CSDE-eNews Bulletin

February 12, 2008

Archive
Submit News

CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR: Seik Kim -- Wage Mobility Among Foreign Born Workers in the U.S.
CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS: CSDE discussion on using weights in analysis; The CSDE Website now lists employment, funding and other opportunities
CSDE AFFILIATE & FELLOW NEWS: Donna Leonetti and Jane Shofer -- NIH funded study of mortality in Japanese Americans
CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST: Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Thomas Lumley; Environmental Anthropology Forum -- Raúl García; IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling (IPEM) -- Hal Whitehead
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: RWJF Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research; Population Reference Bureau Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications
CALLS FOR PAPERS: 13th Northwest Council on Family Relations Conference -- Families on the Edge
TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Research Manager Positions -- Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service; Health Scientist Administrator -- National Institute of Aging, Behavioral and Research Program; Open rank Medical Sociology Professor -- University of New Mexico; Doctoral stipends -- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST: Population Reference Bureau's Discuss Online -- Finding Ways to Improve Child Health; The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation -- James Kublin; The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation -- Jaime Sepulveda; Mathematical Modeling Seminar -- Christopher J.L. Murray; NIH Announcements -- Form Updates; Webcast on Population and Climate Change: Relationships, Research, and Responses; World Bank Publications Announcement

Submit News

CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR

Seik Kim -- Wage Mobility Among Foreign Born Workers in the U.S.

Friday, February 15
12:30 - 2:00 PM
Parrington Hall Commons

CSDE Seminar Schedule

CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS

CSDE discussion on using weights in analysis

The CSDE Statistics Core hosts its first "tea", an afternoon meeting comprised of a short presentation and then discussion on the applied use of weights for analysis. Light refreshments will be provided.

Facilitated discussion on using weights in analysis

Wednesday, February 20
3:30 PM
Raitt Room 221

This will last about an hour, but we've got the room reserved for more time should the discussion run over. Please come thirsty for tea, and bring your insights and your questions.

The CSDE Website now lists employment, funding and other opportunities

We have changed News to Announcements on the CSDE website main menu bar and added information on current employment, training, and funding opportunities, as well as conference announcements and calls for papers. These opportunities and announcements are initially posted in eNews, and then added to the pertinent announcements listing on the website. Each announcement will remain on the website through its deadline date.

CSDE AFFILIATE & FELLOW NEWS

Donna Leonetti and Jane Shofer -- NIH funded study of mortality in Japanese Americans

NIH has awarded a two-year grant to a team of UW researchers to study mortality in Japanese Americans. Among the investigators are Marguerite McNeely, Assistant Professor General Internal Medicine, grant PI, Donna Leonetti, Associate Professor of Anthropology and CSDE Affiliate, grant co-investigator, and Jane Shofer CSDE Biostatistician, grant biostatistician. The study will use longitudinal data that were collected for Japanese Americans Community Diabetes Study to determine whether excess body fat inside the abdomen (visceral fat) contributes to the risk of death. It will examine whether the risk of death is higher in people who have more visceral fat even after accounting for obesity based on height and weight. The study will also improve our understanding of the health risks for Asian Americans.

CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST

Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Thomas Lumley

Thomas Lumley, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington
"Calibration estimators and semiparametric models"

Wednesday, February 13
12:30 - 1:20 PM
Denny 401

Environmental Anthropology Forum -- Raúl García

Raúl García
"Help Wanted: Farming, migration, and labor in San Luis, Colorado

Wednesday, February 13
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Denny Hall 401

IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling (IPEM) -- Hal Whitehead

Hal Whitehead (Dalhousie U, Biology)
"The rise and fall of cultures: Environmental variation, the evolution of cultural capacity, cultural conformism and societal collapse"

Thursday, February 14
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Denny Hall 401

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

RWJF Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research

The RWJF 2008 Call for Applications was recently released. The Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is designed to support scholars from a range of fields who have broad projects that can enhance policy to improve health or health care in the U.S. Unlike most NIH or NSF funding opportunities, the program, which provides grants of up to $335,000, is not intended to support a discrete research project but rather to allow a scholar to devote considerable time to a project of greater scope than the usual RO1 grant. The program also offers an unusual opportunity to meet, interact, and often collaborate with outstanding scholars in fields including medicine, economics, political science, sociology, law, epidemiology, history, public health, and journalism among others.

