Society of Behavioral Medicine 2019 Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions - PROJECT ABSTRACT
The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) will hold its 40th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions from March
6-9, 2019, in Washington, DC. This application seeks funding in support of meeting programming addressing
the following specific aims: (1) to train attendees in the skills necessary to effectively engage diverse
stakeholders (e.g., patients, policymakers, community leaders, industry leaders) in their research to enhance
the impact of behavioral medicine on individual and population health; (2) to provide guidance to attendees on
how they can disseminate their research findings and scientific knowledge to larger audiences by leveraging
new media and public speaking and writing opportunities, with the goal of increasing public awareness of the
behavioral medicine field, disseminating evidence-based information about health promotion and disease
prevention, and ultimately enhancing the impact of the field on public health; (3) to enhance the diversity of
behavioral medicine professionals by providing mentoring, leadership training, professional development, and
employment networking opportunities; and (4) to enhance the methodological rigor of behavioral medicine
research by having expert-led discussions on clinical trial methodology, reproducibility, open science, and
interdisciplinary collaboration to produce new theoretical models and methods. SBM is the nation’s leading
scientific society dedicated to behavioral medicine, representing approximately 2,400 researchers and
clinicians from more than 20 disciplines. SBM’s members include researchers, clinicians, educators, and
industry professionals who focus on the development and integration of behavioral, psychosocial, and
biomedical theory, knowledge, and interventions relevant to the understanding of health and disease. They
work to understand, prevent, and treat chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases,
diabetes, and cancer. They conduct research and translate findings into real-world settings to improve lives
while also reducing healthcare costs. SBM’s annual meetings are the premier forum for disseminating
behavioral medicine’s important ideas and breakthroughs. The meeting’s educational sessions, networking
events, and exhibit halls facilitate exchange of information and ideas. Attendees apply the knowledge gained to
disease prevention and management, and development of innovative research designs, effective interventions
and strategies, and evidence-based policies. SBM meetings feature high-impact plenary speakers who present
topics such as “Social Divides and Health Divides” (Sandro Galea, MD, MPH, DrPH, 2018). The 2019 SBM
Annual Meeting will be attended by an estimated 2,100 individuals from the United States and abroad,
featuring more than 1,500 presentations. The meeting theme is “Leading the Narrative," with sessions
energizing attendees to communicate their science to the public and increase behavioral medicine’s visibility in
public discourse about health. Most of our country's health challenges have behavioral origins, which makes
this focus and SBM’s vision of “better health through behavior change” more important than ever.
