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. Maria Cardenas-Corona joined CSR following her retirement as a research professor emeritus of molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke University School of Medicine. During her academic career, her studies focused on the elucidation of the mechanism of action of the anti-cancer,…
Dr. Maria Chiara Monaco received her Ph.D. in Toxicology at the University of Bologna in Italy, where she studied the role of HIV in human tonsillar stromal cells and the function of natural killer (NK) cells in aging. She then became a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Neurological…
Dr. Brian Chadwick received his Ph.D. in human genetics from Imperial Cancer Research Fund and University College London, he then trained in molecular neurogenetics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital before continuing his training in epigenetics and human X chromosome…
Dr. Brian Scott joined CSR in 2016 as a Divisional SRO in the Division of Neuroscience, Development and Aging (DNDA) and is currently an SRO in the Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience review branch where he oversees the Auditory System study section. Dr. Scott’s experience reviewing a broad…
Dr. Brittany Mason-Mah received her Ph.D. in psychiatry from King’s College London, working in both the Institute of Psychiatry and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, with an emphasis on physiology and blood-brain barrier regulation. She then completed postdoctoral training in preclinical and…
Dr. Bruce Reed is CSR’s Deputy Director. In close collaboration with the Director he works to optimize peer review at the NIH through implementation of CSRs strategic plan. He has led multiple special efforts to develop new review practices and policies. He plays a major role with respect to…
After obtaining a D.V.M. degree from the University of Agriculture, Dr. Shah received a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from Boston University, where his research focused on the neurotransmitter expression in the embryonic neurons. Dr. Shah conducted postdoctoral studies on the regulation…
Dr. Byung Min (Justin) Chung received his Ph.D. degree in cancer research from Northwestern University, where he studied kinase signaling pathways in non-small cell lung cancer. He then moved on to Johns Hopkins School of Public Health for his postdoctoral training, elucidating non-mechanical…
Dr. Tang-Toth received her Ph.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University and did her postdoctoral training as an IRTA fellow within the Cell Biology and Metabolism Program at the NIH National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Prior to joining CSR, Dr. Tang-Toth was an associate…
Dr. Perez-Torres earned his Ph.D. in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine and followed that up with postdoctoral training in the Department of Radiology at Washington University in Saint Louis. Dr. Perez-Torres then took a faculty position in the School of…
Dr. Carmen Bertoni received her Ph.D. from the University of Perugia, Italy. Her postdoctoral work at Stanford University was centered on optimizing gene therapy strategies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). She then joined the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as an assistant…
Dr. Chee Lim serves as Chief of the Musculoskeletal, Skin, and Oral Sciences Review Branch (MSOS RB).
Dr. Chee Chew Lim received his Ph.D. in physiology and then did his postdoctoral training in age-associated diastolic dysfunction at Boston University School of Medicine. Before joining the NIH,…
Dr. Christine DiDonato received her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University. She did two postdoctoral training periods in Canada. First at Hospital Ste. Justine Research Center in Montréal, Québec, and then at Ottawa Health Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario where she gained…
Dr. Christopher Payne received his Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology at the Oregon Health and Science University, where he studied the mechanisms regulating cytoskeletal and membrane dynamics during mammalian fertilization. Following postdoctoral training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer…
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…