SCIENCE POLICY OFFICE UPDATE Geoffrey Mumford, Ph.D., Craig Fisher, Psy.D., Patricia Kobor, Angela Sharpe

American Psychological AssociationNovember 2019

OFFICE UPDATES - REORGANIZATION

• Reorganization of APA Government Relations Office• Consolidating four separate Directorate-based offices into one unified office• New Chief Advocacy Officer – Katherine McGuire

• New APA Strategic Plan

• New oversight via the Advocacy Coordinating Committee• scientists serving: Steve Kozlowski, Sara Jo Nixon and Bill Stoops

OFFICE UPDATES – CURRENT STAFFING

• Pat Kobor – Deputy Chief of Scientific Affairs Advocacy

• Budget/Approps, NCI, NIA, NHLBI, NIMH, NIDCD, NEI, ORWH, CSR

• Geoff Mumford – Sr. Director for Science Policy

• NIDA, NIAAA, FDA (tobacco), Cannabis issues

• Craig Fisher – Sr. Science Policy Officer

• NICHD, NSF, IES, CDC, OSTP, AI

• Angela Sharpe – Sr. Director of Congressional and Federal Affairs• NIMDH, NIGMS, NCCIH, NINDS, NIDDK, OBSSR, PCORI, AHRQ

• Another Sr. Science Policy Officer/portfolio TBD

SCIENCE GRO GOALS

Science GRO works to:

• Increase and protect federal funding for psychological research;

• Strengthen the infrastructure that supports psychological science;

• Inform policymakers about psychological research findings that are relevant to federal policy development;

• Increase the ability of scientific psychologists to advocate for their field.

FUNDING

Increase and protect federal funding for

psychological research

FY20 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET

Expected, but mostly negative proposed numbers• Cuts NIH by 13% over FY2019• Cuts NSF by 12% over FY2019• Cuts CDC by 17.6% over FY2019

APA & other scientific organizations advocated for:• $2.5 billion increase for NIH• $1 billion increase for NSF

Appropriations Committees are rallying

FY20 BUDGET RECAP

None of the dire cuts of concern to Science have come to pass, but…

• Operating under a continuing resolution (CR) through Nov. 21

• If the CR expires, the government shuts down and there has been speculation that the President may allow that to happen (again) to distract from the impeachment process.

• Another CR may be likely because the Senate has only begun to work on their bills. A full year CR would nullify funding increases proposed by both chambers.

• The good news is that “sequestration”, a legacy of spending caps tied to the Budget Control Act of 2011 is gone

• Actively involved with coalitions on this issue; CHF, NDD United

RESEARCH FUNDING UPDATE

Some highlights assuming Congress moves the bills forward:• NIH would receive between $2B (House) and $3B (Senate)

All of Us – $500 million, an increase of $161 millionAlzheimer’s – $2.82 billion, a $350 million increaseBRAIN Initiative – $500 million, a $71 million increaseOpioid Addiction, Pain Management – $500 million

• NSF would receive between $8.6B (House) and $8.3B (Senate)

APA WORKS WITH A LOT OF COALITIONS…

INFRASTRUCURE

Strengthen the infrastructure that supports

psychological science

INFRASTRUCTURE - DEPARTMENTS & AGENCIES OF INTEREST

Science Policy Office and the Advocacy Office coordinates, communicates, and advocates with:

• National Institutes of Health• National Science Foundation• Department of Defense• Department of Education• Department of Justice• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention• Food and Drug Administration• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

INFRASTRUCTURE – WHERE AND HOW WE HAVE INPUT

• Review and weigh in where appropriate on strategic plans, peer review systems, and reorganizations within scientific agencies that manage behavioral research.

• Nominate psychologists to serve on research policymaking bodies with input from divisions and governance groups.

• Comment on key regulatory issues of relevance to psychological science.

• Place mid-career psychological scientists in Executive Branch Agencies for a year.

INFRASTRUCTURE - WE RELY ON MEMBER INPUTAPA DIVISIONS – have provided input on:

• NIH Rehabilitation Research Strategic Plan• NICHD Strategic Plan• FDA Youth Tobacco Cessation and CBD Regulation• Draft Report of Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force• RFI on Centers of Excellence in Pain Education

APA BOARDBoard of Scientific Affairs submitted recommendations for the Interdepartmental SUD Coordinating Committee (Kathy Carrol and Keith Humphreys appointed)

APA MEMBER EXPERTSWe relied heavily on content experts for a range of issues including substance use disorders (cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, opioids), gender and sexual minorities, gun violence, suicide prevention, immigration, aging, and artificial intelligence

INFRASTRUCTURE - SCIENCE IN THIS ADMINISTRATION

• Intensely anti-science administration

• Dr. Kelvin Droegemier, a respected research meteorologist, was confirmed as OSTP Director

