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NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
MISSION: To sponsor and conduct medical research that leads to better health for all Americans.
Evaluation Program
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) generates scientific knowledge
that leads to improved health. This is done by conducting medical research
in its intramural laboratories and by supporting research in universities,
medical and health professional schools, and other health research organizations.
NIH fosters the widespread dissemination of the results of medical research,
facilitates the training of research investigators, and ensures the viability
of the research infrastructure. The NIH Evaluation Program is an integral
part of how NIH sponsors and conducts medical research.
The complexities and challenges of evaluating and assessing fundamental science have become more widely recognized as science agencies have begun implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The GPRA stresses the use of evaluation to develop measures for reporting on program results. However, measures for evaluating the results of fundamental science have limitations. These are discussed in the March 1997 General Accounting Office report, Measuring Performance: Strengths and Limitations of Research Indicators. The report compares private versus public research and discusses the strengths and limitations of indicators used to measure research. The NIH evaluation program is addressing these challenges as part of its strategy for implementing the GPRA.
Philosophy and Priorities. The NIH Evaluation Program provides information to assist the NIH Director and the NIH Institute and Center (IC) Directors in determining whether NIH goals and objectives are being achieved and to help guide policy development and program direction. Evaluations are planned and conducted from two sources of funds: 1-percent set-aside evaluation funds used to fund trans-NIH projects, and IC program funds used for program evaluations for use by various committees, working groups, task forces, workshops, conferences, and symposia to assist the IC in program management and development. This approach ensures that planning and priority setting specific to the mission of each IC are fully developed and implemented and that there is central leadership for developing crosscutting initiatives and promoting collaboration among the ICDs.
NIH's major evaluation priority areas fall within three broad program areas: basic research, research training and career development, and facilities. These broad program areas form the basis for the strategies and activities that NIH undertakes to achieve the goals identified in the GPRA planning process.
Policies and Operations. A distinguishing feature of the NIH Evaluation Program is the utilization of a variety of evaluation strategies that include the use of national advisory councils, boards of scientific counselors, consensus development conferences, and ad hoc committees that help to chart scientific directions and select the most promising research to support.
A two-tier system is used to review project requests that will use 1-percent evaluation set-aside funding. The first tier involves a review and recommendations by the NIH Technical Merit Review Committee (TMRC) on the technical aspects of project proposals and whether a project fits within HHS guidelines for use of the set-aside fund. The second tier involves the NIH Evaluation Policy Oversight Committee (EPOC), which considers TMRC recommendations, conducts policy level reviews, and makes final funding recommendations to the NIH Director or his designee.
Summary of Fiscal Year 1998 Evaluations
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TITLE: Defining a Comprehensive School Health Program: An Interim Statement
ABSTRACT: An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee has begun a study of comprehensive school health programs in grades K-12. These programs propose to combine health education, health promotion and disease prevention, and access to health and social services, at the school site. While earlier generations of school health programs were predominantly concerned with stemming the threat of infectious disease, such problems have now to a large extent been superseded by the "new morbidities"--injuries, violence, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, psychological and emotional disorders, poverty--and by concerns about many students' lack of access to reliable health information and health care. Comprehensive school health programs may be a promising approach for addressing many of these health-related problems of today's children and young people. This project examines the structure, operation, and possible outcomes of comprehensive school health programs and considers their status and potential for wider implementation. The final report will present findings and recommendations, which should be of interest to educators, professionals in health-related fields, families and policymakers. This interim statement sets forth a provisional definition of a comprehensive school health program, to serve as the basis for further work. To provide a general context for this definition, the interim statement reviews briefly the history of school health programming and examples of previous definitions and models for these programs. The interim statement also identifies additional questions and issues that emerged in the process of formulating the definition.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Director
FEDERAL CONTACT: William Harlan
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-1508
PIC ID: 5586
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Academy of Sciences, Institute
of Medicine Washington, D.C.