The Call for Applications is posted on our website at www.investigatorawards.org. The next deadline for receipt of 4-page letters of intent is March 26, 2008.

We are always on the lookout for highly-qualified researchers with broad, innovative, policy-relevant projects that promise to contribute to improving health and health care policy. Please also let your colleagues who have relevant projects know about the Investigator Awards program. For additional information, feel free to contact me at 732-932-3816 or by email at Lrogut@ifh.rutgers.edu.

Lynn Rogut
Deputy Director
RWJF Investigator Awards in Health Policy Research
55 Commercial Ave., Third Floor
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Phone: 732-932-3816
Fax: 732-932-3819
Email: Lrogut@ifh.rutgers.edu
www.investigatorawards.org

Population Reference Bureau Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications

The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is now accepting applications for its 2008-–2009 Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications. The Program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It is open to individuals from developing countries that are doctoral-level students between their 3rd and 5th year of studies, currently enrolled in academic institutions in the United States or Canada. Developing-country applicants may be in any field of study but their area of interest must be in family planning and/or reproductive health (FP/RH), including contraceptive use/behavior, population growth, adolescent reproductive health, poverty and health equity, and gender issues.

The goals of the Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications are:

to understand the process by which research informs the policy environment; and

to learn various ways to communicate findings to policy audiences.

The program has three parts:
Washington Workshop: June 16 to 27, 2008
Research Project: During the 2008–-2009 academic year
PAA Workshop: Held prior to the 2009 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting

PRB covers travel, lodging, and per diem expenses for each Fellow to attend the Washington workshop and the PAA. PRB pays for the PAA registration for each Fellow and awards stipends of $2,000 to cover Fellows’ research expenses.

Application Deadline has been extended to March 7, 2008.

For more information and details on how to apply, visit www.prb.org and click on "Events & Training."

CALLS FOR PAPERS

13th Northwest Council on Family Relations Conference -- "Families on the Edge"

Call for Proposals
Proposals on teaching and research with families who are at risk are being sought. While proposals of any teaching or research related topics will be considered, proposals focusing on the theme of “families on the edge” are especially sought.

June 19th-20h 2008
McMenamin’s Edgefield Manor in Portland, Oregon

Conference sessions are generally interactive in nature. Proposals will be blind peer reviewed on the basis of clarity, relevance, and evidence of participant involvement. Session length and type will be determined by the proposals received.

To submit a proposal, please provide the following information:

Presentation Title:

Name, Title, and University affiliation of presenter(s):

Primary Contact Person:

Email Address:

Phone:

Fax:

Description: (500 words or less):

Equipment needed: (LCD projector, Overhead Projector, Flip Chart)

Submit proposals by April 1, 2008 to Jane Lanigan- Conference Co-Chair jlanigan@vancouver.wsu.edu

Please type NWCFR 2008 Proposal" in the subject line.

Each proposal is subject to a peer-review process and evaluated on:

Clarity and coherence of the abstract

Extent to which the project is research-based

Relevance of the project to other family development and FCS specialists

Presenters will be notified of the selection outcomes via email by April 18, 2008.

Call for Reviewers
Please consider serving as a reviewer for the NWCFR conference. Reviewers will receive 2-3 proposals to review via email on April 2, 2008 and need to submit recommendations by April 17, 2008. This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in your local affiliate. To volunteer, please contact Yoshie Sano, Conference Co-Chair at yoshie_sano@vancouver.wsu.edu. National Councel on Family Relations website: http://www.ncfr.org/

TRAINING & EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Research Manager Positions -- Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service

In response to the growing complexity of public policy issues facing the nation, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, will be strengthening its section research management structure by elevating critical leadership positions to permanent line management staff. As a result CRS will hire 30 Section Research Managers who will contribute to a new direction in research management for the lead public policy support agency for the United State Congress. There will be two hiring cycles to support this critical recruitment initiative. Vacancy announcements for the first hiring cycle have closed. There are a total of 16 Section Research Manager Positions available in the second hiring cycle, including three in the Domestic Social Policy Division (DSP). To learn more about CRS and other research manager positions open during the first hiring cycle, please go to http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo. The following vacancies are available within DSP:

Health Insurance and Financing: The Health Insurance and Financing Section covers programs and policies related to health care financing and insurance such as insurance coverage, health care costs, quality of care, health system reform, and the major publicly financed health programs - Medicare, Medicaid and SCIP. Applications must be received by March 6, 2008. Please refer to vacancy #070360 in all correspondence.

