THE PLACEBO EFFECT IN CLINICAL PRACTICE

Release Date:  October 26, 2001

RFA:  RFA-AT-02-001

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
 (http://nccam.nih.gov)
John E. Fogarty International Center
 (http://www.nih.gov/fic)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
 (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov)
National Institute on Aging
 (http://www.nih.gov/nia)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
 (http://www.niaaa.nih.gov)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
 (http://www.niaid.nih.gov)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
 (http://www.niams.nih.gov)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
 (http://www.nidr.nih.gov)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
 (http://www.niddk.nih.gov)
National Institute of Mental Health
 (http://www.nimh.nih.gov)

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  March 1, 2002
Application Receipt Date:       April 11, 2002

THIS RFA USES "MODULAR GRANT" AND "JUST-IN-TIME" CONCEPTS.  MODULAR INSTRUCTIONS 
MUST BE USED FOR RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS REQUESTING LESS THAN $250,000 PER 
YEAR IN ALL YEARS. MODULAR BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS ARE PROVIDED IN SECTION C OF THE 
PHS 398 (REVISION 5/2001) AVAILABLE AT 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html.

PURPOSE

The proposed initiative is expected to stimulate investigator-initiated research 
investigations on how placebos and placebo effects impact on clinical practice. 
An important goal is to understand what factors are necessary to elicit a 
placebo effect in clinical practice so that the benefits of the therapeutic 
intervention can be enhanced to improve health and promote wellness.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion 
and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national 
activity for setting priority areas.  This Request for Applications (RFA),  The 
Placebo Effect in Clinical Practice  is related to one or more of the priority 
areas.  Potential applicants may obtain "Healthy People 2010" at 
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic and foreign, for-profit and non-
profit organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, 
hospitals, laboratories, units of State and local governments, and eligible 
agencies of the Federal government.  Racial/ethnic minority individuals, 
women, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply as Principal 
Investigators.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project 
grant (R01) and the developmental/exploratory grant (R21) award mechanisms.  
Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the proposed 
project will be solely that of the applicant.  The total project period for an 
application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed 4 years for R01 
grants and 2 years for R21 grants.  At this time, it is not known if this RFA 
will be reissued. Therefore, future unsolicited competing continuation 
applications will compete with all investigator-initiated applications and be 
reviewed according to the customary peer review procedures.  The earliest 
anticipated award date is September 2002.

FUNDS AVAILABLE 

NCCAM intends to commit approximately 1.13 million dollars in total costs in FY 
2002 and/or FY 2003 to fund 4 to 6 new grants. In addition, FIC, NIA, NHLBI, 
NIAMS, and NIDCR intend to contribute a total of approximately 1.06 million 
dollars in FY 2002 and/or FY 2003 to fund additional grants applications that 
respond to this RFA. Finally, NIAAA, NIAID, NIDDK, and NIMH may provide support 
to other meritorious applications that fit their program objectives.  

R21 grant applicants may request a project period of up to two years with a 
total direct cost per year of $125,000. R01 grant applicants may request a 
project period of up to 4 years. A direct cost budget limit is not specified for 
R01 grants. 

Because the nature and scope of the research proposed may vary, it is 
anticipated that the size of each award will also vary.  Although the financial 
plans of the NCCAM and other NIH Institute/Centers provide support for this 
program, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon the availability of 
funds and the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. 

