The Development of the Prevention Research Expertise Survey and Tool

Introduction: The Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) is the lead Office at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) responsible for assessing, facilitating, and stimulating research in disease prevention and health promotion, and disseminating the results of this research to improve public health.  One of our strategies is to help NIH Scientific Review Officers (SROs) identify experts in prevention science methods to include on their review panels.  To identify experts in prevention science methods, we developed the NIH ODP Prevention Research Expertise Survey (PRES) program.  The PRES program was developed to (1) identify methodologists with expertise in content areas related to prevention science, (2) identify mid- and senior- level researchers who may have an interest in serving on review panels, and (3) enrich the existing pool of NIH reviewers by including researchers with methodological and prevention science expertise on review panels that review prevention applications.  

Methods: To identify experts in prevention science methods, we worked with a support contractor to develop online software which will allow us to collect researchers’ names, contact information, and resumes, as well as to have those researchers identify their level of expertise in a variety of prevention science methods and content areas.  The survey data collected with this software will be used to support a web-based Electronic Directory, the PRES tool, that SROs can use to identify researchers with expertise in specific prevention science methods and content areas for invitation to serve on one of the NIH review panels.

Results: During two pilots of the survey, conducted in cooperation with the Society for Prevention Research and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, we refined the survey content and structure.  During a pilot program of the PRES survey and tool with NIH Scientific Review Officers that roster review panels on a variety of disease prevention topics, we have gained significant insight on usability of the tool and possible improvements to the survey.   

Conclusions: The PRES survey and tool will add expertise in prevention science methods and content areas to NIH review panels that review prevention applications, and thus improve the quality of NIH funded prevention research.  If the initial rollout with NIH Center for Scientific Review is successful, this system will be shared with review staff in the other Institutes and Centers at NIH, as well as other Department of Health and Human Services agencies, to use in a similar way.