“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 2022
All facilities of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are closed. 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.

COVID-19 and the Digital Divide
March 3
This webinar will explore the consequences of COVID-19 on internet access and the digital divide, examining unequal access to internet infrastructure, connectivity, and affordability. Speakers will discuss how pandemic recovery efforts can contribute to easing these inequities over the long term. 

Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Examining Federal Regulations and Laws
March 3 and 4
In the U.S., most people who take methadone to treat opioid use disorder must do so under observation in a special clinic, but many communities lack such clinics. Further, federal and state regulations gave posed restrictions on how often methadone can be administered. This workshop will examine options to modify federal laws and regulations to expand access to quality treatment with methadone. It will also discuss lessons learned from COVID-19 to minimize barriers to how patients receive treatment.

Mobility and Transit: Keys to Successful Collaboration
March 9
This webinar will discuss how transit agencies can collaborate to deploy micromobility options like shared bikes and scooters. Speakers will address micromobility devices and operations models, demographics of users, best practices, and more.

The Use of Telehealth for Disability Evaluations
March 9 and 10
This workshop will examine the challenges of conducting patient disability evaluations via telehealth visits. Panelists will also address the impact of the digital divide on telehealth access, privacy and cybersecurity concerns, and policies for providing telehealth across state lines.

Clinician Retention in the Era of COVID
March 15
In response to staffing shortages and the acute challenges of COVID-19, this meeting hosted by the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience will gather industry leaders, company executives, and front-line health care workers to share perspectives on challenges and barriers, pinpoint solutions, and discuss actionable strategies to mitigate burnout and strengthen the health care workforce.

Long-Term COVID-19 and Work-Related Disability
March 21 and 22
Thousands of Americans are contending with the long-term and potentially disabling effects of COVID-19, which has been called “long COVID.” This workshop will explore how the long-term health effects of COVID-19 may affect survivors’ ability to work and best practices to inform recovery.

Space Science Week
March 21-25
Sessions will discuss a wide array of issues and advances in the fields of space studies, physics, astronomy, aeronautics, and life sciences. Speakers will include NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, others from various space agencies, NOAA, NSF, and the USSF.

Exploring Psychedelics and Entactogens as Treatments for Psychiatric Disorders
March 29 and 30
Nearly one in five Americans live with a diagnosed mental illness such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This workshop will explore the potential of psychedelics (for example, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD]) and entactogens (such as methylenedioxy-methamphetamine [MDMA]) to alleviate mental illness, as well as future considerations for medical ethics and clinical trial design.

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.

Building Resilience into the Nation’s Medical Product Supply Chains
Requested by Congress in the CARES Act, this report examines the root causes of shortages of masks and personal protective equipment, medications, and other medical products used to treat COVID-19. It identifies ways to enhance the resilience and security of America’s medical product supply chains — both in so-called normal times and during public health emergencies.

Cross-Cutting Themes for U.S. Contributions to the Ocean Decade
In this report, the U.S. National Committee for the Ocean Decade will identify themes for the decade that incorporate the most promising research concepts in U.S. ocean science.

Leveraging Commercial Space for Earth and Ocean Remote Sensing
This report will make recommendations for ways the government can take advantage of rapid advances in the commercial space industry and the capabilities of small satellites. The report also identifies fields where small satellites can be used to provide transformative science advancements.

Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation for the National Institutes of Health
This report will outline guiding principles and best practices for collecting sexual orientation and gender identity information in research and surveys, in order to improve the National Institute of Health’s ability to identify and address the specific needs of LGBTQI+ populations.

The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality
This report will examine how our nation delivers, regulates, finances, and measures the quality of nursing home care, emphasizing challenges that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will address staffing shortages and strategies to retain a skilled workforce, opportunities to improve emergency preparedness within nursing homes, the influence of payment models on care delivery, and ways to honor the wishes of patients and families.

Patterns of Use and Health Effects of ‘Premium Cigars’ and Priority Research
There is no formal regulatory definition of a premium cigar, which makes research challenging. This report offers a working definition, assesses current knowledge about the health effects and of premium cigars, and how they compare with cigar and cigarette use. It also identifies priority areas for future research.

Physics of Life
The first decadal survey on biological physics, this report will identify key questions for researchers, assess educational and workforce needs, discuss the state of the field and its future, and make recommendations for how the U.S. research enterprise can realize the full potential of the field.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR REPORTERS

• The National Academies’ Newsroom
• PNAS in the News | Register to receive embargoed material from the PNAS News Office
• Reports and other publications from the National Academies
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