TITLE: Evaluation of the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG)
ABSTRACT: This report evaluates the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) program. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the ICBG is a program designed to protect human health, advance the conservation of biologically diverse ecosystems and promote sustainable economic development through the search for drugs to control diseases of concern to both developed and developing countries. Since 1993, the program has funded five individual cooperative biodiversity groups around the world. The study design attempts to: (1) accommodate the varied and non-standard implementations of the ICBG concept, (2) obtain broad coverage in terms of respondents, (3) maximize response rates and data quality, (4) minimize burden on ICBG Group Leaders and other respondents, and (5) incorporate cost and time efficiencies wherever possible. Among the benefits for source countries, the report finds: (1) scientific capacity has been developed through training and equipment, (2) development of economic activities, (3) equitable financial return and the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) of source-country people, and (4) the potential sustainability of the individual ICBG projects is one of the strengths of the overall program. The report recommends that: (1) the ICBG program develop systems of technical assistance based on a combination of outside expertise and lessons learned across programs, (2) improve communications among the ICBGs, (3) consider developing a cross-ICBG database that includes work being done in collection, extractions, and drug development techniques, and (4) bring in the expertise of social scientists and source-country legal experts to the ICGB to ensure that the consensus-building, benefit sharing, and economic goals of this project are achieved. (Final report 177 pages, appendices bound separately.)
AGENCY SPONSOR: Fogarty International Center
FEDERAL CONTACT: J. Kirby Weldon
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-2571
PIC ID: 6641
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Battelle Corporation Arlington, VA
TITLE: Evaluation of the NHLBI Programs of Excellence in Molecular Biology: Summary Report and Final Report
ABSTRACT: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) developed and implemented a unique grant initiative, titled "Programs of Excellence in Molecular Biology" (POEMB). The objectives established for POEMB are to: (1) stimulate the use of molecular biology approaches in areas consistent with the mission of the NHLBI where the new techniques of molecular biology have been underutilized, and (2) provide opportunities for investigators who have the potential for establishing or redirecting research careers. This report evaluates the extent to which the initiative has realized the Institute's objectives and its appropriateness as a model for promoting the application of new research techniques and methodologies to existing areas of research. Research activity is characterized in cardiovascular and pulmonary research using the techniques of molecular biology in terms of research grant activity and publications, both before and after implementation of the POEMB, produced by groups who are supported by the POEMB and those who are not. Qualitative data were also collected on the effectiveness of the POEMB approach and on research accomplishments by POEMB applicants. The results of this study are applicable to the entire National Institutes of Health community because they explore innovative approaches to stimulating research interest in, and developing research resources for, future efforts in designated scientific areas.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Heart,Lung,and Blood Institute
FEDERAL CONTACT: Carl A.Roth, Ph.D., L.L.M.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-3620
PIC ID: 5584
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers Seattle, WA
TITLE: Evaluation of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program
ABSTRACT: In recognition of the need to increase the number of under-represented minority individuals pursuing advanced degrees in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) established the Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program (STMSP). The STMSP is designed to accomplish the following three goals: (1) Provide minority undergraduate and graduate students, and students in health professional schools exposure to opportunities inherent in research careers in areas relevant to cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic health and diseases, transfusion medicine, and sleep disorders. (2) Attract highly qualified minority students into biomedical and behavioral research careers in the areas of heart, lung and blood health, transfusion medicine, and sleep disorders. (3) Bolster the already short supply of qualified minority investigators. This project presents evaluation results of the STMSP to determine its effectiveness and identify ways in which the program might be improved. (See also PIC ID 6118)
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Heart,Lung,and Blood Institute
FEDERAL CONTACT: Barbara F. James
PHONE NUMBER: 301-402-3421
PIC ID: 6118.1
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: KRA Corporation Silver Spring, MD
TITLE: Evaluation of the National Institute of Mental Health Training Programs for Minority Students
