Program seeks Council approval for an initiative titled, “Coordinating Center for the NICHD Population Dynamics Centers Research Infrastructure Program.” The Population Dynamics Research Infrastructure Program (PDRIP) supports scientific research within the broad scientific scope of the NICHD Population Dynamics Branch (PDB): demography; population health; and behavioral and social science research on reproductive health. The primary objectives of the Coordinating Center are to improve the translation and dissemination of major findings from population dynamics research and to enhance communication and cooperation across centers.
Social, economic, and behavioral factors significantly affect human health and development. Population dynamics research is at the forefront of investigating how health, development, and productivity across generations and over the life course are affected by non-medical factors (i.e., social determinants of health) and their interactions at multiple levels, from genes to the policy environment. By supporting a centralized resource to improve the translation and dissemination of population dynamics research findings, methods, and perspectives, and to coordinate and foster cooperation activities across the PDRIP, this initiative increases the productivity of the recipient centers and individual population dynamics researchers by reducing the amount of time centers and researchers must spend on these activities, thereby freeing up time for research, research training, and research development. This funding announcement is also meant to improve the quality and impact of dissemination activities by providing translational expertise that is unlikely to be available to centers and individual researchers.
The incumbent during the current five-year cycle successfully amplified the visibility of the research produced by the PDRIP Centers and improved communication across centers through four core activities: the “PopResearchCenters” website, social media platforms, a “Research Highlights” series and coordinated campaigns, and training in Communicating Research Results.
This proposed concept is critical to advancing the scientific priorities of the Population Dynamics Branch. By enhancing the performance of PDRIP recipients, this initiative aligns with multiple parts of NICHD’s Strategic Plan: Themes 3 (Setting the Foundation for Healthy Pregnancies and Lifelong Wellness) & 4 (Improving Child and Adolescent Health and the Transition to Adulthood); Cross-Cutting Topics including Health Disparities, Disease Prevention, and Global Health; Aspirational Goals including Training the Next Generation of Scientists; and Scientific Stewardship priorities including Promoting an Inclusive Scientific Workforce and Facilitating Data Sharing.
Program Contact
Rosalind King
Population Dynamics Branch (PDB)
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