CSDE-eNews Bulletin

June 3, 2008

Archive
Submit News

CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR: Kyle Crowder -- Spatial Dynamics of White Flight: The Effects of Local and Extralocal Racial Conditions on Neighborhood Out-Migration
CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS & SPOTLIGHTS: Library Assistant Position Open
CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST: Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Patrick Doreian; UW Tobacco Studies Program and School of Social Work -- Erica Austin; Simpson Center for the Humanities -- Community-Based Participatory Practice in Focus Panel
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & NOTICES: NIH/AHRQ Set Transition from PureEdge to Adobe Application Forms for December 2008 and Plan Subsequent Transition of Remaining Mechanisms to Electronic Submission; NIH Implements New Procedures to Protect NIH Application Data Sent to Peer Reviewers on Compact Disks; NCMHD Exploratory Centers of Excellence (P20); NCMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60); NCMHD Administrative Supplements For Regional Seminar Series on Health Disparities
CALLS FOR PAPERS: Micronutrient Forum -- Micronutrients, Health, and Development: Evidence–based Programs; International Call for Papers -- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Assistant or Associate Professor of International Health -- Harvard University; Assistant or Associate Professor of International Health Economics -- Harvard University; Tenure Track Faculty Position in Population and Health -- Northwestern University
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES: New Direction Fellowships -- Mellon Foundation; Postdoctoral Fellowship, Demography -- University of Wisconsin, Madison
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST: PRB's Discuss Online -- Ensuring a Wide Range of Family Planning Choices; Center for AIDS Research -- Marcus Altfeld; Suggestions requested on new PAA initiative

Submit News

CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR

Kyle Crowder -- Spatial Dynamics of White Flight: The Effects of Local and Extralocal Racial Conditions on Neighborhood Out-Migration

Friday, June 6
12:30 - 2:00 PM
Parrington Hall Forum

CSDE Seminar Schedule

CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS & SPOTLIGHTS

Library Assistant Position Open

The Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology is seeking to hire an iSchool graduate student as a Librarian Assistant (starting at $10.50-12.00 per hr) 8-15 hrs/wk, beginning in August or September 2008. CSDE supports population research and training. http://csde.washington.edu/index.php The Librarian Assistant serves in the Information Core, which provides information services to affiliated faculty and graduate fellows and maintains the CSDE library with a small collection of demography resource materials and an online catalog. This is a great opportunity to gain experience with information assistance and library management in a friendly, interdisciplinary center on the Quad.

Primary Responsibilities:

General reference, bibliographic questions, and citation checking;

Comprehensive literature searching and bibliography creation;

Locating, retrieving, and delivering library materials;

Creating customized current awareness services (e.g., TOCs);

Maintain the CSDE Library holdings by overseeing circulation and catalog;

Maintaining a list of affiliated faculty recent publications;

Supporting and contributing to the Information Core services;

Other duties as assigned.

Other Occasional Duties:

Submitting select manuscripts written by CSDE faculty and graduate fellows to PubMed Central;

Individual and occasional small group instruction on information literacy topics;

Assemble course reserves.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience and/or training in information sciences or related area;

Ability to work with patrons in a professional and courteous demeanor;

Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications;

Familiarity with researching in library catalogs, bibliographic databases, and the Internet;

Ability to work without direct supervision.

Desirable Additional Qualification

Familiarity with, or ability to learn EndNote;

Web publishing experience.

Educational Benefits:

Develop skills in teamwork, communication, and working with a variety of clients;

Hands-on experience for the MLIS student in library work and information services.

To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to David Hyllegard, CSDE Information Core director via email.

Open until filled.

CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST

Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Patrick Doreian

Patrick Doreian, Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh
"Partitioning Signed Networks"

Wednesday, June 4
12:30 - 1:20 PM
Denny 401

UW Tobacco Studies Program and School of Social Work -- Erica Austin

Erica Austin, Interim Director and Professor of the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University
"Tobacco Control Media Campaigns and their Effectiveness among Disadvantaged Populations"

Wednesday, June 4
3:30 - 5:20 PM
UW School of Social Work, Room 306

Simpson Center for the Humanities -- Community-Based Participatory Practice in Focus Panel

Louise Fortmann (Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley)
Cathy Jordan (Pediatrics & Neurology, University of Minnesota)
Richa Nagar (Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, University of Minnesota)
George Nicholas (Archaeology, Simon Fraser University)