• Chairs the PCAST but was recently criticized for appointing 7 members mostly representing industry; 9 additional members yet to be named

INFRASTRUCTURE - SCIENCE IN THIS ADMINISTRATION

Secured an invitation for APA to attend a White House Summit on the Research Environment, organized by OSTP. Discussion topics included:

• Coordinating administrative requirements• Promoting rigor and integrity in research• Fostering safe, inclusive, and equitable research environments• Strengthening the security of America’s S&T research enterprise

UPDATE ON CANNABIS RESEARCH REGULATIONS

Advocated for DoJ to act on grower applications to increase the variety of cannabis product available for researchUPDATE: in August DEA announced it would begin processing applications

Advocated for Cannabidiol to be removed from Scheduling which happened with the 2018 Farm billUPDATE: APA members Ryan Vandrey and Elise Weerts testified at an FDA hearing at the end of May

House and Senate support has been building for the two research bills that have been introduced but neither chamber has held a hearing yet.

INFRASTRUCTURE - EXECUTIVE BRANCH SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP

2018-2019 fellow: Laura Van Berkel, Ph.D.

National Science Foundation; Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate

2019-2020 fellow: Gina Roussos, Ph.D.

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities in the Office of the Director

EXECUTIVE BRANCH SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP – PAST FELLOWS

INFORM POLICYMAKERS

Inform policymakers about psychological research findings

that are relevant to federal policy development

INFORM POLICYMAKERS

Coalition for National Science Funding Exhibition Dr. Jing Chen presented her research on the role human factors psychology play in safe autonomous driving with Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI-1).

INFORM POLICYMAKERS

Coalition for Health FundingPublic Health Fair All-day event aimed at increasing Congressional awareness of the importance of federally funded research – in this case NHTSA

Dr. Jodie Plumert of the University of Iowa, demonstrated the technology that enables them to study street-crossing behavior to Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), who was among the many attendees who tried out the VR helmet and ran across a (virtual) road.

Dr. Plumert helps Rep Roybal-Allard cross the street

INFORM POLICY MAKERS

• House Science Committee conducted a briefing on Suicide Prevention on November 12 to promote awareness of the issue and promote basic research at NSF in a bill APA helped Rep. McAdams draft.

• Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presented on behalf of APA.

• Dovetails with other APA initiatives on behalf of the Injury Control Research Centers (CDC) and congressional testimony on gun violence prevention research at CDC and NIH.

ADVOCACY

Increase the ability of scientific psychologists to advocate for their field

ADVOCACY - PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN HAVE AN IMPACT

APA science policy staff work to increase the ability of scientific psychologists to advocate for their field through ongoing activities and programs including:

• Hill days• Advocacy trainings and webinars• Federal Action Network and advocacy site• Executive Branch Science Fellowship

Dr. Bill Stoops speaks with Dr. Frances Collins before Rally for Medical Research

ADVOCACY – TECHNOLOGY, MIND, AND SOCIETY LOBBY DAY

Eleven scientists were trained by APA’s advocacy staff on effective ways to discuss psychological science with policymakers.

Met with Assistant Director for AI at the OSTP, Dr. Lynne Parker, to discuss the National AI Strategy.

Met with House Science Committee staff, who are developing a bill to provide an oversight infrastructure for AI.

Met with Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee staff who are advancing the Algorithmic Accountability Act, which seeks to minimize bias in AI applications.

A subgroup met with Senate Special Committee on Aging staff to discuss aging and assistive technology.

ADVOCACY - STAND FOR SCIENCE

District advocacy visits continued in 2019 with a cohort from APA Division 20To date, district campaigns have included: • 71 psychologists• 29 states• 80 Congressional offices• 31 Member meetings• 20 site visits• 7 Member site visits Dr. Katherine King and her student, Michelle

Jolson, met with Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) in his district office where they discussed mental health

research and cost-effective interventions.

ADVOCACY - STAND FOR SCIENCE

Dr. Walter Boot (Florida State University) provided a tour of his lab to staff from the office of Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL). Throughout the tour, Dr. Boot and his team emphasized the importance of behavioral research on aging and technology and the role of psychologists in supporting aging individuals. Dr. Katherine King (William James

College) and her student, Michelle

ADVOCACY - STAND FOR SCIENCE

Dr. Lisa Brown (Palo Alto University) and her student, Tristan Hansell, met with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) in her district office for a discussion of that focused on how psychology can inform disaster response for older adults.

ADVOCACY – COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Science GRO uses multiple communication strategies:• Federal Action Network alerts and legislative updates• Social media campaigns• Outreach to members of Congress• Coalition activities, letters on programmatic initiatives and funding• Testimony for appropriations bills• Report language in appropriations bills

STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST

APA Psychological Science Agendawww.apa.org/science/about/psa/index.aspx

APA Science Advocacy Blogadvocacy.apascience.org/blog/

APA Science Directorate on Twitter@APAScience