ABSTRACT: To addresss the training needs related to minority scientists in the mental health fields of behavioral science and neuroscience, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) established training programs for talented honors undergraduate, racial/ethnic minority students to encourage them to choose research careers in mental health disciplines. Other approaches to facilitating the training of racial/ethnic minority behavioral and neuroscience undertaken by NIMH include short-term summer research training and predoctoral training that supports the Minority Fellowship Program at National Professional Associations in nursing, sociology, psychology, and social work. An evaluation of these various mechanisms was conducted to assess their impact on the numbers of students who participate in early career training, their contributions to the conduct of the research-related mission of the NIMH, and to identify, the program elements that have most heavily influenced these outcomes. The purpose of this contract is to provide guidance to the Office for Special Populations on appropriate evaluation strategies based on NIMH program records, available databases and consultation with program staff, and to design and demonstrate the feasibility of a tracking system for such information.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute of Mental Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: Sherman L. Ragland
PHONE NUMBER: 301-443-2847
PIC ID: 6282
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Jones, James M., Ph.D. Silver Spring, MD
Evaluations in Progress
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TITLE: Full-Scale Evaluation of the Regional Primate Research Centers (RPRC) Program
ABSTRACT: The Regional Primate Research Center (RPRC) program represents a commitment by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the development and support of regional and National non-human primate research resources for biomedical and behavioral studies. This evaluation is intended to determine the optimum configuration of resources for non-human primate research programs.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Research Resources
FEDERAL CONTACT: Barbara Perrone
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-0871
PIC ID: 6045.1
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Helen H.. Gee, Potomac, MD
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 12/20/98
TITLE: Planning Phase for an Evaluation of the NIDR Center Program
ABSTRACT: This project developed a study design for an evaluation of the National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) center program.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute of Dental Research
FEDERAL CONTACT: James G.Corrigan, Ph.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-6705
PIC ID: 5578
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Institute of Dental Research Bethesda, MD
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 12/31/98
TITLE: Full-Scale Evaluation of the NCRR Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program
ABSTRACT: The Phase II Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program evaluation has been designed to enhance program accountability. The results of the RCMI program evaluation will be useful to minority and non-minority academic institutions in strengthening their biomedical and behavioral research capacities.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Research Resources
FEDERAL CONTACT: Patricia A.Vorndran
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-0866
PIC ID: 5580.1
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 1/1/99
TITLE: Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health
ABSTRACT: The Surgeon General's (SG's) report will provide an opportunity to describe oral health and provide the backdrop to present the case for the critical inter-relationship between oral health and general health.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute of Dental Research
FEDERAL CONTACT: Dushanka Kleinman, M.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-7716
PIC ID: 6861
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 1/31/99
TITLE: Baltimore Project
ABSTRACT: This project will evaluate the impact of the NICHD national teen pregnancy research program on the prevention of adolescent pregnancy. This project will provide a "real world" evaluation of a number of theoretically sound intervention program models, which are based on NICHD's research, thereby giving an indication of the impact of the research on such measures as changes in sexual activity, increased use of contraception and rates of pregnancy and birth.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
FEDERAL CONTACT: Susan Newcomer
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-1174
PIC ID: 4467
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 12/20/99
TITLE: Vaccine Development: Establishing Priorities for the United States for the 21st Century
ABSTRACT: This evaluation will undertake a detailed assessment of vaccine research and development needs and priorities for the upcoming decade. The committee will then apply the model to general priorities for domestic vaccine development for the next ten to twenty years.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
FEDERAL CONTACT: D. Regina Rabinovich, M.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-402-2126
PIC ID: 5984
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Academy of Sciences Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 12/31/99
TITLE: Evaluation of Simplification of Human Resources Management System at the Nation Institutes of Health
ABSTRACT: The NIH will engage the services of an expert organization to develop criteria, conduct evaluations and provide program development support. The Secretary, DHHS, and the director, NIH, will jointly appoint a panel of distinguished scientists and administrators to review the contractor evaluations and the impact of these delegations on the NIH research programs.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Director
FEDERAL CONTACT: Stephen C. Benowitz
PHONE NUMBER: 301-496-3592
PIC ID: 6862
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Academy of Public Administration Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 10/30/01
TITLE: Study of National Needs for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Personnel
