Selection of Dr. William T. Riley as the Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH

Dear Colleagues:

It gives me great pleasure to announce the selection of William T. Riley, Ph.D., as the next Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). He has served as Acting Director of the OBSSR since May, 2014.

Dr. Riley first came to the NIH in 2005, where he served as Deputy Director of the Division of AIDS and Health & Behavior Research at the National Institute of Mental Health.  In 2009, he joined the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as Program Director of the Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences.  He moved to the National Cancer Institute in 2012, where he was Chief of NCI’s Science of Research and Technology Branch in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences.  Prior to his employment at the NIH, Bill worked in the private sector as Director of Research at PICS, Inc., and taught at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Georgia.

A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Riley's research interests include behavioral assessment, psychosocial health risk factors, tobacco use/cessation, and the application of technology to preventive health behaviors and chronic disease management. His research has included the use of mobile phones and other mobile computer devices to assess and intervene on tobacco use, dietary intake, physical activity, sleep, and medication adherence. He also is interested in the application of engineering and computer science methodologies to the behavioral sciences.

Please join me in offering Dr. Riley your full support as he becomes a permanent part of our leadership team.

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.