social scientists are supported in research and training programs in many of the NIDA units, especially in the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research. Special research foci in the extramural research program of the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research include drug abuse behaviors, the roles of drug practices in the spread of diseases, and the implications for the delivery of health-related services such as primary medical care, drug treatment, and prevention. There are also funding opportunities for efficacy studies and health services research that examine preventive interventions against problems associated with drug abuse, such as criminal behavior, violence, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, and infection with HIV; preventive intervention against the initiation of drug abuse; and treatment of drug abuse.

Contact person: Patricia S. Bryant, Division of Extramural Research, National Institute for Dental Research (NIDR), Natcher Building, Room 4AN24E, Bethesda, MD 20892; phone (301) 594-2095; fax (301) 480-8318; email: BryantP@de45.nidr.nih.gov; homepage: http://www.nidr.nih.gov/.

The National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) supports basic, patient-oriented, community-based, and policy research to improve oral and craniofacial health and oral health care delivery. Research focuses on many oral diseases and conditions including caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancers, acute and chronic orofacial pain conditions and TMJ disorders, salivary disorders, cleftlip and palate and other inherited or acquired craniofacial defects, and orofacial injuries, including those resulting from domestic violence or child abuse. Dental health care delivery settings provide opportunities for preventive and health promotion interventions (e.g. tobacco education and cessation programs). A wide range of sociological, behavioral, economic, health services delivery, environmental, genetic and biomedical factors are relevant to these conditions and to oral health.

Topics supported by NIDR include basic social science or health services research relevant to dental, oral, and craniofacial health or health care; the impact of oral health care delivery systems, clinical decision-making, and health promotion on oral and related systemic health outcomes; evaluation of the impact of factors affecting diffusion and adoption of preventive or therapeutic measures; the role of patients’ and providers’ knowledge, beliefs and behaviors on health outcomes; the basis for clinical decision making; the relationships among behavioral, environmental, and biological factors in determining health risks; the effects of social and psychological stress on the onset, course and outcomes of treatments; and health promotion intervention research for vulnerable population subgroups at high risk of disease. In addition, the NIDR supports training and career development for individuals at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels in areas related to behavior, health promotion, and environmental aspects of oral, dental, and craniofacial health and diseases.

Contact person: Susan Persons, Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), Building 1, Room 326, Bethesda, MD 20892; phone (301) 402-3930; fax (301) 480-7555; email: personss@od.nih.gov;   homepage: http://www1.od.nih.gov/obssr/obssr.htm.

In 1995, the National Institutes of Health established the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) to advance the growth and development of research on the social and behavioral aspects of health, disease, treatment, and prevention. The OBSSR serves as a primary focal point for stimulating attention at NIH for behavioral and social factors, which have been underfunded relative to their contributions to health and illness. OBSSR is seeking to integrate the behavioral and social sciences with other areas of the health research enterprise. This Office provides discretionary funds for special initiatives and for coordinated activities across Institutes.

Contact person: Paul Gaist and Judith Auerbach, Office of AIDS Research (OAR), National Institutes of Health, Building 31, Room 4C06, Bethesda, MD 20892; phone (301) 402-3555; fax (301) 496-4843; email: gaistp@nih.gov; homepage: http://www.nih.gov/od/oar/oar_htm.

The Office of AIDS Research (OAR) is located within the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and coordinates the scientific, budgetary, legislative, and policy elements of the NIH AIDS Research Program. The OAR is charged with developing an annual comprehensive plan outlining science priorities in AIDS research and a budget that corresponds to that plan; evaluating the NIH AIDS research program; and administering a discretionary fund. Additionally, the OAR helps foster cross-Agency and cross–disciplinary activities in AIDS research, including, sponsoring or co-sponsoring scientific meetings and symposia and facilitating inter-Institute mechanisms for research support.

Presenter: Audrey Burwell, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Presidential Building, Room 1100, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782; phone (301) 436-7062; fax (301) 436-4233; email: azb2@cdc.gov; homepage: http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/about/grants.htm.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), through its Minority Health Statistics Grants Program, supports research to improve the quality and quantity of health data on racial and ethnic minority populations. Projects supported by this program include the development of innovative methodologies for surveying minority populations; improved methods for analyzing existing data sets; and special studies to gain better understanding of factors that affect the health status of minority populations.

Contact person: J. Michael Ross, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Room 412 Washington, DC 20208; phone (202) 219-1565; fax (202) 219-1728; email: michael_ross@ned.gov; homepage: http://www.ed.gov/NCES/.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects and disseminates large, nationally representative data sets that include both cross-sectional and longitudinal samples of K-12 and post-secondary students. To augment the more familiar High School and Beyond (HS&B) survey and National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), NCES has launched a series of new studies including a multi-level study of schools and teachers (Schools and Staffing Survey) in 1987, 1990, and 1993; a survey of student financial aid (National Postsecondary Student Aid Study); a new longitudinal survey of college students (Beginning Postsecondary Study); and a survey of college faculty (National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty). NCES data are important components of research funded through the department’s grant competitions and indirectly through its contracts with research firms.