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background

The benefits of therapeutic interventions in clinical practice are often 
enhanced by placebo effects. Placebo effects can be defined as the positive 
physiological or psychological changes associated with the use of inert 
medications, sham procedures, or therapeutic symbols within a healthcare 
encounter. Placebos can also be active substances or real procedures that 
produce unexpected beneficial effects. For example, antibiotics may be 
considered placebos when prescribed for viral respiratory illnesses that are not 
expected to respond to antibiotic action. Placebo effects may also be viewed as 
a subset of a larger group of mind-brain-body effects such as the psycho-
physiological effects of religious beliefs and devotional practices, meditation, 
faith-based healing, hypnosis, and the effects of cultural and social economic 
systems on the prevalence and severity of specific diseases. These effects have 
been scientifically documented by an increasing body of research.
Mind-brain-body effects, including placebo effects, are not fully appreciated in 
contemporary medicine. This may be explained, in part, as a legacy of the 
Cartesian model that envisions the mind as being something discrete from brain 
and body, and by the powerful reductionist approach of the current biomedical 
model. This reductionist model characterizes conventional medicine in that 
healthcare practitioners are trained to focus primarily on finding and 
eliminating physiologically demonstrable pathology. 
Placebos were assigned a negative connotation when the term was first coined in 
the early 19th century to describe a medicine "adapted more to please than 
benefit the patient." With the scientific transformation of medicine, 
particularly since the Second World War, this pejorative connotation was 
reinforced as the randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial 
emerged as the "gold standard" allowing investigators to subtract the "noise" of 
placebo effects from the actual therapeutic responses to newly developed drugs 
and medical/surgical procedures. Yet, prior to the development of the 
armamentarium of contemporary drugs and medical/surgical techniques in the 
second half of the last century, medicine included what we now call placebos as 
part of clinical practice. And with such treatments, patients sometimes felt 
better and even showed improvements in health status.
Now we are witnessing a further evolution in how placebo and other related 
effects are perceived, facilitated by a substantial body of research that 
provides compelling evidence of mind-brain-body interactions at the organismal, 
cellular, and molecular levels. At a recent meeting convened by the John D. & 
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Network on Mind-Body Interactions and NIH, 
scientists reported on the biology of social interactions, the neurobiology of 
emotions, and molecular neuroendocrine and neural factors in inflammatory and 
infectious disease. Research presented at this meeting highlighted the many ways 
through which the mind can influence the brain and body. 
Another recent meeting, "The Science of the Placebo: Towards an 
Interdisciplinary Research Agenda" outlined a multilayer model in which placebo 
effects operate through psychosocial mechanisms such as belief, conditioning, 
expectancy, and meaning response. These mechanisms, in turn, evoke physiological 
responses that may affect biological pathways in neurological, immune, 
endocrine, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and/or other organ systems to 
relieve disease symptoms. The purpose of this meeting was to develop an 
interdisciplinary research agenda on the science and ethics of the placebo, 
based on a scholarly assessment of the field. The participants developed 3 sets 
of recommendations: (1) to further elucidate the basis of placebo effects, (2) 
to investigate the use of placebo effects in clinical practice, and (3) to study 
the placebo effects as they relate to methodology and ethics of clinical trials. 
This RFA is informed by the two recent NIH meetings described above and focuses 
on the use of placebo in clinical practice to improve health. A companion RFA 
pertains to the elucidation of the underlying biological mechanisms of placebo 
effects. Further understanding of the placebo effect also has important 
implications for clinical trials. To determine the efficacy of pharmacological, 
procedural, or behavioral interventions, clinical trials methodology must be 
designed to account for placebo effects. In particular, it is important to 
distinguish placebo effects from measurement and methodological factors as well 
as effects of the actual treatment being tested.  These other factors may be 
biological, behavioral, or methodological.  They include the natural history of 
the disease, investigator and patient biases, the reliability of measurements 
taken, regression to the mean, reactivity of the measurement, practitioner and 
observer bias, spontaneous remissions, and confounded therapeutic procedures. 
Unfortunately, these measurement and methodological factors are sometimes 
grouped inappropriately with placebo effects. They can best be distinguished 
from placebo effects when a no treatment control is included in the study 
design.  Complicating things further, the relationship between placebo and 
treatment effects may not be purely additive, but rather dynamically 
interactive. Furthermore, the question of whether the use of placebo in clinical 
trials under some circumstances is even ethical has engendered a lively debate 
centered around the recently revised Declaration of Helsinki. Participants in 
the  Science of the Placebo  meeting discussed a number of methodological and 
ethical issues that needed to be addressed related to the use of placebo 
controls in clinical trials.  Another solicitation from NIDDK will call for 
applications to address these issues related to clinical trials.
Goals and Scope
Understanding how to enhance the therapeutic benefits of placebo effect in 
clinical practice has the potential to significantly improve healthcare. The 
objectives of this initiative are to encourage interdisciplinary studies 
involving social and behavioral sciences as well as other appropriate scientific 
disciplines to reveal those factors that are important for eliciting placebo 
effects in a clinical practice setting. Innovative research including, but not 
limited to, the following is encouraged:
o  Systematic studies to determine what psychosocial factors in the 
patient/healthcare practitioner relationship and in the healthcare environment 
are important for eliciting placebo effect, such as shared beliefs, hope, 
expectancy, meaning response, and conditioning. 
o  Studies on various tools that may be used to elicit placebo effect. 
o  Investigations into the role played by cultural beliefs and social economic 
systems in eliciting placebo effect in clinical practice. 
o  Investigations of ethical questions of placebo use in clinical practice. 
o  Research on how different types of healthcare practitioners can maximize the 
placebo effect, thus potentiating the healing effects of therapeutic 
interventions in clinical practice. For example, are complementary and 
alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners, who generally take a more holistic 
approach in clinical practice, better at eliciting placebo effects to enhance 
actual therapeutic interventions than conventional practitioners, who may take a 
more reductionist approach? 
o  Studies of barriers to eliciting placebo effects.
o  Studies investigating the specificity, timing, and size of placebo effects in 
relation to different disease conditions, medical interventions and social 
context.
Several NIH Institutes and Centers have joined NCCAM to support this initiative.  
Examples of specific topics of interest to individual NIH Institutes/Centers are 
listed under INQUIRIES in this announcement along with contact information for 
each participating NIH Institute and Center. 
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
o Monitoring Plan and Data Safety and Monitoring Board:

Research components involving Phase I and II clinical trials must include 
provisions for assessment of patient eligibility and status, rigorous data 
management, quality assurance, and auditing procedures.  In addition, it is 
NIH policy that all clinical trials require data and safety monitoring, with 
the method and degree of monitoring being commensurate with the risks (NIH 
Policy for Data Safety and Monitoring, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, 
June 12, 1998:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html).

NCCAM requires that all masked clinical trials, regardless of size, establish 
an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB).  Funds should be 
budgeted for these activities.  They should not duplicate internal review and 
monitoring systems that are already in place at the institution.

o Adverse Events Reporting:
  
All studies should have a structured adverse event determination, monitoring 
and reporting system, including standardized forms and protocols for referring 
and/or treating subjects experiencing adverse events.  The proposed schedule 
for reporting adverse events to the DSMB, the NCCAM Program Officer and/or the 
FDA should be described.

NIA Requirements for Human Intervention Studies 
NIA may request specific information related to human intervention studies prior 
to award. Information describing NIA requirements, "Implementation of Policies 
for Human Intervention Studies," are available at:  
http://www.nih.gov/nia/funding/policy/humint.htm.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and 
their sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported biomedical and 
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and 
compelling rationale and justification are provided indicating that inclusion 
is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of  
the research.  This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 
(Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). 

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
UPDATED "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in 
Clinical Research," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on 
August 2, 2000 
(http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-048.html), a 
complete copy of the updated Guidelines is available at  
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_update.htm.  The 
revisions relate to NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials and require:  a) all 
applications or proposals and/or protocols to provide a description of plans 
to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender 
and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable, and b) all 
investigators to report accrual, and to conduct and report analyses, as 
appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) 
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the 
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them.  
This policy applies to all initial (Type 1) applications submitted for receipt 
dates after October 1, 1998.

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the 
 NIH Policy and Guidelines on Inclusion of Children as Participants in 
Research Involving Human Subjects,  published in the NIH Guide for Grants and 
Contracts, March 6, 1998, and available at: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-024.html.

Investigators also may obtain copies of these policies from the program staff 
listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant 
information concerning the policy.

REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS

NIH policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants 
for all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research involving human 
subjects.  This policy announcement is found in the NIH Guide for Grants and 
Contracts Announcement dated June 5, 2000, at the following website: 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html.

