The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking in May. According to the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA), "The blueprint is the product of nearly two years of work by social and behavioral science experts from across federal agencies and departments."

Further, "the document ... takes a whole-of-government approach to assist agencies and departments with leveraging social and behavioral science insights to improve federal policies, programs, and services to the American people. It makes six recommendations for better incorporating social and behavioral science research into the work of federal agencies and outlines five immediate actions."

Read the White House announcement here and download the report here. (PDF)

The American Sociological Association (ASA) has announced the results of its 2024 election.

• Shelley J. Correll of Stanford University will serve as President-Elect beginning September 2024.
• Victor E. Ray of the University of Iowa will serve as Vice President-Elect beginning September 2024.
• Laurel Westbrook of Grand Valley State University will serve as Secretary-Treasurer-Elect beginning September 2024.
• The member “Resolution for Justice in Palestine” was approved. The ASA statement implementing the resolution reads, "The American Sociological Association, on behalf of its members, calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Further, the association supports members’ academic freedom, including but not limited to defending scholars’ right to speak out against Zionist occupation." (PDF) The full text of the member resolution is available on the ASA website.

Complete ASA election results are also on the ASA website.

On April 30, the National Academy of Sciences announced the election of 120 members and 24 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Among them are four US-based sociologists or demographers:

• Nicholas A. Christakis, Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Department of Sociology, Yale University
• Thomas Dietz, professor and University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Michigan State University
• Noreen Goldman, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Demography and Public Affairs, Office of Population Research, Princeton University
• Arne L. Kalleberg, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 

See the complete listing on the NAS website.

The ASA has announced the inaugural ASA Virtual Mini-Conference (VMC), January 30-31, 2025. It will be based on the theme of the in-person 2025 Annual Meeting, “Reimagining the Future of Work.” Spread over two days of programming from 11:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Eastern, the VMC will offer eight paper sessions, a spotlight session on the future of sociology, and two book forums, as well as a networking event. The online portal will open for submissions on June 10, 2024. The deadline to submit is July 11, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

For complete information, see the ASA website.

On April 28, 2024, nineteen former presidents of ASA put out an open letter endorsing the Member Resolution for Justice in Palestine currently on the ASA ballot. That letter was disseminated to ASA section chairs/listserv managers and appears on the website for Sociologists for Palestine (S4P). The development of the Resolution began last December when a group of 125 Sociologists sent a letter and proposal to the ASA Council and Executive Committee in support of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In January 2024, the ASA Council declined to adopt that statement or to issue their own ceasefire statement. In early February 2024, the ASA Council issued a statement on academic freedom – here is the text. Later in February, S4P submitted a petition, signed by 581 ASA members, to include the Resolution for Justice in Palestine on the ASA ballot – here is the text. You must be a current member of ASA to vote in the ongoing election; voting continues through May 20, 2024, at 5 PM Eastern.

Members and friends of DCSS gathered for the 2024 awards reception on April 18. (All photos by Alex Rodriguez, DCSS Secretary.)

Jill Howard received the Master's student paper award.

Maria Valdovinos Olson received the doctoral student paper award.

Abid Shamdeen (right) and Brandon Jacobsen (center) accepted the Cooper award on behalf of Nadia’s Initiative from Gay Young, DCSS President.

Steve Tuch (center) accepted the Rice Award for Career Achievement, shown here with Jill Brantley (left) and Gay Young.

NIH is implementing multiple changes that will impact the preparation and peer review of most grant applications submitted to NIH for due dates on or after January 25, 2025. See this article for details and a link to a guide notice that provides an overview of each change to help the community contextualize them as details are released over the next few months. 

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a request for information (RFI) that invites input on addressing gaps in:

• Identifying determinants of mental health disparities beyond the individual level (for example, at the social, systemic, and structural levels.)
• Developing culturally responsive, multilevel interventions to address mental health disparities.

NIMH is interested in hearing from healthcare providers, scientific research communities, patient advocacy groups, people with lived experience, educators, and other interested parties about these gaps in U.S.-based research.

See the complete RFI and submit a comment online.

The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) held its 10th annual Social Science Advocacy Day on April 9. Now, COSSA is asking social scientists and others to contact Congress directly.

COSSA writes, "Congressional appropriators are preparing legislation that will determine funding for federal science and statistical agencies for the next year. With strict discretionary budget caps currently in place, it is essential that we fight for the prioritization of social and behavioral science research funding in fiscal year (FY) 2025. Now is the time to write to your Members of Congress to urge their support for research funding in FY 2025!"

Visit the COSSA Action Center page to send a letter to your Senators and Representative and tell them why it is critical that they prioritize funding in FY 2025 for the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Institute of Education Sciences, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, International Education and Foreign Language Programs, and the federal statistical system. 

On March 18, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order, titled “Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation.” This order directs specific advancements and improvements for research on women’s health, largely through the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, established by the Presidential Memorandum of November 13, 2023.

The Consortium of Social Science Associations reports that the Initiative draws on interdisciplinary backgrounds to advance research on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently. This order now names the following topics of interest: women’s midlife health, addressing current gaps in research, and integrating women’s health research into federal research programs. These directions align with the President’s priorities to reduce health disparities, to translate research into real-life applications, and to ensure access to high-quality, evidence-based health care. The Executive Order coincided with many announcements made by federal agencies to promote women’s health research.