The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Reform Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-482) reaffirmed certain organizational authorities of agency officials to: (1) establish or abolish national research institutes; (2) reorganize the offices within the Office of the Director, NIH, including adding, removing, or transferring the functions of such offices or establishing or terminating such offices; and (3) reorganize divisions, centers, or other administrative units within an NIH national research institute or national center including adding, removing, or transferring the functions of such units, or establishing or terminating such units. The Reform Act also established the Scientific Management Review Board (hereinafter, SMRB or Board) to advise the NIH Director and other appropriate agency officials on the use of these organizational authorities and identify the reasons underlying the recommendations.
This report distills the deliberations of the Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction (SUAA) Working Group, a subcommittee of the SMRB, and provides recommendations in response to the question of whether organizational change within NIH could further optimize research into substance use, abuse, and addiction and thereby improve the health and well-being of individuals affected by this significant problem in public health.
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