Sociobehavioral issues focus of new branch

Sociobehavioral issues focus of new branch

The National Human Genome Research Institute in December formed a new branch — the Social and Behavioral Research Branch (SBRB) — within its Division of Intramural Research.

The SBRB will concentrate on:

• 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.

Research groups within the SBRB will 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.