URLS IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES

All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within 
specified page limitations.  Unless otherwise specified in an NIH 
solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide 
information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation 
to view the Internet sites.  Reviewers are cautioned that their anonymity may 
be compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to 
provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a 
project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited 
publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action that has 
the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA.  
It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope of this 
amendment.  NIH has provided guidance at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.

Applicants may wish to place data collected under this RFA in a public 
archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the 
distribution for an indefinite period of time.  If so, the application should 
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include 
information about this in the budget justification section of the application. 
In addition, applicants should think about how to structure informed consent 
statements and other human subjects procedures given the potential for wider 
use of data collected under this award.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes a 
descriptive title of the proposed research, the name, address, and telephone 
number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of other key personnel 
and participating institutions, and the number and title of this RFA.  
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not 
enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it 
contains allows NIH staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan 
the review.

The letter of intent is to be sent to Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D. at the 
address listed under INQUIRIES, below, by March 1, 2002.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001) 
available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html must be 
used in applying for these grants. This version of the PHS 398 is available in 
an interactive, searchable format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, 
Telephone 301/710-0267, Email:  [email protected].
 
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR GRANT APPLICATIONS

The modular grant concept establishes specific modules in which direct costs may 
be requested as well as a maximum level for requested budgets. Only limited 
budgetary information is required under this approach.  The just-in-time concept 
allows applicants to submit certain information only when there is a possibility 
for an award. It is anticipated that these changes will reduce the 
administrative burden for the applicants, reviewers and NIH staff.  The research 
grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) at 
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html is to be used in 
applying for these grants, with modular budget instructions provided in Section 
C of the application instructions. 

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR R21 GRANT APPLICATIONS

Applicants who anticipate submitting an R21 grant application should review the 
NCCAM website at http://nccam.nih.gov/research/instructions/r21/index.htm for 
specific information about this mechanism.

The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) application form must be 
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.  Type the RFA number 
on the label.  Failure to use this label could result in delayed processing of 
the application such that it may not reach the review committee in time for 
review.  In addition, the RFA title and number must be typed on line 2 of the 
face page of the application form and the YES box must be marked. The RFA label 
is also available at:  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/label-bk.pdf.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the 
Checklist, and five signed photocopies, in one package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

Applications must be received by the application receipt date listed in the 
heading of the RFA. If an application is received after that date, it will be 
returned to the applicant without review.

The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in 
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending 
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.  The 
CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one 
already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of substantial 
revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must include 
an Introduction addressing the previous critique.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and 
for responsiveness to this RFA by NCCAM.  Incomplete and/or non-responsive 
applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. 
 
Applications that are complete and responsive to the RFA will be evaluated for 
scientific and technical merit by an appropriate peer review group 
in accordance with the review criteria stated below.  As part of the initial 
merit review, all applications will receive a written critique and may undergo a 
process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific 
merit, generally the top half of the applications under review, will be 
discussed, assigned a priority score, and receive a second level review by the 
appropriate national councils or advisory boards of the participating NIH 
institutes and centers. 

Review Criteria

The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of 
biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health.  In 
the written comments, reviewers will be asked to discuss the following aspects 
of the application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research 
will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals.  Each of these 
criteria will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score, 
weighting them as appropriate for each application.  Note that the application 
does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major 
scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score.  For example, an 
investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not 
innovative but is essential to move a field forward.

(1) Significance:  Does this study address an important problem?  If the aims 
of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced?  
What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive 
this field?

(2) Approach:  Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses 
adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the 
project?  Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider 
alternative tactics?

(3) Innovation:  Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or 
methods?  Are the aims original and innovative?  Does the project challenge 
existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

(4) Investigator:  Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited 
to carry out this work?  Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience 
level of the Principal Investigator and other researchers (if any)?

(5) Environment:  Does the scientific environment in which the work will be 
done contribute to the probability of success?  Do the proposed experiments 
take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ 
useful collaborative arrangements?  Is there evidence of institutional 
support?

