Simoni Named Associate Director for Behavioral, Social Sciences Research
Dr. Jane M. Simoni was appointed as NIH associate director for behavioral and social sciences research and director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). She begins her new position on July 30.
A clinical psychologist, Simoni joins NIH from the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle where she was professor and director of clinical training in the department of psychology. She had served on the faculty since 2001, was founding director of UW’s Behavioral Research Center for HIV and co-directed the UW/Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research.
Simoni earned her B.A. at Princeton and her Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Southern California and Columbia University. A fellow in four divisions of the American Psychological Association, she has been a frequent grant reviewer and chair for NIH study sections.
Simoni brings more than 25 years of experience in research focused on health disparities and resilience among populations that have been socially marginalized, including persons with HIV and other chronic illnesses, Latinx, LGBT and Indigenous peoples.
Her intervention research has examined behavioral aspects of chronic illness, using mixed methods and clinical trials to evaluate strategies such as peer support, medical record alerts, provider training and counseling and mHealth to promote treatment engagement and health outcomes.
Simoni has led more than two dozen research projects, including NIH-funded studies in New York City, Seattle, the U.S.-Mexico border, Beijing, Shanghai, Haiti and Kenya. She has authored more than 300 publications.
Simoni trains a diverse and interdisciplinary group of students and early-career investigators. She has been a mentor on more than 50 training awards, including as a sponsor for individual trainees and as part of the leadership or mentoring faculty for NIH-funded research education programs.