The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has announced the formation of a new Social and Behavioral Research Branch (SBRB) within its Division of Intramural Research.

The new branch hopes to develop cutting-edge approaches to translating the discoveries from the recently completed Human Genome Project into interventions for health promotion and disease prevention and for counseling patients and families dealing with the impact of genetic disorders.

The SBRB also will investigate the complex social, ethical, and public policy impact of genomic research.

“We have long recognized the importance of social and behavioral research as it pertains to advances in genetics and genomics,” said Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D., scientific director at NHGRI and director of the division of intramural research. “Now that we are about to embark on translating the information from the Human Genome Project into research on better ways to prevent and manage human illnesses, the time is appropriate for this important area to have its own dedicated branch.”

Leading the new branch will be behavioral epidemiologist Colleen McBride, Ph.D. As director of the Cancer Prevention, Detection, and Control Research Program at Duke University, McBride focused on developing and evaluating population-based interventions directed at smoking cessation and identifying “teachable moments” for changing behaviors that put people at increased risk for developing disease.

“This is an exciting time for social and behavioral researchers who in the coming years will be responsible for translating discoveries from genome research into medical care and public health interventions,” said McBride. “Research programs like SBRB will have unprecedented opportunities to do truly innovative research.”

The SBRB’s research portfolio will encompass four conceptual domains:

• Testing communications strategies aimed at relaying an individual’s risk for developing a genetic condition.

• Developing and evaluating interventions aimed at reducing genetically susceptible individuals’ risk of acquiring a disease.

• Translating genomic discoveries to clinical practice.

• Understanding the social, ethical, and policy implications of genomic research.

There will be a number of research groups within the SBRB. They include a behavioral genetics unit; a health communications unit; a genetic counseling service unit; a health promotion research section that includes a unit for disseminating counseling research methods; a community genetics research unit; and an ethics and social policy unit that includes research ethics.

In addition, there will be several cross-cutting themes addressed by researchers in the new branch, including the implications of genomic discoveries and research for health disparities, the ethical and legal implications, and strategies for information dissemination to medical and other communities.

More information about the SBRB is posted online at www.genome.gov/11508936. ▪