Children and Families: The Children and Families Section covers issues related to programs and policies for children, families, and low income individuals such as cash welfare and social services, child welfare, child care, housing and homelessness, and food assistance. Applications must be received by March 6, 2008. Please refer to vacancy #070361 in all correspondence.

Health Services and Research: Issues covered by the section include issues related to such policies and programs as medical research, public health, behavioral health care, chronic care, health care costs, and long-term care and health services for the elderly. Applications must be received by March 6, 2008. Please refer to vacancy #070359 in all correspondence.

Interested applicants must apply online (preferred) at http://www.loc.gov/crsinfo or call (202) 707-5627 to request an applicant job kit. Applications for all 16 positions in the first hiring cycle must be received by March 6, 2008. All positions are offered at the GS-15 level ($115,317 -$149,000). Please refer to the appropriate vacancy number in all correspondence. CRS is the public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress and is fully committed to workforce diversity.

Health Scientist Administrator -- National Institute of Aging, Behavioral and Research Program

The Behavioral and Research Program at NIA has one open position for a Health Scientist Administrator (also known as Program Officer) and we are looking for either a Social Demographer or a Social Epidemiologist to lead grant and contract portfolios in these areas. The salary range is $82,961 to $127,442. I have attached brief descriptions of the job openings, including instructions on how to apply. Also the links to the formal vacancy announcements are at (for Social Demographer) NIA-08-244979-DE Demography Ad and (for Social Epidemiologist) NIA-08-244988-DE Epidemiology Ad.

Applications are due by March 21, 2008.

Open rank Medical Sociology Professor -- University of New Mexico

The Department of Sociology in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico (UNM) invites applications for an open rank (Assistant, Associate or Full Professor) faculty appointment in Sociology beginning Fall 2008. Tenure status is subject to negotiation depending on qualification.

Minimum qualification is a doctoral degree in sociology, demography, social epidemiology, public health, or a closely related field, to be awarded by August 15, 2008.

For best consideration, all application materials should be received by March 1, 2008. The position will remain open until filled.

For full details, click here.

Doctoral stipends -- Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research seeks to recruit 6 PhD students and 2 Post-docs for the Laboratory of Population and Policy. The aim of the laboratory is to study the interrelationship between demographic change and public policy and to establish a database containing data on population and policy. Fluency in English is essential.

For more information, please contact Dr. Gerda Neyer or download the full announcement

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

Population Reference Bureau's Discuss Online -- Finding Ways to Improve Child Health

Take part in the Population Reference Bureau’s upcoming Discuss Online:

Nils Daulaire, president and CEO, Global Health Council
"Finding Ways to Improve Child Health"

Wednesday, February 13
1:00 - 2:00 PM (EST)
http://discuss.prb.org

You may submit questions in advance and during the discussion. A full transcript of the questions and answers will be posted after the discussion.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation -- James Kublin

James Kublin, Clinical Associate Professor, Health Services, University of Washington
"Collaborative Research and Knowledge Management using Today's Technologies"

Thursday, February 14
10:00 - 11:00 AM
2301 5th Ave. Suite 600

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation -- Jaime Sepulveda

Jaime Sepulveda, Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Integrated Health Solutions Development Program
"Health and Nutrition Surveys in Mexico"

Thursday, February 14
4:00 - 5:30 PM
2301 5th Ave. Suite 600

Mathematical Modeling Seminar -- Christopher J.L. Murray

Christopher J.L. Murray, Institute Director, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington
"Country trends and forecasts of under-5 mortality"

Sponsored by CSDE, University of Washington, and VIDI/FHCRC

Friday February 15
3:00 PM
Owl Conference Room, SCHARP, 4th floor, 1616 Eastlake Ave E

Questions? Contact Ruanne Barnabas

NIH Announcements -- Form Updates

Revised PHS 398 (DHHS Public Health Service Grant Application) Now Available (NOT-OD-08-028)
National Institutes of Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-028.html

