APA ScienceGovernment RelationsOffice

2017 annual report

APA Science Government Relations Office 2017 Annual Report 1

Acting both independently and in cooperation with other scientific and advocacy organizations, the American Psychological Association (APA) Science Government Relations Office (GRO) works to protect and expand federal funding for psychological research, promote policies supportive of psychological research and its applications, educate government officials and staff members about broader behavioral and social science research issues, defend science against unwarranted attacks, and provide opportunities for psychological scientists to stand up for science at the federal level. This report serves to summarize the work APA’s Science GRO staff as well as to highlight key accomplishments over the past year. Please contact us (cmalley@apa.org) with questions or comments as Science GRO prepares for another year of psychological science advocacy.

The APA Science GRO, a component of the APA Science Directorate, includes five advocates: Director Geoff Mumford, PhD; Craig Fisher, PsyD; Pat Kobor, MA; Cynthia Malley, MPA; and Steve M. Newell, PhD, MMSc. Read more about them and the issues they cover for APA at www.apa.org/about/gr/science.

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SCIENCE RESEARCH FUNDINGScience GRO advocates for robust and steady funding of scientific research at the federal science agencies, opposes cuts in funding that single out behavioral and social science, and supports a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not rely solely on reductions in discretionary spending. Science GRO communicates these priorities to Congress and federal agency staff through written and oral testimony, letters and comments, and participation in coalition events which aim to advance these priorities.

Letters to CongressScience GRO organized and sought endorsements for multiple letters to Senate and House Appropriations Committees, advocating for funding for behavioral and social science research. Some examples include letters from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Coalition, Friends of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Friends of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and Friends of the National Center for Health Statistics.

Congressional testimonyScience GRO collaborated with fellow government relations offices within APA to submit testimony for several appropriations subcommittees, including funding requests for research programs in the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, and Veterans Affairs, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Coalition efforts to protect federal science fundingScience GRO staff are active in coalitions of advocacy organizations that promote APA’s science priorities. Craig Fisher served as chair of the Friends of NICHD coalition for 2017. Pat Kobor was elected to the governing board of the Coalition for Health Funding, which lobbies for strong budgets for all the Public Health Service agencies (e.g. NIH, CDC, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Geoff Mumford is a leader in Friends of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Friends of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) which promote funding for those institutes and have active programs of education on Capitol Hill.

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Preparing to defend PCORIThe Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. First among the top five categories of research funded by PCORI is “mental and behavioral health.” Of the 456 projects funded between 2012-2016, 57 were awarded to psychologists, totaling $132 million in funding. With the ongoing attempts by Congress to repeal the ACA, GRO staff prepared to defend against any efforts to dismantle or defund PCORI by compiling a list of all psychologists who have received PCORI funding. Although PCORI did not become a target of repeal efforts these preparatory steps helped highlight the breadth of psychological research funded by PCORI and reminded the research community to view PCORI is an alternative to traditional federal agency funding sources. (Point person: Steve M. Newell)

Rally for Medical Research FundingThe Rally for Medical Research is an annual event which brings together a multi-disciplinary group of advocates, researchers, clinicians, and patients to call on policymakers to prioritize funding for the NIH. This year, two psychological scientists participated on behalf of APA. Dawn Wilson, PhD, of the University of South Carolina, discussed her NICHD funded research testing parenting and family interventions to reduce obesity in African American teens and their parents. Suniya Luthar, PhD, of Arizona State University discussed her NIDA funded research on overcoming maternal drug abuse and building childhood resilience. Read about Dawn Wilson’s experience. (Point person: Craig Fisher)

Suniya Luthar (left) and Dawn Wilson (right) at the Rally for Medical Research reception

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Dawn Wilson

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STRENGTHENING THE INFR ASTRUCTURE FOR PSYCHOLOGIC AL SCIENCEAPA Science GRO worked with experts in the Science Directorate on legislative and federal agency policy issues related to human participants and non-human animals in research. GRO monitored strategic plans, peer review systems, grant-funding rules, and staff reorganizations within scientific agencies that manage behavioral research. In addition, with input from APA divisions and governance groups, Science GRO nominated psychologists to serve on research policymaking bodies. Through Science GRO, APA has spoken out on key regulatory issues of relevance to psychological science throughout the year. Here are highlights of Science GROs 2017 activities:

Nominating Psychologists for Public ServiceScience GRO developed nominations of qualified psychologists for various important planning and advisory bodies including:

• Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee

• National Academies’ Board on Environmental Change and Society

• National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality,

• National Institute of Health’s National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council

• National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Biological Sciences Advisory Committee

• Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force,

• Scientific Advisory Board of the Census

• STEM Education Advisory Panel for the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

Additionally, Science GRO has constructed a database to match current and former members of APA to the NIH RePORTER database in order to identify experts suitable for nomination to various advisory bodies.

