Dr. Johnny Barba is a first-generation college student from the Village of Byesville in rural Ohio Appalachia, where he looks forward to establishing a rural Dermatology clinic and residency program after his training here at THE Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in 2029. Dr. Barba is a graduate from Meadowbrook High School, Muskingum University and THE Ohio State College of Medicine and Public Health whereby he graduated from each as valedictorian while earning a 4.0 GPA. His Master of Public Health focused on addressing rural Appalachian health disparities and grant writing which he has used to create the Dr. Disc Golf initiative that has transformed the beautiful Appalachian nature into three-disc golf courses with walking paths to promote healthy living in his community. With a passion for medical education, he is an active editor and author for First Aid USMLE-Rx. Dr. Barba’s favorite quote is to “Do small things with great love” and, to him, the best small thing you can do with great love is put a smile on someone’s face. 
Originally from Appalachian Ohio, Lori Criss has been immersed in the health care field since 1992 and now serves as the Executive Director of The Ohio State University’s Appalachian and Rural Center for Health. Immediately before coming to this role, Criss served for five years as the Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, a Cabinet position appointed by Governor Mike DeWine. With an annual budget of over $1.2 billion and directing 3,000 staff, Criss led strategic planning for the state’s behavioral health system. After earning her master’s in social work from Ohio State, Lori was engrossed in addressing illnesses causing premature death for Ohioans and led operations for a community behavioral health center with integrated housing and recovery supports for homeless families. Criss served as CEO of a trade association for behavioral health providers, leading policy and advocacy work on state and federal financing and regulation affecting the behavioral health industry.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced a major change to grant application and reporting requirements. Effective January 25, 2026, NIH will adopt the Biographical Sketch Common Form and the Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form, in accordance with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum on the use of common disclosure forms.
This policy applies to grant applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) submissions, Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs), and prior approval requests. Institutions and researchers must prepare for these changes to ensure compliance.
The new Biographical Sketch Common Form replaces the current NIH biosketch format. It will be paired with an NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement, both completed through SciENcv.
Researchers should begin familiarizing themselves with SciENcv, linking their ORCID iD to their eRA Commons account, and reviewing draft templates already available. Institutions should update training programs and disclosure policies to meet NIH's requirements.
❗❗Troubleshooting may require multiple business days. Start early. ❗❗
Need support?
Guide to connecting ORCID, eRA Commons and SciENcv
Register for the Health Sciences Library workshop on March 11
Julie Johnson, PharmD, is the Director and Principal Investigator at The Ohio State University Clinical and Translational Science Institute.