The White House Announces Scientific Integrity Task Force Formal Launch and Co-Chairs

46 Task Force Members Will Convene for the First Time on Friday, May 14

*See updated agencies below, marked by an asterisk.

Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the co-chairs and formal launch of its Scientific Integrity Task Force.

Convening for the first time on Friday, May 14, the 46-member Task Force – including 44 from across the federal government and two leaders from OSTP – will begin its work in responding to President Biden’s call to action to strengthen federal science in his Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking.

By mobilizing this Task Force, OSTP is inaugurating a whole-of-government process that will lift up the voices of Federal scientists of many perspectives and backgrounds, in order to ensure that scientific integrity is paramount in Federal governance for years to come. The Task Force will review existing Federal scientific-integrity policies to identify effective solutions that will help improve the lives of the American people, inform innovative and equitable policy, and revitalize the confidence of the American public in its government.

In addition to leadership by OSTP Deputy Director for Science and Society Dr. Alondra Nelson, with assistance from OSTP Deputy Director for Climate and Energy Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the Task Force will be co-chaired by:

• Dr. Francesca Grifo, Scientific Integrity Official, Environmental Protection Agency
• Dr. Anne Ricciuti, Deputy Director for Science, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education
• Dr. Craig Robinson, Director, Office of Science Quality and Integrity, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
• Mr. Jerry Sheehan, Deputy Director, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

“Scientific and technological information, data, and evidence are key to the development of effective policies and equitable program delivery throughout government,” wrote OSTP Deputy Directors Nelson and Lubchenco to Scientific Integrity Task Force co-chairs and members. “As evidence-based policymaking becomes increasingly central to the work of the Federal government, it is important to affirm, strengthen, and safeguard the policies, procedures, and diverse and inclusive communities of practice that facilitate the production of rigorous research evidence, free from interference or intervention.”

The Scientific Integrity Task Force is established under the Executive Office of the President’s National Science and Technology Council as the Fast-Track Action Committee on Scientific Integrity. As such, meetings are limited to Executive Branch staff including Federal agency staff. Federal agencies joining the Task Force include:

• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Department of Commerce (National Institute of Standards and Technology; U.S. Census Bureau; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
• U.S. Department of Defense
• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Department of Energy
• Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (National Institutes of Health; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response)
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• U.S. Department of the Interior (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management; National Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Geological Survey)
• United States Agency for International Development *
• U.S. Department of Justice (National Institute of Justice)
• U.S. Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Executive Office of the President (Office of Management and Budget)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• National Science Foundation
• Executive Office of the President (Office of Science and Technology Policy)
• Smithsonian Institution
• U.S. Department of State
• U.S. Department of Transportation
• U.S. Department of the Treasury
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

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