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Providing Comments to Science AgenciesWorking within APA and polling relevant divisions and governance groups, Science GRO coordinated the submission of comments to several strategic plans and research plan, including:

• Comments on the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Data Collection Protocol focused on the need for assessment measures and approaches that are reliable, empirically supported, appropriate for individuals from diverse backgrounds, and inclusive of behavioral and psychological constructs.

• Comments on the NIAAA strategic plan, resulted in an additional focus on LGBT populations.

• Comments on the NSF Strategic plan emphasized the importance of continued investment in all fields of science.

• Comments on the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Long-Range Plan noted the need to better incorporate mental health disorders into categories of disability subpopulations and barriers to well-being.

• Comments on CDC’s suicide prevention technical package resulted in the addition of language on the need to reduce provider shortages, especially in underserved areas.

Executive Branch Science FellowshipFellows spend one year in executive branch science mission agencies working on issues ranging from science policy to research administration. The current 2017-18 APA Executive Branch Science Fellow, Amanda Dettmer PhD, has been placed at the Institute of Education Sciences in the Department of Education. The 2016-17 Fellow, Christin Ogle, PhD, was placed at the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in the Violence and Victimization Research Division within the Office of Research and Evaluation. Learn more. (Point person: Craig Fisher)

NIH clinical trials policiesScience GRO has been working with other organizations, in particular the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, on letters to NIH Director, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, and meetings with House and Senate Appropriations staff to update them on APA’s concerns. The organizations are encouraging the Appropriations Committees to influence Director Collins to delay and reconsider implementation of the updated clinical trial policies. Read more here. (Point person: Pat Kobor)

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Protection of Prevention and Public Health FundScience GRO staff submitted letters for APA to the Senate and House of Representatives to express opposition to using the Prevention and Public Health Fund, a dedicated investment in prevention and public health activities that currently comprises about 12 percent of the CDC budget, as an offset for programs that APA strongly supports such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the National Health Service Corp. Read the letter. (Point person: Pat Kobor)

Responding to Guidance on CDC Banned WordsAPA responded to news reports about CDC and other agencies within HHS being given guidance dissuading them from using seven words or phrases (specifically: vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, transgender, fetus, evidence-based and science-based) in agency budget documents. Coordinated by government relations staff, APA issued a statement calling for the Administration to support the best evidence-based government programs, particularly those that focus on improving life for the most vulnerable Americans. (Point person: Craig Fisher)

Protesting termination of nicotine research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)APA, working with its Committee on Animal Research Ethics, has lobbied the FDA to defend its high-quality primate research on nicotine after the FDA initiated an unusual suspension of the research at the request of an animal rights organization and primatologist Jane Goodall. APA coordinated a letter that was signed by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, and gathered letters of support from high-profile addictions researchers in support of the research. APA argues that FDA has not followed its own procedures that support good science and protect the welfare of the non-human animal subjects. (Point person: Pat Kobor)

Defending peer review against legislative attackScience GRO has been monitoring a bill introduced by Senator Rand Paul (KY), S. 1973, that would among other things remake peer review at federal funding agencies by adding taxpayer advocates and inexpert scientists to each review panel. While the bill is not anticipated to move farther in the legislative process, Science GRO staff and partners of allied organizations visited members and staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to discuss concerns about the bill. APA will continue to have quiet conversations ensuring that Hill staff know how much scientific organizations oppose the bill, should there be some unexpected progress in its status. (Point person: Pat Kobor)

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Responding to the President’s Opioid Commission ReportScience GRO monitored the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis established in March and led by Governor Chris Christie (NJ). APA responded to the commission’s Draft Interim Report with comments focusing on the science and practice of pain management, as well as prevention and treatment approaches for opioid addiction. Read APA’s comments. (Point person: Geoff Mumford, gmumford@apa.org)

