As a behavioral scientist (health psychologist) who has had funding from NIH for 25 years, I find many reports appearing in The Scientist to be of interest. I found the ‘piece “Project 2061: A Place To Start Educating The Public” (Aug. 7, 1989, page 1 1) especially interesting. Having served on two NIH multi-disciplinary study sections, as an ad hoc member of a number of other NIH review committees, and on intrauniversity review committees at two universities, I can declare that science is primarily a way of looking at and dealing with the world.
However, on page 3 of the same issue as the one featuring the article on Project 2061 is a piece titled, “Patient Services Vie For Bigger Share Of AIDS Funds,” in which behavioral research is coupled with patient services, with the complaint being that these activities may take money away from “real” science. In fact, behavioral ...
