[BGES Membership Roster] [BGES Meeting Rosters]

The Behavioral Genetics and Epidemiology [BGES] Study Section reviews applications on behavioral genetics and heritability studies, and behavioral epidemiologic studies. Emphasis is on the origins, multiple etiologies, natural histories, and consequences of a wide range of behaviors, psychiatric disorders, diseases, normal functioning, public health concerns, physical, mental, and substance abuse problems and the aging process as they vary across individuals, families, generation, age, sex, and populations with different predisposing or protective factors and co-morbid conditions.

Specific areas covered by BGES:

• Behavioral genetic studies of development, mental health, psychiatric disorders, risk, resilience, and risky behaviors in the context of biological, psychological, social, environmental, and cultural factors.
• Interactive effects of risk and protective factors for physical, psychiatric and/or substance use disorders, recovery, and/or sustained health, of normal and problem behaviors within the individual, family, neighborhood, and environment, as they affect different stages of human development, clinical course, or range of outcomes.
• Population-based or clinically-ascertained family, twin, and adoption studies that incorporate environmental risk factor identification and measurement.
• Heritability, familial/kinship, parental, social, and environmental influences on the phenotypic expression of genotypes.
• Behavioral epidemiology: descriptive, analytic, and genetic epidemiology in both general and specific population groups and international cross-cultural studies.
• Interactions among individual, family, group, and community factors in the general population or defined subpopulations with special needs such as the very young, the elderly, minority groups, and those at risk for drug and alcohol abuse.
• Studies of individual, familial, group, and community factors and dynamics that may predispose and/or result from natural catastrophes and traumatic events affecting a population or region [e.g., fire, hurricane, terrorism, violence, and crime.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Genetics of Health and Disease Study Section [GHD]
Community Influence on Health Behavior [CIHB]
Risk, Prevention and Intervention for Addictions Study Section [RPIA]
Psychosocial Development, Risk, and Prevention Study Section [PDRP]
Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging Study Section [APDA]

[CASE Membership Roster] [CASE Meeting Rosters]

The Cardiovascular and Sleep Epidemiology (CASE) Study Section reviews applications on epidemiologic research in cardiovascular and sleep conditions.

Specific areas covered by CASE:

• Description of the general characteristics and the distribution of cardiovascular conditions (including myocardial ischemia and infarction, cardiac hypertrophy and failure, cardiovascular arrhythmia, vascular hemodynamics and inflammation and atherosclerosis) and sleep conditions (including insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy) in human groups and populations in relation to time, place, and personal characteristics.
• Elucidation of the etiological determinants of cardiovascular and sleep conditions by assembling groups of individuals to determine whether the risk of a disease/condition is different for individuals who are exposed or not exposed to specific factors (or combinations of factors) of interest. These may be either risk or protective factors.
• Investigation of strategies for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease conditions and sleep conditions in human groups and populations.
• Development and improvement of research designs and methodologies addressing epidemiologic questions in cardiovascular and sleep conditions.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Sciences [CICS]
Kidney, Nutrition, Obesity, and Diabetes [KNOD]
Genetics of Health and Disease [GHD]
Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention [PRDP]
Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research [RIBT]

[EPIC Membership Roster] [EPIC Meeting Rosters]

The Epidemiology of Cancer [EPIC] Study Section reviews applications on epidemiologic studies in the areas of cancer. Specific areas covered by EPIC:

• General characteristics of the distribution of cancer (including cancer of the breast, prostate, digestive system, reproductive system, skin, lungs, and childhood cancers) in human populations in relation to time, place, and personal characteristics.
• Elucidation of the determinants of cancer and biomarkers of cancer by assembling groups of individuals to determine systematically whether the risk of disease/condition is different for individuals who are exposed or not exposed to specific factors (or combinations of factors) of interest. These may be either risk or protective factors and include genetic, epigenetic, molecular, behavioral, and environmental factors.
• Development and improvement of research designs and methodologies addressing epidemiologic questions in cancer. 

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Biostatistical Methods and Research Design [BMRD]
Community Influences on Health Behavior and Community-Level Health Promotion [CIHB]
Cancer Biomarkers [CBSS]
Health Services Organization and Delivery [HSOD]
Genetics of Health and Disease [GHD]

[IRAP Membership Roster] [IRAP Meeting Rosters]

The Infectious, Reproductive, Asthma and Pulmonary Conditions (IRAP) Study Section reviews applications concerned with the epidemiology of infectious diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases and emerging infections; reproductive conditions across the life span among men, women and the fetus/neonate, including birth defects and diseases of early childhood; asthma and allergy; and non-malignant pulmonary conditions. Emphasis is on the etiology of these conditions, using the methods of molecular epidemiology, clinical epidemiology,  genetic epidemiology, field studies and biostatistics. Specific areas covered by IRAP:

• The transmission and distribution of infectious, reproductive, asthma/allergy, and non-malignant pulmonary conditions in human populations in relation to person, place, time, environmental exposures, animal/insect vectors and personal characteristics or behaviors.
• The determinants of infectious, reproductive, asthma/allergy and non-malignant pulmonary conditions studied by assembling groups of individuals to determine systematically whether the risk of disease/condition is different for individuals who are exposed or not exposed to specific factors (or combinations of factors) of interest.  These may be either risk or protective factors.
• Elucidation of the etiologic pathways to infectious, reproductive, asthma/allergy, or non-malignant pulmonary diseases/conditions using the full range of epidemiologic inquiry, including molecular epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, genome-wide association studies, laboratory indices, clinical measures and prevention/intervention trials.

