CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of all 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.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Meetings
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Evaluation Initiatives
Access data visualizations, reports, and analytical tools to track progress.
Dr. Maria DeBernardi is an Assistant Director in the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).
Prior to this position, she served as Scientific Review Officer in the Interdisciplinary Molecular Sciences and Training review group for seven years. Her primary…
Dr. Abigail Haydon received her PhD and MPH in maternal and child health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with concentrations in demography and developmental science. After leaving UNC, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NICHD through the AAAS Science and Technology…
Dr. Atul Sahai. received a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Howard University. He was an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, before joining the NIH. The major focus of his research involved delineating the role of chronic local hypoxia in renal/…
Dr. Sara Hargrave received her Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience from Purdue University, studying the neurobiology of feeding behavior and the impact of diet on blood-brain barrier integrity. She received post-doctoral training at American University, where she studied the effects of diet and drug…
Dr. Shinako Takada received her Ph.D. in basic medical science from the University of Tokyo in Japan, where she studied mechanisms of hepatitis B virus-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. Her post-doctoral research in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley…
Dr. Neerja Kaushik-Basu received her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Bombay University. Her postdoctoral training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Canada focused on structure-function…
Dr. Kirk Dineley received his Ph.D. and post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, where his research focused on the role of metals in neurodegeneration. He subsequently served in faculty and administrative positions at several…
Dr. Zack Howard received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of South Carolina. Her research there focused on the molecular and structural chemistry of complement component eight. Before coming to the NIH, Dr. Howard conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson…
Dr. Pat Manos earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wayne State University, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside. She completed her post-doctoral work in neurochemistry at UCLA focused on brain energy metabolism in the developing brain. Prior to joining…
Dr. Rhoda Moise earned a Ph.D. in prevention science and community health from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a T32 postdoctoral fellowship at Temple University’s NCI-designated Fox Chase Cancer Center. She later served as faculty at the University of Miami in the Department…
Mr. Lamont Williams is an Associate Director within the Office of Communications and Outreach at CSR. He has more than 25 years of experience leading and managing communications, publishing activities, media relations, and promotional efforts for a variety of organizations in the biomedical field.…
Dr. Alexander Yakovlev obtained his Ph.D. degree in neuroscience from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. Prior to coming to NIH, Dr. Yakovlev was an associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical Center. At Georgetown he served as a member of the Center…
Dr. Todd E. White earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Florida and completed his postdoctoral training at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM). Prior to joining the NIH, he was a research biologist at the Atlanta VA Health Care System and an assistant professor at MSM. Dr. White's…
Dr. Jessica Bellinger received her Ph.D. in health services policy and management from the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health. Before joining NIH, she was a social scientist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where she directed projects examining…
Why is the NIH definition of a clinical trial so broad?
What is the difference between clinical research and a clinical trial?
Does the primary outcome of a study need to be a health-related outcome in order for a study to be considered a clinical trial?
Why is the NIH definition of a…
Dr. David Ransom received his Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from the University of Virginia. He then obtained postdoctoral training in genetics at Harvard University. Dr. Ransom next took a faculty position in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Oregon Health and…
Dr. Eileen Moore received a M.S. in psychology and a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience from Binghamton University, State University of New York. During this time, she also obtained training in addiction neuroscience at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis. She next completed…
Dr. Nakia Brown received her Ph.D. in biopsychology from the University of Michigan. Her professional background includes experience in organizational and program evaluation within the public and private sectors. She has supported several NIH trans-agency initiatives focused on advancing community-…
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…
Dr. Elia Ortenberg serves as Chief of the Social and Community Influences Across the Lifecourse Review Branch (SCIL RB).Dr. Elia Kwee Ortenberg (formerly: Femia) received her Ph.D. in human development and family studies from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. Before coming to…
Dr. Seyhan Boyoglu-Barnum earned her Ph.D. from Alabama State University and completed postdoctoral training at Emory University, specializing in RSV vaccine development. Dr. Boyoglu-Barnum contributed to the MERS outbreak response at the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases and joined the NIH Vaccine…
Dr. Zheng Li received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Fudan University in China and had her postdoctoral training in radiochemistry at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH. She then took a faculty position at Houston Methodist Hospital, where she built the…
Dr. Louis Rosenthal received his Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on retrovirus-induced leukemogenesis and tumor immunology. After obtaining postdoctoral training in parasite immunology and cytokine signaling at Temple University and the Food and Drug…
Suzan Nadi received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Indiana University in Indianapolis, where she worked on the identification of neurotransmitters in cerebellar neurons. In her postdoctoral training at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology in Nutley, NJ, she focused her research on the…
Using the ECR Application and Vetting System (EAVS) you can enroll or update your information. ECRs remain in the program until they no longer meet the criteria. For example, if you have been accepted into the program but receive an R01, you will be removed from our database of ECRs even if you…