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Reviewer Selection & Training

All NREPP reviewers are recruited, selected, and approved by SAMHSA based on their experience and areas of expertise. The reviewer qualifications required for Quality of Research and Readiness for Dissemination differ because of the different kinds of expertise needed for these two areas. For more information, see the Qualifications/Minimum Requirements for Reviewers listed below.

Once approved by SAMHSA, reviewers participate in at least 2 hours of training on the procedures and criteria they will use to rate interventions. Reviewers are paid for their participation in the training as well as any preparation time. Training is typically done via Web conferencing.

Reviewers are required to sign a Conflict of Interest disclosure statement for each intervention they review. This ensures they have no professional ties or financial or other interests in the intervention that could prevent an objective review.

SAMHSA does not assign reviewers to specific interventions. Instead, assignments are made by NREPP contract staff. Interventions are matched with reviewers having appropriate qualifications and the most relevant experience and content knowledge. The identity of reviewers assigned to reviews is kept confidential from both SAMHSA and the applicant.

Qualifications/Minimum Requirements for Reviewers

Quality of Research Reviewers

Quality of Research reviewers must possess:

• A doctoral-level degree
• A strong background and understanding of current methods of evaluating prevention and treatment interventions

In addition, candidates who have direct experience providing prevention and/or treatment services are preferred.

Readiness for Dissemination Reviewers

Readiness for Dissemination reviewers are selected from two categories: direct service experts (including both providers and consumers of services), or experts in the field of implementation.

For direct service experts, the minimum qualifications include:

• Previous experience evaluating prevention or treatment interventions
• Knowledge of mental health or substance abuse prevention or treatment content areas

For implementation experts, the minimum qualifications include:

• Previous experience implementing interventions, doing evaluation work in service settings, and/or conducting research across interventions
• Knowledge of mental health or substance abuse prevention or treatment content areas

If you are interested in becoming a reviewer for NREPP, please send an email to nrepp@samhsa.hhs.gov that includes a description of your professional background/areas of expertise and your resume or CV.