In conjunction with the American Educational Research Association and the National Science Foundation, NCES sponsors three funding programs: a research grant program (up to $25,000 for 2 years), a resident fellows program (maximum $32,000 for 9 months), and a dissertation grants program ($20,000 for 2 years). Applications can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed three times during the next fiscal year. Since 1992, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has conducted a grant competition for secondary analysis of student achievement data. In partnership with the American Statistical Association and National Science Foundation, NCES also hosts a resident fellows program. Finally, to encourage new research on higher education, NCES is sponsoring a grant program through the Association for Institution Researchers (maximum $30,000 for 2 years).

Presenter: J. Michael Ross for Joseph Conaty, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), Department of Education, Room 510H, Capitol Place, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208; phone (202) 219-2079; fax (202) 219-2135; email: Joseph_Conaty@ed.gov; homepage: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/oeribro.html.

Through support of basic and applied research, evaluations, and syntheses, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) serves parents, teachers, school administrators, and policy makers at local, state, and national levels. OERI supports the National Center for Education Statistics; the Office of Reform Assistance and Dissemination; the National Institute on Early Childhood Education; the National Institute on At-Risk Students; the National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment; the National Institute on Educational Governance, Finance, and Policy Making; and the National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning. A major function on OERI is to fund and coordinate research carried out by a national system of research and development centers and regional education laboratories. In addition, the Office supports a variety of grant programs, including Field-Initiated Studies which encourage research pertinent to national education concerns and issues.

Contact person: Jordan Leiter, National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, 810 7^th Street, Washington, DC 20001; phone (202) 616-9487; fax (202) 616-0275; email: leiterj@ojp.usdoj.gov.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), a component of the Office of Justice Programs, is the research agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Created by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended, NIJ is authorized to support research, evaluation, and demonstration programs, development of technology, and both national and international information dissemination. In recent years, NIJ has greatly expanded its initiatives, the result of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (the Crime Act), partnerships with other Federal agencies and private foundations, advances in technology, and a new international focus. New research and evaluation is exploring key issues in: comparative cross-national crime, sentencing and sentencing reforms, prosecution and adjudication, corrections, community policing, violence against women, and specialized courts such as drug courts. This research is being carried out in cooperation with Department of Justice and Office of Justice Programs Crime Act offices, supported by funds from the Crime Act. Information will be provided on NIJ funding opportunities for research on crime and criminal justice.

Contact person: Jaqueline A. Mottern, Research and Advanced Concepts Office, Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI), 5001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22333-5600; phone (703) 617-8641, fax (703) 617-5162; email: mottern@ari.army.mil; homepage: http://www.ari.army.mil/.

The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) is responsible for conducting research and development on manpower, personnel, and training issues for the Army. ARI also supports basic research in military sociology to gain a better understanding of how major societal issues and changes in society affect both the Army and how military personnel perform their jobs.

Contact person: John T. Crist, U.S. Institute of Peace, 1200 17th Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036-3006; phone (202) 429-3897; fax (202) 833-1381; homepage: http://www.usip.org.

The U.S. Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution created by Congress to strengthen the nation’s capacity to promote the peaceful resolution of international conflict. Through fellowships and grants, the Institute funds projects related to preventive diplomacy, ethnic and regional conflicts, peacekeeping and peace operations, peace settlements, post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation, democratization and the rule of law, cross-cultural negotiations, U.S. foreign policy in the 21^st century, and related topics. The Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program annually awards scholars and practitioners (including college and university faculty, journalists, diplomats, writers, educators, military officers, international negotiators and lawyers) who conduct their research and writing at the Institute’s offices in Washington for periods of up to one year. Dissertation fellowships are also available to doctoral candidates for field research and writing. Through its solicited and unsolicited competition, the Grant Program offers financial support for research, education and training, and the dissemination of information on international peace and conflict resolution. Grant recipients conduct their research and writing at home institutions or other appropriate sites.

Contact person: Jennifer A. Winther, Social Science Research Council (SSRC), 810 Seventh Avenue, 31^st Floor, New York, NY 10019; phone (212) 377-2700; fax (212) 377-2727; homepage: http://www.ssrc.org.

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent, nongovernmental, not for profit, international association devoted to the advancement of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences. It does this through a wide variety of interdisciplinary workshops and conferences, fellowships and grants, summer training institutes, scholarly exchanges, and publications.

Founded in 1923, the Council is governed by a board of directors comprised largely of social and behavioral scientists. It is an international enterprise in which a rotating group of some 300 social scientists work together in pro bono service giving continued and cumulative attention to topics at the frontiers of research, training, field development, and public policy in both the United States and other regions of the world. SSRC’s committees encourage the development of new methods, confront theoretical controversies, and identify promising topics and issues for new empirical investigation.

Contact person: Angela L. Sharpe, Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), 1522, K Street, NW, Suite 836, Washington, DC 20005; phone (202) 842-3525; fax (202) 842-2788; email: alsharpe@aol.com.

The Consortium of Social Sciences Association (COSSA) was established as an advocacy organization in 1981 and is supported by more than 100 professional associations, scientific societies, universities, and research institutes. COSSA stands alone in representing the full range of social scientists. COSSA lobbies Congress and the Executive Branch on issues affecting the social and behavioral science portfolios of the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Justice, and Labor, and many other federal agencies. (The American Sociological Association is a founding member of COSSA and serves on its Executive Committee.)