ABSTRACT: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is establishing a study committee which will direct activities related to the development of estimates of future needs for biomedical and behavioral research personnel. Using estimates of future needs, the committee will make recommendations concerning the size and composition of the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) research training programs.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Director
FEDERAL CONTACT: Walter Schaffer, Ph.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-2770
PIC ID: 4664.1
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Academy of Sciences Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 12/31/98
TITLE: Evaluation of the National Research Service Training Programs
ABSTRACT: The objectives of this evaluation are to provide information on: (1) the characteristics of the National Research Service Awards (NRSA) pre-doctoral recipients, (2) the effectiveness of the program in reaching its intended recipients, (3) the extent to which NRSA programmatic requirements are being met, (4) the effectiveness of NRSA programs, and (5) the relationships between NRSA program characteristics and outcomes.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Director
FEDERAL CONTACT: Walter Schaffer, Ph.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-2770
PIC ID: 6095
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Nashville, TN
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 1/31/99
TITLE: Follow-Up Study of Young Investigators in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences
ABSTRACT: The National Research Council (NRC) will perform a follow-up study to explore findings of the report, "The Funding of Young Investigators in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences." The committee that prepared this report found that the number of persons 36 years of age and younger who are applying for National Institutes of Health (NIH) individual investigator awards has decreased by more than half, from 1985 to 1993.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Director
FEDERAL CONTACT: Walter Schaffer, Ph.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-2770
PIC ID: 6098
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 1/31/99
TITLE: Evaluation of NIH Post-doctoral Trainees and Fellows
ABSTRACT: This study is part of a long-term evaluation effort directed at examining the extent to which the objectives of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Award (NRSA) pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training programs are being achieved. Using extant data, the focus of this project is to develop a profile of NRSA post-doctoral award recipients and determine what portion of former NRSA post-doctoral trainees and fellows successfully pursue health-related research or training careers.
AGENCY SPONSOR: Office of the Director
FEDERAL CONTACT: Walter Schaffer, Ph.D.
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-2770
PIC ID: 6285
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Vanderbilt University, Institute for Public Policy Studies Nashville, TN
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 5/30/99
TITLE: Evaluate Current and Future Human Resource Needs in the Biomedical, Behavioral, and Social Sciences in the Drug Abuse Research Field
ABSTRACT: This project is a companion study to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored study that examines general trends and needs related to the training of biomedical and behavioral scientists. This companion study focuses on the unique training needs of staff in the drug abuse research field. The report will: (1) assess the current status and effectiveness of the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) research training efforts, (2) assess future training needs for researchers in those fields most important to drug abuse and addiction research, and (3) make recommendations that will enhance program responsiveness.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute on Drug Abuse
FEDERAL CONTACT: Harold Jones
PHONE NUMBER: 301-443-6071
PIC ID: 6040
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Tonya, Inc. Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 9/20/99
TITLE: Evaluation of Psychiatry Research Trainees and Research Training Programs
ABSTRACT: This project represents Phase III of an effort to study psychiatric research trainees. Information from this final phase will: (1) provide the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) leadership with information to improve Federal programs that support research training; and (2) train site staff to improve curricula, faculty assignments and the trainee selection process.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Institute of Mental Health
FEDERAL CONTACT: David H.Tilley
PHONE NUMBER: 301-443-8803
PIC ID: 6041
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: Tonya, Inc. Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 9/20/99
TITLE: Survey of Scientific and Engineering Research Facilities at Colleges and Universities
ABSTRACT: Since 1986 and every two years subsequently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have conducted the Survey of Scientific and Engineering Research Facilities. The availability and condition of biomedical research space directly affects the scope and quality of the biomedical research conducted at the Nation's colleges, universities, medical schools, hospitals and other research organizations. To address the need for information on the amount and quality of S&E research space, Congress mandated that the NSF gather this information and report it to Congress.
AGENCY SPONSOR: National Center for Research Resources
FEDERAL CONTACT: Fred W. Taylor
PHONE NUMBER: 301-435-0766
PIC ID: 6863
PERFORMER ORGANIZATION: National Science Foundation Washington, D.C. and National Academy of Sciences Commission on Life Sciences Washington, D.C.
PROJECTED DATE OF COMPLETION: 9/30/99
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