Integrative Physiology and Organ Systems Research and the 
Reorganization of Study Sections at CSR

As originally published in The Physiologist
Volume 45, Number 6, December 2002, page 489

Ellie Ehrenfled, Don Schneider, Michael R. Martin, Elliot Postow, Anita Sostek-Miller 
Center for Scientific Review, NIH, Bethesda, MD

Designing New Study Sections
    The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is in the second phase of its reorganization activities in accord with recommendations of its Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review (PSBR). During this second phase, CSR organizes Steering Committees composed of staff from CSR and the appropriate NIH Institutes to solicit nominations of scientists from relevant communities and professional societies to participate on Study Section Boundaries (SSB) Teams. Each SSB Team recommends guidelines for the study sections within one of the Integrated Review Groups (IRGs) proposed in the PSBR report.

Integrative Physiology and Organ Systems Research
    One of the hallmark conclusions of the PSBR report was that it “assigned high priority to the goal of reviewing applications that apply to a given disease/organ system in the context of the biological question being addressed because we believe that such a system results in the greatest net benefit.” This priority is reflected in the PSBR recommendation that CSR create four new organ system IRGs: Pulmonary Sciences; Renal and Urological Sciences; Digestive Sciences; and Hematology. Four additional IRGs based on existing organ-centered IRGs were proposed: Cardiovascular Sciences; Immunology; Endocrinology, Metabolism, Nutrition and Reproductive Sciences; and Musculoskeletal, Oral and Skin Sciences. The three neurosciences IRGs will also continue in their current form. Therefore, once the reorganization is complete, 11 of CSR’s IRGs will have an organ-system orientation. 
    All the SSB Teams acknowledged the value of recognizing and clustering whole animal and human integrative physiology within specific study sections. Two examples of study sections proposed with this in mind are the Pregnancy, Neonatology and Lactation Study Section and the Skeletal Muscle and Exercise Physiology Study Section. Parallel examples occur in other proposed IRGs as well, including the Clinical and Integrative Cardiovascular Sciences Study Section within the Cardiovascular Sciences IRG, and the Pathobiology of Kidney Diseases Study Section within the Renal and Urological Sciences IRG. These are but some examples of the increased emphasis on organ system physiology and the importance of integrative physiology in peer review at CSR in the reorganization. 
    At the same time, the SSB Teams recognized that some fields of integrative physiology research cut across multiple organ systems and, because of their relatively small numbers, would be best served by being clustered in a single IRG or study section. Sometimes this approach is reflected in the name of a new IRG, such as Biology of Development and Aging, which includes the Aging Systems and Geriatrics Study Section. This proposed study section will review applications involving aging humans or animals, particularly research on post-maturational changes, which transcend single organ systems or disciplines and which may require integrated experimental, genetic or observational approaches. Other times, clustering of cross-cutting fields occurs in a study section with a seemingly unrelated name, such as the Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action Study Section within the proposed Digestive Sciences IRG. This proposed study section will review applications related to the disposition of nutrients and non-nutrient chemicals, including xenobiotics such as pro-drugs and drugs, biopharmaceutical agents, alcohol, phytochemicals/ botanicals and toxic substances. Its scope may well extend beyond the digestive system. 

Opportunity for Public Comment
    Between February 2001 and November 2002, CSR convened 15 of the planned 17 SSB Team meetings. The guidelines proposed by each SSB Team are posted on CSR’s Web site (http://www.csr.nih.gov/PSBRI/IRGComments.htm) for a period of 90 days to allow comment by the scientific community.

Resolution of Shared Interests
    NIH staff will consider the proposed study section guidelines and the comments received from the research communities. CSR will consult with experts as necessary to clarify instances where different study sections and IRGs have shared interests and make other modifications to the proposed guidelines. The Director of CSR, following presentations and discussions by the CSR Advisory Committee, will approve the final form and substance of each study section’s guidelines. The process developed by CSR to implement these recommendations is deliberately cautious and iterative in order to achieve substantial community involvement and the best possible review committees.
    In May 2002, the CSR Advisory Committee recommended adoption of the Hematology SSB Team’s study section guidelines and implementation of the new Hematology IRG. This was followed in September by presentation of the proposed Biology of Development and Aging IRG, Oncological Sciences IRG, and Musculoskeletal, Oral and Skin Sciences IRG. The CSR Advisory Committee recommended that the study sections for these IRGs also be adopted with the notable addition of a study section on Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences.

Additional Year of Advance Notice
    New study sections will begin meeting no sooner than one year after the CSR Director approves them to ensure that applicants are fully aware of the nature of the study sections before they submit their applications, and to complete logistical arrangements. For example, CSR is in the process of establishing rosters for the reorganized Hematology study sections, and we expect to post the rosters, along with the finalized guidelines, on our Web site by December 2002. The first meetings of the new Hematology IRG study sections will occur in June 2003 (receipt date February/March 2003). 
    If you would like additional news and information about CSR’s PSBR reorganization, visit the CSR Reorganization Activities web page at http://www.csr.nih.gov/review/reorgact.asp. 

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