In addition to the above criteria, in accordance with NIH policy, all 
applications will also be reviewed with respect to the following:

o  The adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities and their 
subgroups, and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the 
research.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be 
evaluated.

o  The reasonableness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the 
proposed research.

o  The adequacy of the proposed protection for humans, animals or the 
environment, to the extent they may be adversely affected by the project  
proposed in the application.

For exploratory/developmental (R21) grant applications, preliminary data as 
evidence of feasibility of the project are not required, since this grant award 
mechanism is designed to support exploratory, innovative ideas. However, the 
applicant does have the responsibility for developing a sound research plan 
approach, including appropriate statistical analyses and sample size 
calculations where appropriate.  Innovation of the project and potential 
significance of the proposed research will be major considerations in the 
evaluation of this mechanism. 

SCHEDULE

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:    March 1, 2002
Application Receipt Date:         April 11, 2002
Peer Review Date:                 June/July 2002
Council Review:                   September/October 2002
Earliest Anticipated Start Date:  September 2002

AWARD CRITERIA

Criteria that will be used to make award decisions include:

o  scientific merit (as determined by peer review)
o  availability of funds
o  programmatic priorities.

INQUIRIES

Inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged. Examples of topics of interest to 
specific NIH Institutes/Centers are listed below. The opportunity to clarify any 
issues or answer questions from potential applicants is welcome.  

Direct general inquiries to:

Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D.
Program Officer
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
6707 Democracy Blvd.
Democracy 2, Room 106, MSC 5475
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 594-0519
FAX:  (301) 480-3621
Email:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding fiscal matters to:

Victoria Carper
Grants Management Officer
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
6707 Democracy Blvd/Rm 106/MSC 5475
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 594-9102
FAX:  (301) 480-3621
Email:  [email protected]

Direct inquiries regarding specific programmatic issues to the staff of the 
appropriate Institute or Center:

JOHN E. FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER
FIC is interested in research on placebo and placebo effects that involve 
international sites or international collaborations. 

Aron Primack, MD, MA
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Bldg 31, Room B2C39
31 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD  20892-2220
Telephone:  (301) 496-4596
Fax:  (301) 402-0779
Email:  [email protected]

NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
While not formally participating in this RFA, NCI is interested in research 
relevant to the effect of the placebo in clinical practice. This research may 
apply to cancer prevention, early detection, treatment or survivorship, and may 
involve pre-intervention or intervention research applications.

Michael Stefanek, Ph.D.
Basic Biobehavioral Research Branch
Behavioral Research Program
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
National Cancer Institute
6130 Executive Boulevard/EPN 4066
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 496-8776
Email:  [email protected]

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
NCCAM is interested in research on how placebo effects can enhance the use, 
efficacy, or safety of alternative and complementary therapies in clinical 
practice.

Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D.
Program Officer
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
6707 Democracy Blvd.
Democracy 2, Room 106, MSC 5475
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 594-0519
FAX:  (301) 480-3621
Email:  [email protected]

NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE
NHLBI is interested in studies that measure and describe the psychological and 
emotional (attitudes, expectancies, hope, affective states), social (social 
support, patient-provider communication and interaction) and contextual 
(cultural belief systems, socioeconomic status, features of the health care 
setting, community norms) factors that elicit placebo effects in clinical 
practice settings.  Placebos have been found to influence physiologic outcomes 
and responses to treatment for many different diseases. NHLBI has a particular 
interest in studies of patients who are at risk for or have existing 
cardiovascular, lung, blood and sleep diseases or disorders in order to a better 
understanding of how placebo responses operate within clinical care settings in 
order to design better interventions to improve treatment outcomes. 

Susan M. Czajkowski, Ph.D.
Behavioral Medicine Scientific Research Group
Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Rockledge 2, Room 8114
6701 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 435-0406
FAX:  (301) 480-1773
E-mail:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
NIA is interested in research examining the extent to which susceptibility to 
placebo effects changes between midlife and old age as well as factors 
contributing to any such changes.

Daniel B. Berch, Ph.D.
Chief, Section on Cognitive Aging
Individual Behavioral Processes Branch
Behavioral and Social Research Program
National Institute on Aging, NIH
7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 533
Bethesda, MD  20892-9205
Telephone:  (301) 594-5942
Fax:  (301) 402-0051
E-mail:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is interested in research 
on the effectiveness of placebos in clinical treatment of alcohol dependence and 
abuse.  Meritorious applications received under this RFA will be considered for 
funding by NIAAA based on funding availability.

Charlene E. LeFauve, Ph.D.
Treatment Research Branch
Division of Clinical and Prevention Research
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Willco Bldg., Suite 505
6000 Executive Blvd.
Bethesda, MD  20892-7003  (Fed.Ex. Zip:  Rockville, MD  20852)
telephone:  (301) 402-9401
fax:  (301) 443-8774
E-mail:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
NIAID is interested in applications that study the effect of placebos on immune-
mediated diseases, such as Asthma and Allergic Diseases, Autoimmune Diseases and 
Transplant rejection, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Stephen M. Rose, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Clinical Applications
Acting Chief, Transplantation Immunobiology Branch
Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation
NIAID, NIH
6700-B Rockledge Drive, Room 5133
Bethesda, MD  20892-7640
Telephone:  (301) 496-5598
Fax:  (301) 402-2571 FAX
Email:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES
NIAMS is interested in research on the use of effectiveness of placebos in 
managing arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other rheumatic diseases, muscle diseases, 
musculoskeletal disorders, bone diseases, and skin diseases.

Deborah N. Ader, Ph.D.
Director, Behavioral and Prevention Research Program 
NIAMS
45 Center Dr., Bldg. 45, Rm. 5A19H
Bethesda, MD  20892-6500
Telephone:  (301) 594-5032
FAX:  (301) 480-4543 (fax)
Email:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH
NIDCR encourages applications in response to this RFA for research relevant to 
dental or oral diseases or their treatments.  This includes an interest in 
studies relevant to management of acute pain associated with oral surgery or 
dental restorations or craniofacial conditions such as TMJ disorders or burning 
mouth syndrome, which commonly involve persisting pain.

Patricia’s Bryant, Ph.D.
Program Director, Behavior and Health Promotion Research
Division of Population and Health Promotion Studies
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
NIDCR
45 Center Dr, Bldg 45, Rm 4AN24E
Bethesda Md  20892
Telephone: (301) 594-2095
FAX:  (301) 480-8318
Email:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES AND DIGESTIVE AND KIDNEY DISEASES
NIDDK is interested in studying the placebo effect in clinical studies of 
disorders for which a treatment outcome is based solely on subjective assessment 
of change in symptoms.  Of particular interest are studies of therapeutic 
treatments for diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases. 

Leroy M. Nyberg, Jr., Ph.D., M.D.
Director, Urology Programs, DKUHD
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Democracy 2, Room 627
Bethesda, MD  20892-5458
Telephone:  (301) 594-7717
FAX:  (301) 480-3510
Email:  [email protected]

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
NIMH is not committing funds to this RFA at this time.  Meritorious applications 
for research relevant to NIMH will be considered based on funds availability and 
program priority.

Edgardo J. Menvielle, MD, MSHS
Medical Officer (Psychiatrist)
Child and Adolescent Treatment and Preventive Intervention Research Branch,
Division of Services and Intervention Research,
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7149, MSC 9633
Bethesda, MD  20892
Telephone:  (301) 443-3815
Fax:  (301) 443-4045
Email:  [email protected]

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 
93.213(NCCAM), 93.989(FIC), 93.837,93.838(NHLBI), 93.866(NIA), 93.273(NIAAA), 
93.855,93.856(NIAID), 93.846(NIAMS), 93.121 (NIDCR), 93.849(NIDDK), 
93.242(NIMH).  Awards are made under authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of 
the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and administered 
under NIH grants policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 
and 92.  This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review 
requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free 
workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In addition, 
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain 
facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or 
routine education, library, day care, health care, or early childhood 
development services are provided to children.  This is consistent with the 
PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the 
American people.

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