Study sections with closely related areas of similar science, listed in rank order, are:

Clinical Research and Field Studies [CRFS] 
Respiratory Integrative Biology and Translational Research [RIBT] 
Perinatology and Neonatology [PN] 
Genetics of Human Disease [GHD] 
Biostatistical Methods and Research Design [BMRD] 

[KNOD Membership Roster] [KNOD Meeting Rosters]

The Kidney, Nutrition, Obesity and Diabetes [KNOD] Study Section reviews applications concerned with descriptive and analytic epidemiology as well as genetics of  kidney disease, obesity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal conditions, environmental and nutritional influences on health outcomes. Specific areas covered by KNOD:

• The distribution of kidney diseases/conditions, obesity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal conditions, environmental and nutritional influences on health in human populations in relation to time, place, and personal characteristics.
• Elucidation of the determinants of kidney diseases/conditions, obesity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal conditions, environmental and nutritional influences on health outcomes in human populations in relation to time, place, and personal characteristics.  The focus is to determine systematically whether the risk of disease/condition is different for individuals who are exposed or not exposed to specific factors (or combinations of factors) of interest. These may be either risk or protective factors.
• Elucidation of the genetic determinants of kidney diseases/conditions, obesity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal conditions, environmental and nutritional influences on health outcomes through studies of populations and their genetic architecture. The focus is to locate, identify, and measure the impact of genetic loci contributing to these complex biomedical entities and understand the interaction between genetic loci, environmental influences, and lifestyles within populations.
• Development and improvement of research designs and methodologies addressing epidemiologic questions in kidney diseases/conditions, obesity, diabetes, gastro-intestinal conditions, environmental and nutritional influences on health outcomes in human populations in relation to time, place, and personal characteristics.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science are:

Integrative Physiology of Obesity and Diabetes Study Section [IPOD]
Clinical and Integrative Diabetes and Obesity Study Section [CIDO]
Genetics of Health and Disease Study Section [GHD]
Pathobiology of Kidney Disease [PBKD]
Clinical and Integrative Gastrointestinal Pathobiology [CIGP]

[NAME Membership Roster] [NAME Meeting Rosters]

The Neurological, Aging and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology [NAME] Study Section reviews applications on epidemiologic research in neurological disorders (including Alzheimer's disease, dementias, stroke, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and neurodevelopment), conditions related to human aging (including falls and fractures, functional status, frailty, quality of life, health care use, healthy aging and longevity), and musculoskeletal conditions (including arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis, and bone development in children, and musculoskeletal injury). Specific areas covered by NAME:

• The general characteristics of the distribution of neurological disorders, conditions related to human aging, and musculoskeletal conditions in human populations in relation to time, place, and personal characteristics.
• Elucidation of the determinants and biomarkers of neurological disorders, conditions related to human aging, and musculoskeletal conditions by assembling groups of individuals to determine systematically whether the risk of disease/condition is different for individuals who are exposed or not exposed to specific factors (or combinations of factors) of interest. These may be either risk or protective factors and include genetic, epigenetic, molecular, behavioral, and environmental factors.
• Development and improvement of research designs and methodologies addressing epidemiologic questions in neurological disorders, conditions related to human aging, and musculoskeletal conditions.

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Aging Systems and Geriatrics [ASG]
Genetics of Health and Disease [GHD]
Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging [APDA]
Nursing Science: Adults and Older Adults [NSAA]
Skeletal Biology Developmental and Disease [SBDD]

[SSPS Membership Roster] [SSPS Meeting Rosters]

The Social Sciences and Population Studies [SSPS] Study Section reviews applications related to population processes, composition and distribution, their antecedents and consequences, and their inter-relationships with social, cultural, economic, behavioral, developmental and biomedical factors and processes. This includes studies of migration, mortality and health, residential distribution, reproduction, sexual health, population aging, labor force and retirement, household and family structure, intergenerational relations, and biodemography in the U.S. and other countries. Specific areas covered by SSPS:

• Fertility, including studies of conception, pregnancy, birth, and pregnancy outcomes; contraceptive use and sexual behavior; infertility; birth spacing and timing; birth intentions; value of children; interrelationships with the status and roles of women and men, health, union formation and dissolution, and other related social, cultural, economic, behavioral, and biological processes.
• Mortality, health, functioning and disability; differentials, trends and projections for individuals, groups and populations; studies of perinatal, infants, child, adult and elderly health and mortality; interrelationships with demographic, social, economic, behavioral, and biobehavioral processes; health economics.
• Migration, emigration and immigration, including movement of people within and across national boundaries; social, cultural, economic, behavioral, and health factors and processes associated with population movement; processes related to migration [e.g., acculturation, adaptation].
• Population composition and changes in composition, such as population aging, and the interrelationships between demographic, economic and social processes;  household and family structure, economic status and inequality, health status, intergenerational exchanges and bequests, and impacts on public programs; employment, labor force and retirement; studies of interrelationships between health,  migration, fertility and family and household structure; impacts of public and private programs on health, family structure, labor force transitions and income security of the elderly.
• Population and the environment; interrelationships between population processes and the physical environment. 

Study sections with most closely related areas of similar science listed in rank order are:

Health Service s Organization and Delivery [HSOD] 
Community-Level Health Promotion [CLHP] 
Community Influences on Health Behavior [CIHB] 
Social Psychology, Personality and Interpersonal Processes [SPIP]