Dear Colleagues,
Greetings to everyone – I hope your 2024 is off to a good start. We have much to share in this latest issue of the BRP Scientific Bulletin.
We saw recent National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli confirmed by the United States Senate on November 7, 2023, as the 17th director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Breaking new ground, Dr. Bertagnolli is the first woman to hold the position of NCI director and is currently the first surgeon and second woman to be appointed as NIH director.
A few weeks later, on December 18, 2023, Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell, an accomplished physician-scientist and internationally recognized expert in kidney cancer from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was appointed as the new director of NCI.
Within BRP, I am delighted to announce that Dr. Youn Ok (Younoki) Lee has joined BRP as a program director with the Tobacco Control Research Branch (TCRB). Dr. Lee was previously a program officer at the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program in the University of California Office of the President’s Research Grants Program Office.
As we continue to pursue NCI’s mission to lead, conduct, and support research cancer across the nation to advance scientific knowledge and help all people live longer, healthier lives, this newsletter highlights several funding opportunities that may be of interest. I’d like to highlight our administrative supplement opportunities; these provide Principal Investigators (PIs) a chance to get additional funding to enhance the deliverables of their currently funded grant. For example, we note that many underrepresented population groups such as Asian-Americans are highly heterogeneous, and yet, because of sample size restrictions, are often collapsed in data analyses. One of our recently announced administrative supplement opportunities gives PIs the chance to update their sampling strategies so as to explore the effects of such heterogeneity. Have a look: NOT-CA-24-032. Please consider all of our funding opportunities noted below.
One of my recent concerns is that the COVID-19 pandemic may slow or even reverse some of the steady decreases in cancer morbidity and mortality we have enjoyed in recent decades, given that approximately 40% of cancers are attributable to behavior and some risk-increasing behaviors (e.g., alcohol intake, sedentary behavior) have been elevated since the beginning of the pandemic. Some of these behaviors are enacted multiple times a day, and some are addictive, making resumption of pre-pandemic levels challenging. In this commentary in JAMA Oncology, my colleagues and I make this argument and encourage the community to strengthen efforts to address risky behaviors related to cancer.
Similar to the last newsletter, you’ll see we narrowed down our focus to sections that our usage data have shown to be the most viewed by our readers. We include funding opportunities that have been posted since our last newsletter, awards and recognitions, career and training opportunities, and resources, such as the newly released the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) September 2022 data, the recently launched SmokefreeNATIVE, updates to the NCI-Designated Cancer Centers’ catchment areas website, and more.
We have again removed upcoming events from this issue, but you can always find them on our website.
We appreciate your feedback on both the new newsletter format and content. And as a reminder, feel free to manage your BRP newsletter subscription at any time, but we hope you find the information beneficial. If you’re on social media, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @NCIBehaviors, as well as our division’s LinkedIn page.
All the best,
Bill Klein
Associate Director
Funding Opportunities
Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
RFA-AT-24-006 (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NCI contact: Kate Castro
Posted: October 26, 2023
Expires: April 17, 2024
Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
PA-23-189
NCI contact: CUREsupplements@nih.gov
Posted: June 29, 2023
Expires: May 08, 2026
Multi-Sectoral Preventive Interventions that Address Social Determinants of Health in Populations that Experience Health Disparities
PAR-24-053 (UG3, UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
RFA-OD-24-006 (Coordinating Center – U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NCI contacts: Tanya Agurs-Collins and Jennifer Alvidrez (Coordinating Center)
Posted: November 06, 2023
Expires: August 06, 2024
Pre-Application Webinar and FAQs
Time-Sensitive Opportunities for Health Research
PAR-22-233 (R43, R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NCI contact: Sarika Parasuraman
Posted: October 25, 2023
Expires: March 02, 2025
Modular R01s in Cancer Control and Population Sciences
PAR-24-122 (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
NCI contact: Scott Rogers
Posted: January 18, 2024
Expires: November 06, 2024
Stephen I. Katz Early Stage Investigator Research Project Grant
PAR-24-075 (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-24-076 (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
NCI contact: Scott Rogers
Posted: December 20, 2023
Expires: December 29, 2026
Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program
PAR-24-072 (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
NCI contact: Susan Czajkowski
Posted: December 15, 2023
Expires January 08, 2027
Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements
PA-20-272 (Clinical Trial Optional)
NCI contact: Research Program Contacts
Posted: December 21, 2023
Expires: January 24, 2025
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplement for Research and Capacity Building Efforts Related to Bioethical Issues
NOT-OD-24-031 (Clinical Trial Optional)
NCI contact: Charlisse Caga-anan
Posted: January 02, 2024
Expires: April 01, 2024
NOSI: Administrative Supplements for Contemporary Modifiable Exposures and Cancer Across the Life Course and Cancer Control Continuum
NOT-CA-24-030
NCI contact: Somdat Mahabir
Posted: February 09, 2024
Expires: April 23, 2024
NOSI: Administrative Supplements to Understand Effects of Within-Group Heterogeneity on Cancer Control Outcomes in Underrepresented Populations
NOT-CA-24-032
NCI contacts: Nicole Senft Everson and Rebecca A. Ferrer
Posted: February 22, 2024
Expires: April 30, 2024
NOSI: Health Influences of Gender as a Social and Structural Variable
NOT-OD-24-038
NCI contact: David Dean Jr.
