Johns Hopkins University

This grant will support Johns Hopkins University’s “unmet desire” for neuroscience surveys of policymakers at the sub-national level in the United States. The goal is to gather actionable information about whether policymakers have access to the neuroscience information and relationships they need to make evidence-based decisions, and if not, what can be done to fill this gap. 

A scientifically grounded understanding of brain growth, development, and change throughout the lifespan is vital for crafting policy that combats social problems affecting individuals and communities across the country such as substance use disorders, domestic violence, loneliness, poverty, and poor mental health. This knowledge is also essential for creating effective and equitable K-12 education policies and programs that respond to the needs of an aging population. The surveys will target local government elected policymakers (top elected officials and governing board members); local government managers (city managers and county executives); civil service staff associated with family support services (social workers, children’s services and mental health specialists); and elected school board members. The proposed surveys will ask policymakers about 1) the challenges they are facing that could benefit from neuroscience knowledge; 2) their prior experiences acquiring and using neuroscience knowledge;  3) their desire to acquire neuroscience knowledge more in the future to address top challenges, and 4) their preferred methods for acquiring that knowledge, such as through one-way information dissemination or direct collaborative relationships with neuroscientists. The data collected will expand our understanding of how policymakers would value neuroscience knowledge in their work and provide the neuroscience community with the information it needs to better connect neuroscience discoveries with the needs of a broad set of policymakers. This data will be critical for individuals and organizations like the Dana Foundation that are interested in supporting educational opportunities and collaborative relationship building between neuroscientists and policymakers to strengthen connections between neuroscience and society. 

This grant supports the Dana Foundation objective to facilitate greater understanding and informed decision-making among professionals by supporting new education approaches on neuroscience topics related to their practice.