Revised PHS 2271, PHS 3734, and HHS 568 Forms Now Available (NOT-OD-08-029)
National Institutes of Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-029.html

Revised PHS 2590 (DHHS Public Health Service Noncompeting Continuation Progress Report) Now Available (NOT-OD-08-030)
National Institutes of Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-030.html

Appendices to Paper PHS 398 (DHHS Public Health Service Grant Application) to be Submitted on CD (NOT-OD-08-031)
National Institutes of Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-031.html

Webcast on Population and Climate Change: Relationships, Research, and Responses

Please join the Environmental Change and Security Program for a discussion of Population and Climate Change: Relationships, Research, and Responses

Featuring Brian O'Neill, Scientist, Institute for the Study of Society and Environment, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); Director, Population and Climate Change (PCC) Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

Joseph Speidel, Adjunct Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Director for Communication, Development and External Relations, Center for Reproductive Health, Research and Policy, UCSF.

This event marks the launch of ECSP's new year-long meeting series "PHE:
Building the Foundation for the Next 10 Years", which will take a long-range, systematic look at population-health-environment (PHE) issues, case-studies, research, and the future of the field.

Wednesday, February 20
12:00 - 2:00 PM
5th Floor Conference Room, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

If you are interested, but unable to attend the event, please tune into the live or archived webcast at www.wilsoncenter.org. The webcast will begin approximately 10 minutes after the posted meeting time. You will need Windows Media Player to watch the webcast. To download the free player, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download.

World Bank Publications Announcement

Public Finance in China: Reform and Growth for a Harmonious Society
Edited by Jiwei Lou and Shuilin Wang
This book brings together analysis and insights from high-level Chinese policy-makers and prominent international scholars in addressing the key challenges China is facing in maintaining rapid growth and achieving the Government's stated goal of creating a harmonious society. It analyzes such key policy issues as: public finance and the changing role of the state; fiscal reform and revenue and expenditure assignments; inter-governmental relations and fiscal transfers; and financing and delivery of basic public goods such as compulsory education, innovation, public health, and social protection.
January 2008. 400 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8213-6927-2

Remittances and Development: Lessons from Latin America
Edited by Pablo Fajnzylber and J. Humberto Lopez
Workers' remittances have become a major source of financing for developing countries and are especially important in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which is at the top of the ranking of remittances receiving regions in the world. While there has been a recent surge in analytical work on the topic, this book is motivated by the large heterogeneity in migration and remittances patterns across countries and regions, and by the fact that existing evidence for LAC is restricted to only a few countries, such as Mexico and El Salvador. Because the nature of the phenomenon varies across countries, its development impact and policy implications are also likely to differ in ways that are still largely unknown. This book helps fill the gap by exploring, in the specific context of Latin America and Caribbean countries, some of the main questions faced by policymakers when trying to respond to increasing remittances flows.
February 2008. 408 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8213-6870-1

Knowledge, Technology, and Cluster-Based Growth in Africa
Edited by Douglas Zhihua Zeng
Africa is on the move, demonstrating in recent years a significant potential for economic growth. Although the region still faces many challenges, it is also generating pockets of economic vitality in the form of enterprise clusters that are contributing to national, regional, and local productivity. Through case examples from Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, this book provides an understanding of how these dynamic enterprise clusters were formed and have evolved, and how knowledge, human capital, and technology have contributed to their success.
February 2008. 144 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8213-7306-4

WORKING PAPERS
Sustainability of Pension Systems in the New EU Member States and Croatia: Coping with Aging Challenges and Fiscal Pressures
By Leszek Kasek, Thomas Laursen, and Emilia Skrok
February 2008. 48 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8213-7369-9

Environmental Policies and Strategic Communication in Iran: The Value of Public Opinion Research in Decisionmaking
By Daniele Calabrese, Khalil Kalantari, Fabio Santucci, and Elena Stanghellini
January 2008. 32 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8213-7421-4

Strengthening the Education Sector Response to HIV&AIDS in the Caribbean
By World Bank
January 2008. 44 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8213-7476-4

To Order:
Online: www.worldbank.org/publications
e-mail: books@worldbank.org
Phone: 703-661-1580 or 1-800-645-7247
Fax: 703-661-1501
Mail: World Bank Publications, P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960, U.S.A.