Building support for Addiction, Treatment, and RecoveryScience GRO executed a recruitment campaign to build participation in the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus. Following letters to Capitol Hill from the Friends of NIDA and Friends of NIAAA coalitions the Caucus grew from 60 members in 2016 to 83 members in 2017. (Point person: Geoff Mumford)

Reducing barriers for marijuana researchersMarijuana is a highly controlled Schedule 1 substance with no FDA approval for medical use. As a result, there is a high degree of regulatory burden on researchers. Science GRO lead APA’s efforts to reduce the barriers to conducting cannabis research. Working with Ryan Vandrey, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University, Science directorate staff launched an online survey of all 300 NIH-funded marijuana researchers to collect data about their individual experiences working with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the FDA, following the release of the National Academy of Medicine report on cannabis in February, Science GRO brought together cannabis researchers from Harvard, Columbia and Johns Hopkins Universities to meet with Representative Andy Harris’ (MD) staff and presented data from the survey to illustrate the impediments to cannabis research. Additionally, APA crafted letters of support for the leading House and Senate bills and secured endorsement from large numbers of scientific organizations interested in facilitating cannabis research. (Point person: Geoff Mumford)

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EDUC ATING POLIC YMAKERS USING RELEVANT PSYCHOLOGIC AL RESEARCH FINDINGS

Throughout 2017, APA Science GRO actively promoted the appearance of psychologists at Capitol Hill events and sought opportunities for psychologists with relevant policy expertise to testify before congressional committees. Independently and in collaboration with scientific coalitions, Science GRO staff organized Congressional briefings and receptions featuring psychological scientists and relevant behavioral science research. Here are highlights from the year’s events:

Bipartisan Heroin Task Force BriefingOn February 7, 2017, APA Fellow, Lisa Marsch, PhD, presented alongside NIDA Director, Nora Volkow, MD to members of Congress at a briefing on heroin and synthetic drug abuse organized by the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force. The briefing focused on the science and public health challenges of “synthetic” opioids and led to a day-long summit hosted at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and organized by Dr. Marsch, on behalf of Representative Anne McLane Kuster (NH), which showcased the breadth of both opioid research and treatment resources in New Hampshire. (Point person: Geoff Mumford)

Lisa Marsch speaks before the Congressional Bipartisan Heroin Task Force

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Injury and Violence Prevention Network Briefing: Substance Abuse, Injuries, and ViolenceAs part of the Injury and Violence Prevention Network, Science GRO cosponsored a congressional briefing on the Intersection of Substance Abuse, Injuries, and Violence. The briefing highlighted programs and research supported by the CDC on pain, opioids, and suicide. Science GRO invited psychological scientist Mark Ilgen, PhD, of the University of Michigan to present along with CDC Injury Center Director, Debra Houry, MD, MPH, and Kevin Osterhoudt, MD, MS, the Medical Director of the Poison Control Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (Point person: Craig Fisher)

Friends of NIAAA BriefingsScience GRO organizes a series of Capitol Hill briefings on behalf of the Friends of NIAAA. This year’s topics included alcohol use disorders in women and the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. (Point person: Geoff Mumford)

• The changing patterns of women’s drinking and their impact on public health. Held on June 26, 2017, this briefing presented findings from NIAAA supported research on the changing patterns of alcohol consumption by women, how alcohol affects women’s health, the barriers women face when seeking treatment, and the unique needs of women in treatment programs. Barbara McCrady, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions at the University of New Mexico presented alongside NIAAA Director, George F. Koob, PhD.

• NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator: Pointing the way to evidence-based care. This briefing informed Hill staff about the new NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. Grounded in decades of clinical and health services research, the Navigator is a comprehensive, simple-to-use tool which helps to guide individuals, family members, and healthcare providers through the often complicated and overwhelming process of identifying quality treatment options. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, PhD, provided an overview of alcohol use disorders in the United States and the wide array of treatments available. As a provider who does not specialize in addiction treatment, psychologist Mary Alvord, PhD, emphasized the tool’s value in helping care-providers to find local, evidence-based programs to which they can refer clients with alcohol use disorders.

