NIH OBSSR

OBSSR was created by Congress in 1993, in recognition of the importance of behavioral and social sciences to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) mission. Over more than two decades, the OBSSR has been instrumental in advancing and coordinating the behavioral and social sciences at the NIH. The NIH already had a long history of supporting health-related behavioral and social sciences research, and the results of this work have contributed significantly to our understanding of the basic underlying mechanisms and treatment of mental and physical health and illness. Establishing an office focused specifically on the behavioral and social contributions to mental and physical well-being enables the NIH to leverage existing efforts and develop synergy across multiple Institutes, Centers, and scientific disciplines.