Dear friend of demographic and behavioral science research:

The Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch (DBSB) at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is beginning its newest long-range planning effort and it would like your input on future directions for the program. Please send your comments to Christine Bachrach at cbachrach@nih.gov. You may send comments at any time.

What kind of input does the Branch need?
In its planning effort, the DBSB will need to consider questions such as those below, and Branch staff would like to know your thoughts about them. Of course, other observations are also welcome.

• Given the DBSB mission*, what are the most important scientific opportunities that the DBSB should try to pursue in the next four years?
  
• Given the DBSB mission, what are the most important public health issues that the DBSB should address in the next four years? ("Public health" can be interpreted broadly to refer to the status and well-being of individuals, families, communities and populations.)
  
• Given the above, which areas of the DBSB's portfolio have progressed to a point where program-initiated efforts to stimulate the field, or to provide set-aside funding, are no longer needed?

*The DBSB's mission is to foster research on the processes that determine population size, growth, composition and distribution, and on the determinants and consequences of those processes. For more detail on this mission, see http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/cpr/dbs/index.cfm#mission. See http://www.nichd.nih.gov/cpr/dbs/areas.cfm for the types of research DBSB supports.

Information about DBSB and its long-range planning
The DBSB is a major funder of research in the population, social, and behavioral sciences. In fiscal year 2005 the Branch invested $99.2 million in research, training, and infrastructure. The Branch Web site, http://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/cpr/dbs/index.cfm, contains further information about the Branch.

The Branch has benefited greatly from the input of the scientific communities it serves in past long-range planning efforts, which are undertaken approximately every five years. The most recent planning report is available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/dbsb_goals_2002.cfm. This report describes the contributions of the scientific community to the development of the 2001 Strategic Plan for the Branch, and discusses the specific goals that emerged from the effort.

How will the Branch use my comments?
Branch staff will use your comments to identify the topics and issues DBSB needs to address in its planning process. Although comments may be submitted at any time, those received early will have the greatest chance of informing the discussions and the outcomes of the planning process.

We greatly appreciate your willingness to contribute to this effort. We believe it will assist not only DBSB, but also the scientific communities supported by the Branch. Please contact one of the DBSB staff if you have any questions.

With warm regards and much appreciation,

The DBSB Program Staff:
Christine Bachrach
Rebecca Clark
V. Jeffery Evans
Rosalind King
Susan Newcomer
Michael Spittel