CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of ~ 75% of the grant applications that NIH receives. NIH separates the review process from funding decisions.
For Reviewers
Reviewers are critical to our mission to see that NIH grant applications receive, fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews. We appreciate the generosity with which reviewers give their time.
News & Policy
The latest news and policy updates from CSR. Read about our outreach programs and publications.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Group, SRG). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Panels & Dates
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Group, SRG). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Dr. Cristina Bäckman received her early education in Sweden, Linköping university. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience form the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Before joining CSR, she was an intramural researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Her laboratory…
Dr. Cynthia McOliver obtained her Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center. She holds a Ph.D. in environmental health sciences and a risk sciences and public policy certificate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has…
Dr. Balasundaram has previously served as the SRO for the Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Structure/Function and Dynamics Study Section (NCSD), and the Intercellular Interactions Study Section (ICI). In addition to his SRO duties, he serves as a Referral Officer in CSR’s Division of Receipt and Referral.…
Dr. David Filpula received his Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Minnesota and completed postdoctoral training in protein chemistry and molecular genetics at Stanford University and the University of California, San Diego. Subsequently, he served for nearly three decades as a research…
Dr. David E. Pollio received his Ph.D. in social work and psychology from the University of Michigan. He came to CSR after serving as a distinguished professor, chairing the department of social work at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to that he was the Hill Crest Foundation Endowed…
After receiving a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, Dr. James served for 11 years at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), where she began as a grants administrator for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in the Division of Food Safety and Nutrition. Her later years at USDA were…
Dr. Daya Jirage earned her Ph. D in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She then pursued post-doctoral research in infectious diseases at the Walter Reed Army of Research. Her research included work on cell cycle regulation in Plasmodium and on process…
Dr. DeAnna Bublitz received her Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular genetics from Stony Brook University. She then trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIAID/NIH) studying intracellular pathogens. Later as a staff scientist at the University of Montana she studied…
Dr. Debasmita (Deb) Patra is an interdisciplinary social scientist and received a Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Hyderabad, India. She did her postdoctoral training at the Cornell Nanoscale Facility. Her research and teaching broadly looked at the impact of science and technology on society…
Dr. Olufokunbi Sam is the Director of the Division of Neuroscience, Development, and Aging (DNDA). Prior to this position, she served in multiple leadership positions at CSR, including serving as the CSR Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI) Coordinator, CSR SRO Training Workshop…
Dr. Pantazatos received his Ph.D in biomedical sciences from the University of California San Diego, California. During his T32 fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Pantazatos investigated conformational dynamics of protein membrane interactions using Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange Mass…
Dr. Devaiah Ballachanda earned his Master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, and his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Purdue University. He was a researcher in the intramural program of the National Cancer Institute for over 15 years. Dr. Ballachanda’s…
Dr. Bhattacharyya is the director of the Division of Planning, Analysis, and Information Management (DPAIM), which comprises three branches: Information Technology Services and Solutions Branch (ITSS); Analysis, Informatics, and Automation Branch (AIA); and the Strategic Planning and Implementation…