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Transdisciplinary translational behavioral (TDTB) research: opportunities, barriers, and innovations

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Translational Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

The translation of basic behavioral science discoveries into practical strategies represents a promising approach to developing more effective preventive interventions to improve health. Since translational research inevitably involves making use of diverse perspectives from multiple disciplines, it is best conducted as a transdisciplinary enterprise. In this paper, we discuss current strategies used by NIH to support transdisciplinary translational behavioral (TDTB) research, summarize successful efforts, and highlight challenges encountered in conducting such work (ranging from conceptual to organizational to methodological). Using examples from NIH-funded projects we illustrate the potential benefits of, and barriers to, pursuing this type of research and discuss next steps and potential future directions for NIH-supported TDTB research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA

    Susan M Czajkowski Ph.D, Kara L Hall Ph.D & Brooke A Stipelman Ph.D

  2. National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Health, Rockville, MD, USA

    Minda R Lynch Ph.D

  3. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA

    Lynne Haverkos MD, MPH

  4. Independent Consultant, Arroyo Seco, NM; Formerly with National Institution of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA

    Harold Perl Ph.D

  5. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA

    Marcia S Scott Ph.D & Mariela C. Shirley Ph.D

Authors
  1. Susan M Czajkowski Ph.D
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  2. Minda R Lynch Ph.D
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  3. Kara L Hall Ph.D
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  4. Brooke A Stipelman Ph.D
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  5. Lynne Haverkos MD, MPH
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  6. Harold Perl Ph.D
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  7. Marcia S Scott Ph.D
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  8. Mariela C. Shirley Ph.D
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan M Czajkowski Ph.D.

Ethics declarations

Compliance with ethical standards

This paper does not involve the use of human subjects or animals. As such, no informed consent was necessary.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Implications

Policy: Funders, reviewers, editors and others who wish to promote and support TDTB research can use the highlighted exemplars funded by NIH to inform the development of structures and systems that better support TDTB research.

Research: Examples provided highlight concrete ways in which TDTB projects, research programs, and initiatives can be designed and implemented at all phases of the translational spectrum.

Practice: Investigators and translational partners engaged in TDTB research can leverage the recommendations proposed in this paper to advance and promote the area of TDTB research.

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Czajkowski, S.M., Lynch, M.R., Hall, K.L. et al. Transdisciplinary translational behavioral (TDTB) research: opportunities, barriers, and innovations. Behav. Med. Pract. Policy Res. 6, 32–43 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-015-0367-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13142-015-0367-3

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