Thursday, June 5
7:00 PM
Communications 120
A reception will precede the panel at 5:30 pm in Communications 204

For full details, click here.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES & NOTICES

NIH/AHRQ Set Transition from PureEdge to Adobe Application Forms for December 2008 and Plan Subsequent Transition of Remaining Mechanisms to Electronic Submission

Notice Number: NOT-OD-08-073 Release Date: May 23, 2008

Issued by National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov/)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), (http://www.ahrq.gov/)

This Notice announces NIH’s and AHRQ’s plans to: 1) move from PureEdge to Adobe versions of the SF424 (R&R) grant application forms; and 2) transition Research Career Development (K), Individual National Research Service Awards (F), and Institutional National Research Service Awards and Other Training Grants (T, D) programs from paper to electronic submission through Grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R).

The new Grants.gov 2007 system supports the use of application forms that can be downloaded and completed using free Adobe Reader software rather than the PureEdge software that is currently required for the SF424 (R&R). To minimize impact of form changes on the applicant community, NIH is carefully timing our move to the new forms to also incorporate the following form changes:

Recent changes to the PHS 398 form components [NOT-OD-08-028]

Form changes resulting from the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA)

Adjustments from the upcoming renewal of the SF424 (R&R)

NIH will pilot the use of Adobe forms, without the aforementioned forms changes, with a couple single submission date Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) that will be issued in late summer. Assuming the pilot goes smoothly, and the forms approval and development process go as planned, NIH will begin posting the bulk of our FOAs with Adobe forms in December 2008. Applicants can plan for all receipt dates through December to use PureEdge forms. A detailed plan will be published in the fall.

Once NIH completes the move from PureEdge to Adobe application forms, it will transition the K, F, T and D programs to electronic submission through Grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R). As has been our practice, the transition by mechanism will include all active FOAs for that program/mechanism. Applications in response to these announcements will require electronic submission through Grants.gov. Plans/milestones for submission dates and mechanisms are as follows:

February 12, 2009 - Research Career Development (all Ks except K12)

April 8, 2009 - Individual National Research Service Awards (F)

September 25, 2009 - Institutional National Research Service Awards and Other Training Grants (T, D), D43, D71/U2R and K12

Timing of the transition of NIH’s complex, multi-project grant programs have not been set.

Questions about transition plans may be directed to NIHElectronicSubmiss@mail.nih.gov.

NIH Implements New Procedures to Protect NIH Application Data Sent to Peer Reviewers on Compact Disks

Notice Number: NOT-OD-08-071 Key Dates
Release Date: May 14, 2008

Issued by National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)

The cornerstone of the NIH peer review process is confidentiality. However, technology enables people to work on portable electronic devices in remote locations where these devices can be stolen or misplaced, thus putting sensitive data at risk. This notice serves to reconfirm the NIH’s commitment to protect sensitive data and confidential information contained in grant applications submitted for funding (NOT-OD-07-054 and NOT-OD-08-066).

Congress and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have instituted laws, policies and directives that govern the creation and implementation of federal information security practices that pertain specifically to grants and contracts. The current regulations are pursuant to the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Title III of the E-Government Act of 2002 Pub. L. No. 107-347 (beginning on page 48) (NOT-OD-08-032), and the HHS Policy for Department-Wide Information Security.

Effective May 15, 2008, NIH will implement a new safeguard to password-protect data on the compact disks (CDs) ordered through IMPAC II for peer reviewers prior to study section meetings. Although individual NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) may use their own, internal procedures to create CDs, all NIH ICs are expected to ensure password protection for the following types of information contained on CDs generated by NIH for reviewers:

grant application information,

previous summary statements,

appendix materials, and

additional materials ("eAdditions") in the grant folder.

For specific instructions and further details, click here.

NCMHD Exploratory Centers of Excellence (P20)

Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-MD-08-004

Purpose
This FOA issued by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), National Institutes of Health solicits grant applications from institutions/organizations that propose to establish an Exploratory NCMHD Center of Excellence (COE) contributing to either the improvement of minority health, the elimination of health disparities, or both. To be eligible for the COE in this FOA, applicant institutions must have existing federal research support and/or research infrastructure as reflected in a level of NIH institutional funding of less than $80 million for the year 2007. An Exploratory NCMHD COE supported under this FOA must contain an Administrative core, a Research core, a Research Training/Education core, and a Community/Engagement core. Pilot research projects or feasibility projects/studies are not supported under this FOA.

