“Reports & Events” is a monthly tip sheet for the news media that highlights selected meetings of interest and reports from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Selected Events in March 2021

All facilities of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are closed. All gatherings will be held virtually. Click on each event title below to access meeting details, an agenda, and registration information, or contact the Office of News and Public Information (e-mail news@nas.edu). Reporters should register for all meetings. More events can be found at https://www.nationalacademies.org/events.

How the Affordable Care Act Has Changed Cancer Prevention and Care
March 1 and 2
The National Cancer Policy Forum will examine the evidence base on how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has changed the landscape of cancer prevention and care delivery. Panelists will discuss the effects of ACA provisions such as coverage of children up to age 26 on a parent’s health insurance plan; prohibition of exclusions for preexisting conditions; and state-based Medicaid expansions.

Innovation in Drug Research and Development for Prevalent Chronic Diseases
March 1 and 8
Half of Americans live with at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes — but investment in research and development has not kept pace with public health needs. The March 1 session in this workshop series will consider opportunities to incentivize clinical research in prevalent chronic diseases. During the March 8 session, experts will consider lessons learned from other disease areas where new technologies have enabled advances in clinical research.

Assessing and Improving AI Trustworthiness: Current Contexts, Potential Paths
March 3 and 4
The notion of AI trustworthiness, comprising a wide array of attributes such as robustness, accuracy, fairness, explainability, and privacy, presents a complicated set of challenges in assessing these aspects of trustworthiness. This workshop will work to produce initial ideas for activities and collaborations by academia, industry, and the public sector to improve the assessment of trustworthiness of AI systems.

Visualizing Effects of COVID-19 on Transportation: A One-Year Retrospective
March 8
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the health and economies of the United States and around the world. This webinar will delve into the pandemic’s effect on transportation. Presenters will discuss visualizations of where these impacts have been especially notable, including the drastic reduction in road and air traffic and in public transit ridership during early days of the pandemic.

Progress and Opportunities Toward Decreasing the Risk of Offshore Energy Operations
March 8
This workshop, which is informing a consensus study, will assess progress toward decreasing the systemic risks of offshore oil and gas operations. Committee members will also discuss how to keep people and the environment safe as the Gulf of Mexico offshore energy industry evolves.

New Molecular Targets for Mood Disorders and Psychosis
March 8 and 9
For many individuals living with mental illness, current pharmacological interventions are not providing adequate relief. However, new discoveries of what underlies psychiatric disease can lead to more targeted drug development, and more precise approaches to prescribing, dosing, and regulation. Experts will discuss remaining research gaps, bioethical questions, and new opportunities for targeted drug development for mood disorders and psychosis.

Advances in the Chemistry of CO2 Capture
March 9
Advances in carbon dioxide capture technologies are emerging rapidly. This webinar will review available technologies, explore the chemical and engineering challenges in finding improved capture agents, and describe new technologies under development.

Rapid Response by Laboratory Animal Research Institutions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
March 9 and 10
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted institutional animal research programs and day-to-day animal facility operations nationwide, including delaying research to advance science toward ending the ongoing pandemic. This workshop will discuss lessons learned from pandemic, including outlining institutional animal research priorities.

Vital Directions for Health and Health Care: Priorities for 2021
March 11
Beginning with an introduction co-authored by National Academy of Medicine President Victor Dzau, Health Affairs recently released five commentaries from the NAM’s Vital Directions for Health and Health Care initiative, which aims to provide evidence-based analysis on high-priority issues for the new administration.  This virtual briefing will include a panel discussion on the key health policy recommendations within the series, moderated by Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil.

Advancing Health, Transforming Education, and Neighborhood Conditions and Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System
March 11, 15, and 18
Sessions at this workshop will discuss the social, economic, and educational factors that drive racial inequalities in the criminal justice system, in addition to promising interventions and policies.

Texting While Driving: Implications of Legislation on Electronic Devices
March 15
Although using electronic devices while driving is clearly unsafe, legislation and enforcement is inconsistent throughout the United States. This webinar will review current electronic device use laws and enforcement strategies. Presenters will discuss public awareness strategies and successes in various jurisdictions. They will also identify key deliverables designed to share best practices with stakeholders.

U.S. Health Care Expenditures: Costs, Lessons, and Opportunities
March 15 and 16
This workshop will examine why rising medical care expenditures are a problem; opportunities to curb these expenses at the national, state, and local levels; and approaches to reprioritize and shift spending from “sick care” to the drivers of health such as public health infrastructure, education, and social services.

The Ubiquitous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: UAVs for Infrastructure Monitoring
March 16
This webinar will explore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, for the purposes of monitoring geotechnical infrastructure. Presenters will discuss Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, UAV platforms, and their infrastructure monitoring applications.

Examining the Long-Term Health and Economic Effects of Antimicrobial Resistance in the United States
March 16 and 19
Experts will discuss emerging treatments for drug-resistant infections, as well as Medicare reimbursement for new antibiotics. They will also examine the challenges of using genomic data for surveillance and the role of next-generation sequencing and predictive modeling. This meeting will inform a consensus study.

Moving Past COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Responses Around the World
March 17
This webinar, the first in a series, will examine what a resilient recovery from COVID-19 might look like for the U.S. and the world. Panelists will explain why we should think about the COVID-19 pandemic as a “syndemic” — the collision of a pandemic with political and social challenges. Featured presentations will examine the anticipated long-term impacts of COVID-19 (and other emergent pandemics) on human health and social behaviors, economic development, public trust in authority, and the management of misinformation.

Examining Organ Transplantation and Disability
March 22 and 23
This workshop will examine disability associated with organ transplantation, particularly those of the kidney, liver, and lung. Presentations will explain the current tests used to assess mental and physical health following organ transplantation; the available treatments used to improve health for recipients of organ transplants; and recent medical advances that may improve health and prevent prolonged disability post-transplant.

Transforming the Clinical Trials Enterprise for 2030
March 24
This third workshop in a series will consider how the intentional use of new technologies could improve clinical trials in the next decade. Discussions will explore the convergence and integration of clinical research and clinical practice; data sharing and management; and efficient, engaging scientific communication.

Real-Time Response: A Pandemic Playbook for Public Transportation Agencies
March 30
How can public transportation agencies respond efficiently and effectively to a pandemic? This webinar will discuss the Pandemic Playbook, a practical guide for managing a public transportation agency’s response to a pandemic, concentrating on what needs to be done when and by whom. Presenters will address key questions and decisions to assist agencies in determining their responses to the pandemic and challenges that agencies may face with potential solutions to those challenges.

Reports Scheduled for Release in March

Release dates for the following consensus reports and proceedings from the National Academies depend on successful completion of the review process and publishing schedules. Reporters who would like to be notified when a report is due for release should contact the Office of News and Public Information (e-mail news@nas.edu) and ask to be placed on a contact list.

Evaluating Hearing Loss for Individuals with Cochlear Implants
Recommends testing procedures and criteria for evaluating the level of functional hearing ability needed to make a disability determination in adults and children after cochlear implantation.

High and Rising Mortality Rates Among Working-Age Adults
This report will identify the key drivers of rising mid-life mortality rates, widening social differentials, and factors that might alleviate poor health. It will also make recommendations for future research and data collection and discuss implications for public policy.

Independent Scientific Review of Everglades Restoration Progress VIII
The eighth in a series of biennial reviews, this report will review Everglades restoration progress and offer advice on scientific and engineering issues.

Review of Specific Programs in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA)
This report, the second in a series of three, will review outcomes achieved by four specific programs funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as authorized by CARA. The first report recommended the outcomes and metrics these four grantees should collect and report to SAMHSA. This report will assess whether the four programs are meeting their intended goals.

Sexually Transmitted Infections: Adopting a Sexual Health Paradigm
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been delaying routine health care visits — including testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This report will review the economic burden of STIs, barriers to testing and treatment, and the current state of diagnostics, vaccines, and monitoring and surveillance. It provides recommendations on future public health programs, policy, and research in STI prevention and control.

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