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Friends of NIDA Briefing: Preventing Opioid Use DisordersAs actives members of the Friends of NIDA Executive Committee, Science GRO organized a Congressional briefing in July entitled “Preventing Opioid Use Disorders: Community Based Approaches that Work.” Psychologist Dick Spoth, PhD, Wendell Miller, Senior Prevention Scientist and the Director of the Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute at Iowa State University, presented with NIDA Deputy Director, Wilson Compton, MD, MPE, about his longitudinal community-based interventions. (Point person: Geoff Mumford)

Coalition for National Science Funding exhibit on Capitol HillOn behalf of the APA, psychologist Jeff Hancock, PhD, of Stanford University presented his research on cybersecurity at the 23rd annual Coalition for National Science Funding exhibit on Capitol Hill. The event showcases innovative research funded by the NSF and enables researchers from multiple scientific disciplines to highlight the importance of continued federal investments in basic science for members of Congress and their staff. APA is a member of the coalition, which is composed primarily of scientific societies and academic institutions. (Point person: Steve M. Newell)

Coalition for Health Funding’s Annual Public Health FairThe Coalition for Health Funding held its second annual Public Health Fair on Capitol Hill this year to both advocate for robust, sustained funding for the federal health agencies and demonstrate the value of these investments. This year, GRO staff arranged for APA’s booth to feature the APA’s Stress in America report. APA psychologists conducted brief stress reduction interventions (guided imagery, structured breathing) for the congressional staff in attendance. (Point person: Pat Kobor)

France Cordova, Director of NSF and Jeff Hancock at the Coalition for National Science Funding exhibit

The APA Stress Ball meets Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) at the Coalition for Health Funding’s Annual Public Health Fair

© Zoeica Images

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INCREASING THE ABILIT Y OF PSYCHOLOGIC AL SCIENTISTS TO ADVOC ATE FOR THEIR DISCIPLINEAPA Science GRO connects psychologists with opportunities to weigh in on key legislative and regulatory issues through a variety of channels and programs, including in-person meetings with members of Congress and Congressional staff. With the goal of enabling psychologists to effectively advocate on behalf of psychological science, it regularly provides advocacy training sessions both in person and via webinar, disseminates relevant policy content and news updates, and provides easy-to-access web-based advocacy resources.

APA Marched for ScienceAPA officially endorsed the March for Science, held April 22, Earth Day 2017. A committee of Science Directorate staff designed psychology-specific March for Science t-shirts, posters, stickers, and buttons and rallied psychologists in Washington, DC, and at satellite marches world-wide to march for psychological science. Ahead of the march on Friday, April 21, Science GRO staff delivered a livestreamed advocacy training session, “Beyond the March: Advocating for Psychological Science.” The recording is now available on YouTube. Learn more here. (Point person: Cynthia Malley)

Supporters of psychological research get ready to march together in Washington, DC

Psychological scientists marching for science in London

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Stand for ScienceBolstered by a new list of potential advocates from the March for Science and the work completed to match APA’s membership database with NIH RePORTER, the Stand for Science campaign will continue in the new year. APA staff will provide one-on-one advocacy training, support, and materials to psychological scientists as they embark on in-district meetings and lab visits with policy makers. Learn more here. (Point person: Cynthia Malley)

Advocacy presentations and training sessionsScience GRO staff regularly provides advocacy training sessions and updates, both in-person and via webinars, for a variety of groups. This year they provided training sessions for the APA Board of Scientific Affairs, the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students Science Committee, the APA Science Student Council and several more APA boards, committees, and divisions. With APA’s Public Interest GRO, they presented at a policy workshop ahead of the 2017 APA Convention. Outside APA, staff gave advocacy talks at the Population Association of America and the American Society of Primatologists meetings and a webinar in collaboration with the American Educational Research Association.

Capitol Hill DaysScience GRO led groups of psychologists on visits to Capitol Hill, including APA’s Science Student Council and APA’s Committee on Research Ethics. Friends of NICHD, chaired by Science GRO’s Craig Fisher in 2017, held its annual Hill Day, meeting with many of the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations subcommittee members and sharing the Friends’ FY2018 appropriations request letter and written testimony. Science GRO also participated in the Coalition for Health Funding Hill Day in March.

Federal Action NetworkScience GRO uses the grassroots Federal Action Network to provide psychologists opportunities to lend their voices to advocacy efforts on key legislative issues before Congress. Throughout 2017, APA Science GRO’s policy blogs were shared with advocates on the network as a means of providing relevant, timely policy and news updates. One of the advocacy opportunities for Federal Action Network members was a joint effort with Coalition to Promote Research to encourage scientists to sign a petition in support of peer review and good management of science agencies. The petition may be used at short notice to demonstrate support for these concepts should they be threatened in legislation.