Key Dates
Release Date: May 29, 2008
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: July 1, 2008
Application Receipt Date: July 31, 2008
Peer Review Date(s): November-December 2008
Council Review Date: January 2009
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: April 2009
Additional Information To Be Available Date (Url Activation Date): Not applicable
Expiration Date: August 1, 2008

For more details, click here.

NCMHD Comprehensive Centers of Excellence (P60)

Request For Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-MD-08-005

Purpose
This FOA issued by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), National Institutes of Health solicits grant applications from institutions/organizations that propose to establish an Comprehensive NCMHD Center of Excellence (COE) contributing to either the improvement of minority health, the elimination of health disparities, or both. To be eligible for the COE in this FOA, applicant institutions must have existing federal research support and/or research infrastructure as reflected in a level of NIH institutional funding of more than or equal to $80 million for the year 2007. An Comprehensive NCMHD COE supported under this FOA must contain an Administrative core, a Research core, a Research Training/Education core, and a Community/Engagement core. Pilot research projects or feasibility projects/studies are not supported under this FOA.

Key Dates
Release Date: May 28, 2008
Letters of Intent Receipt Date: July 30, 2008
Application Receipt Date: August 29, 2008
Peer Review Date(s): February-March 2009
Council Review Date: May 2009
Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July 2009
Additional Information To Be Available Date (Url Activation Date): Not applicable
Expiration Date: August 30, 2008

For full details, click here.

NCMHD Administrative Supplements For Regional Seminar Series on Health Disparities

Notice Number: NOT-MD-08-003

Purpose
The National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) announces the availability of funds to supplement active, eligible NCMHD grants (P20, P60, R24, S21and S22) to support the NCMHD regional seminar series on health disparities. The purpose of the regional seminar series is to share and disseminate minority health and health disparities research findings and to increase the participation by health professionals and community stakeholders in the effort to eliminate health disparities.

Background
The mission of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) is to promote minority health and to lead, coordinate, support, and assess the NIH effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities. In this effort NCMHD will conduct and support basic, clinical, social, and behavioral research, promote research infrastructure and training, foster emerging programs, disseminate information, and provide outreach to racial and ethnic minorities and other health disparity populations. The NIH defines health disparities as differences in the incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups (http://www.nih.gov/about/hd/strategicplan.pdf, page 7). The specific population groups are African Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, subpopulations of all of the above, and medically underserved populations (i.e., socio-economically disadvantaged individuals in rural and urban areas).

Budget and Administration
For FY 2008, NCMHD intends to provide administrative supplements for regional seminar series on health disparities to approximately five active, eligible NCMHD-funded grants (P20, P60, R24, S21 and S22) depending on availability of funds. The existing grant must have at least one year remaining at the time that the supplement is awarded. Supplements may be requested for up to $150,000 in direct cost for one year only. Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs will be paid at the full, negotiated rate. The supplement may not extend beyond the project period of the parent grant.

The application for administrative supplements will undergo a program, grants management and budget review within NCMHD. Administrative supplements may be submitted at any time, but no later than July 1, 2008. It is anticipated that supplemental funding will begin no later than September 30, 2008.

Post-Award Requirements
A one-page progress report addressing the results of the supplement-funded activities will be required. It should be included as an addition to the next progress report of the parent grant submitted after the completion of each supplement’s budget period.

For full application details, click here.

CALLS FOR PAPERS

Micronutrient Forum -- Micronutrients, Health, and Development: Evidence–based Programs

12-15 May, 2009
Beijing, China

The Micronutrient Forum will hold its second international meeting in Beijing, China, 12-15 May, 2009. The title of the meeting is "Micronutrients, Health, and Development: Evidence–based Programs". Building upon the theme of the Micronutrient Forum meeting in 2007 which reviewed the scientific base of key micronutrients, the Beijing meeting looks to review the evidence base for programs.

The Micronutrient Forum builds upon the success of the International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG) and the International Nutritional Anemia Consultative Group (INACG), which were both established by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1975.

The Micronutrient Forum serves as a stimulus for policy-relevant science and a catalyst for moving the global community towards consensus around evidence-based policies and programs that reduce micronutrient deficiencies around the globe.

Meeting participants are welcome from a wide diversity of relevant disciplines such as maternal and child health, nutrition, biochemistry, agriculture, horticulture, education, communications, and development. Participants are expected to include representatives from international agencies, national ministries, educational and research institutions, food and chemical industries, and non-governmental organizations.