Posted: December 08, 2023
Expires: October 01, 2025
NOSI: Validation of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Tools for Improved Assessment in Biomedical and Behavioral Research
NOT-CA-24-031
NCI contact: Dana Wolff-Hughes
Posted: February 13, 2024
Expires: July 06, 2025
NOSI: Telehealth Research in Cancer Care
NOT-CA-24-033
NCI contact: Kelly Blake
Posted: February 23, 2024
Expires: March 17, 2026
NOSI: Data Informed, Place-Based Community-Engaged Research to Advance Health Equity
NOT-HL-23-110
NCI contact: Heather D’Angelo
Posted: November 28, 2023
Expires: January 08, 2027
NOSI: Developing and Testing Multi-level Physical Activity interventions to Improve Health and Well-Being
NOT-OD-24-058
NCI contacts: Frank Perna
Posted: February 20, 2024
Expires: November 14, 2027
NOSI: National Cancer Institute Supports Applications for the Mentored Research Scientist Development Awards (K01) Within the Mission of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
NOT-CA-24-022
NCI contacts: April Oh and Sergey Radaev
Posted: December 20, 2023
Expires: May 08, 2029
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Frank Perna, a program director in the Health Behaviors Research Branch, received the American Psychological Association Meritorious Research Service Commendation. Learn more here.
Dr. Karina W. Davidson, a former consultant to our program, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, “For being an influential implementation scientist, trialist, and practitioner of evidence-based behavioral medicine. As a central leader of national and global collaboratives, she has improved public health significantly by investigating the causal effects of behavior change. As chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, she affected the health care of millions.” Learn more here.
Career and Training Opportunities
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Behaviors Research
Read the position description.
Project Management Fellowship in Basic Biobehavioral and Psychological Sciences
Read the position description.
Health Communication Fellowship in Behavioral Research
Read the position description.
Resources
TUS-CPS September 2022 Data and Brief Now Available
The initial release from the 2022-2023 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), consisting of September 2022 data, is now publicly available. Additionally, a Data Brief presenting a synopsis of the early September 2022 results, detailing current use of a variety of tobacco products, smoking frequency, recent quit attempts, and e-cigarette device types and flavors, is available on NCI’s website. Access TUS-CPS Data. View the TUS-CPS Data Brief.
New SmokefreeNATIVE Text Messaging Resource Launched
The National Cancer Institute’s Smokefree.gov Initiative (SFGI) has partnered with the Indian Health Service (IHS) to launch a new, free text messaging resource to help American Indian and Alaska Native adults and adolescents quit smoking commercial tobacco. View the IHS blog post. Access SmokefreeNATIVE.
Updates to NCI-Designated Cancer Centers’ Catchment Area Website
Members of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences recently updated the NCI-Designated Cancer Centers’ catchment area website. This includes updated designation status and catchment areas for several cancer centers, and more! View the Catchment Areas of NCI-Designated Cancer Centers.
HINTS Brief 53: Patterns and Predictors of Telehealth Use among US Adults in 2022 Now Available
The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) Management Team has released HINTS Brief 53, “Patterns and Predictors of Telehealth Use among US Adults in 2022.” This Brief discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the expansion of telehealth, the prevalence of, and factors associated with, telehealth use, and more. View HINTS Brief 53. View HINTS Briefs page.
NCI-Supported AI-powered QuitBot Launched by Fred Hutch
Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, led by BRP Grantee Dr. Jonathan Bricker, launched QuitBot, a comprehensive app that uses an AI-powered chatbot to provide users personalized support to quit smoking. Initial funding to develop QuitBot was provided by the National Cancer Institute. View the News Release.
Leading Progress Against Cancer – NCI Fiscal Year 2025 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal
The NCI Fiscal Year 2025 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal is NCI’s assessment of the funding needed in fiscal year 2025 (FY25) to support readily obtainable research opportunities and accelerate progress to benefit all people with cancer and those at risk. In addition to supporting new avenues of discovery, funding for cancer research must also keep pace with increasing research costs, including the costs of training the next generation of cancer researchers and clinicians, and the costs of supporting critical research infrastructure. View the proposal.
New Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 6 Public-Use Files Available
The NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products announces the availability of the PATH Study Wave 6 Public-Use File. The files contain questionnaire data collected between March 2021 and November 2021. In addition, Wave 5.5 Ever/Never Special Collection Public-Use Files are now available along with updated Master Linkage Files. Access PATH Study data.