Durham, NC, May 2, 2021 – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has selected Dr. Tracy Scull, Senior Research Scientist at innovation Research & Training, for her demonstrated achievement and competence to serve as a member of the Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention (PDRP) Study Section for a four-year term, beginning this July.

The CSR is responsible for organizing the peer review groups and study sections that evaluate most of the research grant applications sent to NIH. It works to execute fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews for NIH grant applications.

“I am honored to have a chance to work with the other scientists who are current members of the PDRP Study Section to help identity the most promising research ideas across the next few years,” said Dr. Scull.

Dr. Scull is a developmental psychologist whose research expertise spans over twenty-six years. She has secured over 11 million dollars in federal funding for her research, including national grants and contracts from the National Institute of Nursing Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Dr. Scull’s specific research focus examines media influence on sexual health, relationships, and substance abuse. She has also developed and contributed to numerous media literacy education interventions aimed at promoting health from childhood through young adulthood, including the Media Detective, Media Ready, Media World, and Media Aware programs. She has published her research in esteemed peer-reviewed journals such as Pediatrics, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and Journal of Health Communication. Additionally, Dr. Scull has served previously as an ad hoc reviewer on several other study sections at the NIH CSR, including HIV/AIDS Innovative Research Applications and Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes.

Dr. Scull’s impressive research and reviewer experience will serve her well in this appointment. CSR will benefit greatly from Dr. Scull’s mature judgment and objectivity.