Program managers and researchers are encouraged to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations describing new data on the topics that follow. Abstracts should relate to, but are not limited to, the micronutrient deficiencies of primary interest to the Micronutrient Forum, vitamin A, iron, folate, iodine, and/or zinc.

Primary theme – lessons learned from large-scale programs that have, or have not, achieved their objectives.

Monitoring processes and evaluating the outcomes/impacts of large-scale programs with indicators such as coverage, behavior change, nutrient intakes, micronutrient status, growth, development, etc.

Successes and failures in strengthening program design and planning, integrating interventions into other delivery platforms, managing/supervising implementation, and/or reaching the hard-to-reach.

Successes and failures in achieving sustainability, e.g. systems strengthening, assuring commodities, creating demand.

Note: submissions sharing experiences from programs that have not achieved their objectives should include evidence supporting the conclusion that the objectives were not reached and clearly identify the lessons learned that will inform future programs and benefit the global community or other countries.

Preference will be given to abstracts describing well-designed programs or studies, providing new and potentially important findings with data that relate to the above topics. Please indicate the topic your abstract(s) refers to when submitting it.

To submit your abstract directly go to:
https://aed.conference-services.net/authorlogin.asp?conferenceID=1411&language=en-uk

To receive more information about the Micronutrient Forum, contact the Micronutrient Forum Secretariat at the A2Z Project, AED, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC, 20009, phone: 202-884-8785 or email.

For full detaills, click here.

International Call for Papers -- American Journal of Preventive Medicine

The Unintended Consequences of Tobacco Control Policies on Low Socioeconomic Status Women and Girls

Background
The Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TReND) is issuing an international call for papers addressing the unintended consequences of tobacco control policies on low socioeconomic status women and girls. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recognizes the increasing rates of tobacco use among women and girls and highlights the need for gender-specific tobacco control strategies. In the United States and other industrialized countries, women living in poverty, lacking a post-high school education, and/or those working in manual labor, blue-collar and service positions have higher rates of tobacco use and lower rates of quitting compared to their more advantaged counterparts. Furthermore, an increasing number of women and girls in low and middle income countries are exposed to secondhand smoke and are beginning to use tobacco products.

Strategies to reduce smoking among low socioeconomic status women and girls in low, middle, and high income countries are needed to reduce the burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality among women. Tobacco control policies are intended to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure among all populations, but recent data indicate that there may be unintended consequences among low socioeconomic status women and girls. Unintended consequences may be harmful or helpful to the lives and livelihoods of low socioeconomic status women and girls, and tobacco control policies are being promoted globally without a good understanding of their differential effects.

Paper Topics
TReND is issuing a call for papers on the Unintended Consequences of Tobacco Control Policies on Low Socioeconomic Status Women and Girls. Topics may include but are not limited to examining the effects of policies on:

social acquisition of cigarettes

smuggling and illegal trade and sales

social networks and social support systems

social norms

culture

process of and determinants of quitting success

nutritional status

other health behaviors or conditions such as obesity, alcohol and other substance use

co-morbid conditions

job circumstances and occupational choices

violence against women and girls

home life and personal and community livelihood

economic decision-making.

Original research papers, conceptual or theoretical papers, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews will be considered. We encourage the submission of papers that include qualitative and/or quantitative analyses by gender or sex, social/occupational class, race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and geographic location. We also welcome papers that address disabled, pregnant, immigrant, refugee, displaced, and incarcerated women and girls.

Instructions
Please submit a brief abstract for review by June 27, 2008 to Christen H. Osburn, M.B.A., Contractor, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., at osburnc@mail.nih.gov. The abstract should not exceed 300 words and should include the title, purpose, objectives, study design and methods. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified no later than July 15, 2008 and will be asked to submit a manuscript for peer review. Manuscript submissions are due September 2, 2008 to the guest editor, Roland S. Moore, Ph.D, at roland@prev.org. The internal review team will provide feedback to the authors prior to the journal’s standard peer review process. Final papers are due on November 1, 2008 to Roland S. Moore., Ph.D.

For additional instructions and guidelines for paper formatting, please go to the journal website at: http://www.ajpm-online.net.

If you have any questions regarding the special issue, please contact the guest editor, Roland S. Moore, Ph.D. via email.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Assistant or Associate Professor of International Health -- Harvard University

The Department of Population and International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health seeks candidates for the tenure-ladder position of assistant or associate professor of international health. Applicants should have field experience in international health research with a focus on health in Africa; expertise in HIV/AIDS is desirable but not required. The person appointed will be expected to participate in the Department's teaching and international research efforts on African health and to guide doctoral students in their research in this area. Applicants should have a medical degree and additional training and research experience in epidemiology, or should hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field.

Please send a letter of application, including a statement of current and future research interests, a curriculum vitae, sample publications, and the names of three referees to the address below. Applicants should ask their referees to write independently to this address.

Chair, Search Committee for International Health
c/o Jean Joseph, Search Administrator
Email
Department of Population and International Health
Harvard School of Public Health
665 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Open until filled.

Assistant or Associate Professor of International Health Economics -- Harvard University

The Department of Population and International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health seeks candidates for the position of assistant or associate professor of international health economics. This is a tenure-track position, with the academic rank to be determined in accordance with the successful candidate's experience and productivity. The department's program of research currently emphasizes health measurement, the role of health as human capital, health sector reform, priority setting, the impact of HIV/AIDS, population aging, and the design and evaluation of health interventions.

The successful candidate (or candidates) will be expected to play a central role in the department's research and teaching, devoting a majority of his/her time to research in international health economics; overseas travel for field work is envisaged.

Candidates should hold a doctoral degree in economics, with an area of specialization in one or more of the following: microeconomics, development economics, health economics, and applied econometrics. Prior research experience related to health economics in low- or middle-income countries is highly desirable.

Please send a letter of application, including a statement of current and future research interests, a curriculum vitae, sample publications, and the names of three referees to the address below. Applicants should ask their three referees to write independently to this address.

Chair, Search Committee for International Health Economics
c/o Jean Joseph, Search Administrator
Email
Department of Population and International Health
Harvard School of Public Health
665 Huntington Avenue, I-1102
Boston, MA 02115

Open until filled.

Tenure Track Faculty Position in Population and Health -- Northwestern University

Northwestern University is seeking an experienced scholar in social epidemiology, population health or related fields, who has done extensive, theory-grounded work in demography, incorporating biological outcomes and covariates. The scholar will join the multidisciplinary faculty of Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Disparities and Health at the Institute for Policy Research. C2S includes faculty in multiple departments across several of Northwestern's schools, providing rich opportunities for collaboration. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding records of scholarly publication, teaching, and externally-funded research. The successful candidate will help to lead C2S as it matures to become a full population research center.

This position will be jointly held across at least two schools: Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education and Social Policy, Feinberg School of Medicine. The following departments could be involved: Anthropology, Economics, Human Development and Social Policy, Preventive Medicine, Sociology, or Statistics.

Please mail a statement of research, vita, representative reprints, and 3 names of references to P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, PhD and Katherine Kaufer Christoffel, MD, MPH, Search Committee Co-Chairs, Cells to Society, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. We will begin reviewing application materials on August 1 and will continue until the position is filled. Minorities and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more details, click here.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

New Direction Fellowships -- Mellon Foundation

Purpose
New Directions Fellowships assist faculty members in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are between 5 and 15 years from receiving their PhDs and who wish to acquire systematic training outside their own disciplines. Scholarship that crosses disciplinary boundaries holds great potential, but in practice it often requires formal substantive and methodological training in addition to the Ph.D. This program is intended to enable excellent scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences to work on problems that interest them most, but to do so at an appropriate level of sophistication. In addition to facilitating the work of individual faculty members, these awards should benefit humanistic scholarship more generally by encouraging the highest standards in cross-disciplinary research.

The university and the recipient's department should understand that New Directions Fellowships are primarily for advanced training in pursuit of a specific research agenda. Unlike other fellowship awards, this program does not aim to facilitate short-term outcomes, such as completion of a book. Rather, New Directions Fellowships are meant to be viewed as longer-term investments in scholars' intellectual range and productivity.

Please submit a narrative, not to exceed ten pages, and your CV via email to Kai Fujita. In addition, a one-page nomination letter from the chair should be sent directly to Kai. Please note that the Mellon Foundation requires a "substantial letter of appraisal from an informed senior colleague (e.g., department head) describing the importance of the candidate's proposed research for his or her field and other relevant matters the selection panel should consider." This letter will be requested only for the candidates selected for submission.

In order to meet the Foundation's September 19 deadline, we have established an internal deadline of August 22, 2008. The announcement of the nominees will be no later than August 29, allowing three weeks to polish proposals and generate the appraisal letters to be submitted with a cover letter from the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, on the President's behalf.

For more details, click here.

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Demography -- University of Wisconsin, Madison

Available September 1, 2008

The Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, announces an NICHD/NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Demography beginning in September 2008. We welcome applicants with training in demography and ecology whose specialized needs would be served by residence at the Center; or scholars trained in social sciences, such as history, economics, sociology, anthropology, etc., who seek advanced training and research experience in demography and ecology. Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States and must have completed all requirements for the doctorate by the time of the initial appointment. The position carries a stipend varying by years of relevant postdoctoral experience, beginning at $36,996, some travel expenses, and full health and insurance benefits.

Postdoctoral researchers at the Center for Demography and Ecology have access to the Center's excellent collective resources in computing, geographic information analysis, print/data libraries, and administrative services. Established almost 45 years ago, the Center for Demography and Ecology is dedicated to the study of population issues, both domestic and international. Faculty affiliated with the Center come from departments across campus, including Sociology, Economics, Rural Sociology, Social Work, Population Health Sciences, Statistics, and Human Development and Family Studies. A Population Research Infrastructure Grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development supports general Center operations. For more information about the Center and its research faculty, please visit our website at www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde

To apply, send curriculum vitae, a short description of a research project to be conducted at the Center, three letters of recommendation, and copies of publications or papers to: James Walker, Director, Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1393 (or inquiries by email).

Applications should be submitted by June 15, 2008, but the review committee will continue to consider applications beyond that date until an award is made.

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

PRB's Discuss Online -- Ensuring a Wide Range of Family Planning Choices

Lori Ashford, program director, policy communications, Population Reference Bureau
"Ensuring a Wide Range of Family Planning Choices"

Thursday, June 5 1:00 - 2:00 PM (EDT)
http://discuss.prb.org
You may submit questions in advance and during the discussion.

Center for AIDS Research -- Marcus Altfeld

Marcus Altfeld, Partners AIDS Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital
"Innate immune function in HIV-1 infection"

June 5, 2008
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Pelton Auditorium
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Ave N

Suggestions requested on new PAA initiative

The PAA is embarking on a bold initiative to bolster demography by strengthening its scientific core; increasing the integrity of population data; expanding the PAA's international activities; and expanding the PAA's public profile.

We are asking for your concrete suggestions for meeting these goals.

Background
Past PAA President Charles Hirschman (CSDE affiliate) and Sara Seims of the Hewlett Foundation have been leading an effort to solidify and expand the PAA's financial base. Although the PAA's reserve funds are within striking distance of prudent norms for professional organizations (assets equal to twice annual expenses), yearly operational expenses for public affairs activities and international travel awards rely on episodic funding from several private foundations.

More ambitiously, the PAA's efforts to foster and disseminate state-of-the-art demographic research and to ensure strong new cohorts of U.S. and international demographers are heavily constrained by the PAA budget. PAA members are extremely generous in volunteering their time and talents to strength demography, but we believe that persistent and significant increments to the PAA budget could broaden the reach of the population sciences in exciting ways. Our fund-raising efforts, to be launched this fall, will enable us meet more ambitious goals.

The PAA Board is responsible for setting priorities for spending the money raised in our upcoming fundraising campaign. Key PAA standing committees (International Outreach, Committee on Population Statistics, Public and Government Affairs, Applied Demography, Membership and Publications) have been asked to articulate strategic goals for their committee areas, and enumerate a list of concrete activities that would collectively help to meet these strategic goals. We expect that this process will be completed in the fall.

We need your creative ideas
We are asking for your help in identifying ideas for expanding the PAA's activities to accomplish the organization's most important strategic goals. Ideas can range from one-time projects costing a few thousand dollars to more ambitious and permanent programs. A small grants program, a new journal, travel exchanges with other associations, modifications to the annual conference - no idea is excluded at this stage. Costs are much less important at this point than the ideas behind them. We want to ensure that the PAA committees, and, ultimately, the Board has as many good ideas as possible as priorities are decided upon.

Please email your suggestions in memo form as attachments toStephanie Dudley via email by June 20.

And please let any of us know of your questions.

Greg Duncan Email
Ann Blanc Email
Barbara Entwisle Email
Charlie Hirschman Email
Sara Seims Email
Rob Mare Email