NIH Working Group

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The High-Risk, High-Reward Research working group is a trans-NIH team that oversees the development, administration, communication, and assessment of the program.

Chair

The chair leads the working group and has the authority to approve major activities and funding actions.

Tara A. Schwetz, Ph.D.
Director
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Common Fund Leadership Team

The Common Fund team coordinates working group activities and is responsible for day-to-day leadership and program management.

Director:

Carolyn M Hutter, PhD
Director, Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Operations & Grants Management:

David Bollweg
Business Operations and Analysis Contact
Management Analyst
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Asanté Veronica Forde
Executive Assistant
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Michael Morse
Grants Management Advisor
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Ellie Murcia, M.Ed.
Business Operations and Analysis Contact
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Program:

HRHR Program; New Innovator Award, Pioneer Award; Transformative Research Award

Patricia Labosky, PhD
Program Leader
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Early Independence Award

Becky Miller, PhD
Program Officer
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communications:

Becca Black, PhD
Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communications Contact
Health Science Policy Analyst
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Brionna Hair, PhD, MPH
Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communications Contact
Health Science Policy Analyst
Office of Strategic Coordination
Division of Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director

Scientific Review Officers

Scientific Review Officers oversee the review process and are responsible for ensuring that each application receives an objective and fair initial peer review, and that all applicable laws, regulations, and policies are followed.

Pioneer Award:

James Li, PhD
Senior Scientific Review Officer
Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies Integrated Review Group
Division of Basic and Integrative Biological Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

Transformative Research Award:

Elena Smirnova, PhD
Chief
Molecular Genetics and Genomics Review Branch
Division of Basic and Integrative Biological Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

Early Independence Award:

Brittany Mason-Mah, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Biobehavioral Processes Review Group
Division of AIDS, Behavioral and Population Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

New Innovator Award:

Sharon Isern, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Division of Physiological and Pathological Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Raul Rojas, Ph.D.
Chief
Immunology and Infectious Diseases B (IIDB) Branch
Division of Physiological and Pathological Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)

NIH Institute/Center Members

Working group members are staff from multiple NIH institutes and centers. They are the liaisons between the program and their institute or center and are tasked with formulating policies and procedures and assisting in the administration of the program. Nearly every funding NIH institute and center has a representative on the working group.

Alexey Belkin, PhD
Program Director
National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Geetha Bansal, PhD
Program Officer
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
Sangeeta Bhargava, PhD
Program Director
Collaborative Clinical Research Program
Division of Extramural Science Programs
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Eugene Carstea, PhD
Chief
Respiratory, Cardiac and Circulatory Sciences (RCCS) Review Branch
Division of Translational and Clinical Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Jennifer Collins, MR
Health Specialist
Exposure, Response, and Technology Branch
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Christine Colvis, PhD
Program Director
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Bill Duval, PhD
Deputy Director
Division of Extramural Science Programs
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Emmeline Edwards, PhD
Director, Division of Extramural Research
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Zeynep Erim, PhD
Acting Director, Division of Interdisciplinary Training
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Rene Etcheberrigaray, MD
Senior Scientific Advisor to the Director of Extramural Activities
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Nancy Freeman, PhD
Program Officer
Division of Scientific Programs
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Dana Greene-Schloesser, PhD
Health Scientist Administrator
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director (OD)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
April Harrison
Grants Management Specialist
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Gabriel Hidalgo
Deputy Director
Grants Management Branch
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Raymond Jacobson, PhD
IRG Chief
Biological Chemistry and Macromolecular Biophysics Integrated Review Group
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Sarah Leinwand, PhD
Program Officer
Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Roger Little, PhD
Deputy Division Director
Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Brett Miller, PhD
Program Director
Reading, Writing, & Related Learning Disabilities Research Program
Child Development & Behavior Branch
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
David Miller, PhD
Program Director
Division of Cancer Biology
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Imoh Okon, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences Integrated Review Group
Division of Translational and Clinical Sciences
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Mike Pazin, PhD
Program Director
Functional Genomics
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
Steven Pittenger, PhD
Program Officer
Drug Development Partnership Programs
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Diana (Dede) Rutberg, MBA
Chief Grants Management Officer
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
John Satterlee, PhD (Alternate)
Program Director
Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Carol Shreffler, PhD
Health Science Administrator
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Johanna Schneider, PhD
Director
Office of Strategic Planning, Initiative Development & Analysis
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Lillian Shum, PhD
Director, Division of Extramural Research
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Corinne M. Silva, PhD
Deputy Director & Program Director
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, & Metabolic Diseases
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Barbara C. Sorkin, PhD
Office of Dietary Supplements
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
RV Srinivas, PhD
Chief of the Extramural Project Review Branch
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Nathaniel Stinson, Jr., PhD, MD
Acting Director, Office of Scientific Programs
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Meryl Sufian, PhD
Chief Program Officer,
Division of Extramural Programs,
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
William Tyler, PhD
Program Director
Neural Environment
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Stephanie Johnson Webb, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Division of Extramural Research Activities
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Ariel C. Zane, PhD
Deputy Director
Division of Extramural Activities
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR)

High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR)