M. Safwan Badr, M.D., M.B.A., chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine, has been appointed chair of the Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Emotion, Stress and Health Study Section of the Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Badr, a professor of Internal Medicine, of Physiology and of Biomedical Engineering, is chief of the WSU Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He will serve as chair of the Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Emotion, Stress and Health Study Section beginning this July 1 through June 30, 2019.

"It's an honor to give back to the scientific community. It's labor of love," Dr. Badr said. "The chair's role is to lead the discussion to ensure fair and thorough review of all applications."

Study sections review NIH grant applications, make recommendations to the appropriate national advisory councils and survey the status of research in their respective fields. Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, scientific publications and other achievements and honors.

The Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Emotion, Stress and Health Study Section reviews applications on the interactions of psychological stress and emotion states with physical and mental illness and health, with a particular emphasis on the mediational role of stress- and emotion-responsive biological systems. The section covers clinical studies related to the interaction of normative and disordered sleep and circadian rhythms with physical and mental health outcomes.