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Science advocacy training live-stream webinar

Speakers at a Friends of NIDA briefing on preventing opioid use disorders including psychologist Richard Spoth (far right)

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YOUR INVOLVEMENT IS WHAT MAKES APA ADVOC AC Y EFFECTIVE

• Sign up to receive Psychological Science Agenda to keep up with news in the science funding agencies and in Congress that matters to you.

• Sign up to receive APA Science GRO Action Alerts through the APA Federal Action Network. Science GRO makes it easy for you to write or call your member of Congress about pressing policy issues, especially when it’s critically important.

• Follow @apascience on Twitter.

• Find out who represents you in Congress: Visit their websites, sign up for their newsletters, and learn about their science policy interests. Be aware when your Senators or Representative are in your area for town hall meetings or constituent breakfasts. Show up and be prepared to ask a question.

• Learn how to speak effectively about your research. Prepare a one-pager about your work (see examples) and use it as a tool when interacting with Congress, the public or the media.

• Blend education about advocacy into your teaching. Need a speaker? APA Science GRO staff often speak to classes in-person and via video conference.

• Want a more comprehensive advocacy training session at a scientific meeting? APA Science GRO staff are always thrilled to add more advocates to the pool. Contact us.

THE APA SCIENCE GOVERNMENT REL ATIONS OFFICE TEAMGeoffrey K. Mumford, PhD | Associate Executive Director for Government Relations

Dr. Mumford received his PhD in pharmacology in 1991 from Emory University and completed post-doctoral training in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1993, after which he joined the faculty of the Division of Behavioral Biology in the Department of Psychiatry. In 1996, he accepted a science policy position at APA headquarters in Washington, DC, and in 2000 he was appointed to direct the science policy staff. He currently serves as the Associate Executive Director for Government Relations. In this capacity, he has served continuously as APA’s liaison to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Craig D. Fisher, PsyD | Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer

Dr. Fisher advocates for psychological science on Capitol Hill and at the federal science. At the agency level, his advocacy portfolio includes the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Dr. Fisher is also the Director of the APA Executive Branch Science Fellowship program. Before joining APA, Dr. Fisher was an American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs where he engaged key stakeholders about NSF-funded basic research, particularly in social and behavioral science. Previously, Dr. Fisher worked as a licensed clinical psychologist in independent private practice in Northern Virginia and at George Mason University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, where he specialized in cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with anxiety disorders

Patricia Clem Kobor, MA | Senior Science Policy Analyst

Ms. Kobor received her MA in Legislative Affairs in 1987 from the George Washington University. She joined APA in 1990 after seven years on the Washington legislative staff of U.S. Rep. Ben Erdreich (D-AL). On Capitol Hill, Kobor was responsible for a broad range of issues including health and aging.

In the Science Government Relations Office, Ms. Kobor is current liaison to many of the NIH institutes and offices, including the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Aging, and Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. She coordinates APA’s legislative work on the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill, serves on the board of

the Coalition for Health Funding, and chairs the Coalition to Promote Research, which educates Congress on peer review and defends research from political attacks.

Steve M. Newell, PhD, MMSc | Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer

Dr. Newell received a PhD in Social Psychology and a Master of Medical Science degree, with an emphasis on health outcomes and policy, from the University of Florida in 2015 where his work focused on how people perceive and respond to their social environment, the psychological and structural factors that affect the health care process and health outcomes, and promoting evidence-based policy relating to health and social issues.

After graduate school, he served as a Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders, working on health policy relating to mental health, substance use, infectious diseases, prescription drug affordability, healthcare access, workforce development, and Medicare. He then worked as a Health Scientist in the Office of Science Policy, Planning, Analysis, and Reporting at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, where he coordinated trans-NIH activities, prepared reports to Congress, and planned strategic priorities and policies relating to minority health and health disparities.

In the Science Government Relations Office, Dr. Newell works as a Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer on issues relating to the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Cynthia A. Whitney, MPA | Science Policy Associate

As the Science Policy Associate, Ms. Whitney supports the Science Government Relations team in its communication efforts and is involved in event planning and coordination both at APA headquarters and on Capitol Hill. Cynthia represents Science Government Relations in a number of cross-APA activities and initiatives. Ms. Whitney received a Master’s of Public Administration with a concentration in Applied Politics from American University School of Public Affairs in 2014, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2009.

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