Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine

Contact Information:
Co-Chair: Sherri Sheinfeld-Gorin, PhD: sherri.gorin@gmail.com
Co-Chair: Karen Oliver, PhD: Karen_Oliver@brown.edu

Description/Mission Statement:
Evidence-based medicine has recently come to the forefront as an approach by which to evaluate and practice medicine. Evidence-based behavioral medicine (EBBM) is a relatively young field that has similar purposes. Researchers, clinicians, students, and policy makers may all wish to become better acquainted with the history, principles, and future directions of this field. In addition to hosting a breakfast session at the annual Society of Behavioral Medicine conventions, the EBBM Special Interest Group (SIG) also has a listserv for contact among those interested in EBBM.

Items forwarded to the EBBM Special Interest Group (SIG) listserv: Articles of interest

The EBBM SIG has issued a call for applications for their Outstanding Student/Trainee Award in Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine, to be presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting in New Orleans

This award honors students and trainees whose presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) represents a significant contribution to evidence-based behavioral medicine.

The award is sponsored by the Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine Special Interest Group (EBBM-SIG) and will be presented at EBBM-SIG’s breakfast roundtable during SBM’s Annual Meeting. Awardees will receive a plaque and an honorarium of $250.00.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be first author on an abstract accepted for presentation at the SBM Annual Meeting;
• Be enrolled as student/trainee member of SBM;
• Submit work that is relevant to the field of evidence-based behavioral medicine.

Identification of eligible abstracts will be based on nominations (including self-), students’ selection of the EBBM-SIG on their submission for the SBM Annual Meeting, or our search of relevant keywords and abstract titles among the accepted abstracts.

Nominations may be sent by email to the EBBM-SIG Student Award Coordinator (E. Amy Janke at e.janke@usciences.edu) by January 31, 2012. To nominate a student/trainee for an award, please forward only the student’s name and the title of the abstract. Letters of support are not required.

Selection Criteria:

Each abstract will be scored by three reviewers from 1-9 points—with 1 the best score—using the following criteria:

Significance. Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field of EBBM? How will scientific knowledge, technical capability, or clinical practice be improved through the project? How will the project change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions within EBBM? Does the project have the ability to influence EBBM policy or practice?

Innovation. Does the application challenge and seek to shift current EBBM research, clinical applications, or policy by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

Approach. Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate?

The student/trainee who receives the highest score on his or her abstract will be selected for the award. The awardee will also be required to present a brief summary of his or her research at the EBBM-SIG breakfast roundtable.

About the EBBM SIG:

The Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine SIG connects an interdisciplinary group of professionals from all over the world with interests in health promotion, disease prevention, health care, behavioral and psychosocial interventions, and research methodology. While we’re a heterogeneous group, we share an interest in one or more of the following areas:

1. Creating an evidence base that allows us to compare treatments, evaluate intervention effects and efficiency, and choose the most promising and feasible intervention strategy for specific client(s). Our members are interested in creating and evaluating guidelines for the conduct and report of randomized controlled trials and other systematic research, conducting meta-analyses and assessing their results, and guiding practitioners in the use of evidence with their clients.
    
2. Improving research methodology by educating members about the strengths and weaknesses of research strategies and statistical solutions; fostering critical thinking and a rigorous evaluation of the available literature; and discussing how to improve the quality of both the evidence base and evidence-based practice decisions.
    
3. Translating evidence-based knowledge into evidence-based behavioral practice (EBBP), including: searching the literature; finding the most relevant evidence; and assisting with decision-making around the most promising treatment strategies for client(s).