Intervention Optimization

Description/Mission Statement

The Optimization of Behavioral and Biobehavioral Interventions (OBBI) SIG provides opportunities for behavioral scientists and methodologists to network, learn, and discuss formal optimization of interventions. The field of intervention optimization refers to “the process of achieving a strategic balance of intervention effectiveness, affordability, scalability, and efficiency.” In other words, the goal is to achieve intervention EASE. The mission of the SIG is to:

1. foster networking and discussion on the topic of optimization of behavioral interventions
2. facilitate learning and application of methods for optimization of behavioral and biobehavioral interventions
3. foster expansion and improvement of methodology for intervention optimization
4. encourage and help the scientific public (e.g., those who review grant proposals) to become more familiar with intervention optimization methods

 

Opportunities to Engage with the OBBI SIG

1. Join the SIG roster or be added or removed from the listserv: Log in to the Members Only section of the SBM website, click “Profile” → click on the “Professional” tab → Under "SBM Special Interest Groups," scroll through the list and select "Optimization of Behavioral and Biobehavioral Interventions" → click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page. If you have questions or difficulty, email info@sbm.org.
    
2. Get feedback on your intervention optimization-related work! Want to brainstorm your optimization-related grant idea, study idea, or publication idea? In these 1-hour feedback sessions, called “Mind Mapping MOST,” you can present your ideas and receive feedback from colleagues on optimization-related grants, studies, or papers. Sign up to present via this brief Google Form: https://forms.gle/M6uhJgCbZjuHX7yi9
    
3. Attend our “How To… series”! Learn from experts and peers about applications of intervention optimization in research studies, grants, and manuscripts. Sign up for our SIG (see #1) to receive email updates on the series.
    
4. Share your intervention optimization related updates! Did you receive a grant or publish an article related to MOST/intervention optimization? Email the title and URL to Danielle Ostendorf (Chair) at dostendo@utk.edu. Have your work highlighted in our OBBI newsletter!
   1. Submit your new grants & studies here: https://forms.gle/3HBtCGibxR8edraa6
   2. Submit your publications here: https://forms.gle/V565HgW47cbrGR7B8
       
5. Suggest ideas! Do you have an idea for the OBBI SIG? Submit it to our Suggestion Box: https://forms.gle/R36vdnBHLmQJMBCx7
    
6. Join a writing accountability group. Email Shena Gazaway at gazaways@uab.edu.
    
7. Volunteer with the OBBI SIG! Have an idea for a webinar? Want to help with the OBBI newsletter? Interested in writing a Healthy Living or Outlook article? Email Danielle Ostendorf (Chair) at dostendo@utk.edu.

 

Awards Committee (award review and selection)
Upcoming Chairs will include the most recent awardees
Past Chairs: 

• 2025-2026: Shelley Patel, PhD; Danielle Ostendorf, PhD; Isabel Ropper, BA; Annalisa Lim, MSPH; and Jojo Kwok, PhD
• 2024-2025: McKenzie Roddy, PhD & Megan Renna, PhD

 

OBBI SIG Awards

The OBBI SIG currently offers several annual awards for members:

OBBI SIG Up and Coming Award Recipients:

• 2026: Bingjing Mao, PhD
• 2025: Isabel Rooper, BA
• 2024: McKenzie Roddy, PhD & Megan Renna, PhD
• 2023: Michele (Shelley) Patel, PhD
• 2022: Yohansa Fernández, PhD
• 2021: Sara Vargus, PhD

OBBI SIG Research Abstract Award Recipients:

• 2026: Gina Wren, DPhil
• 2025: Carly Goldstein, PhD (Professional) & Annalisa Lim, BS (Trainee)
• 2023: Sophie Green
• 2022: Payton Solk, PhD & Sahar Hojjatinia, PhD
• 2021: Jillian Strayhorn, PhD & Stephanie Goldstein, PhD

OBBI SIG Outstanding Optimization Mentor Award Recipients:

• 2026: Lizbeth ‘Libby’ Benson, PhD
• 2025: Jojo Yan Yan Kwok, PhD

OBBI SIG Key Contributor to Intervention Optimization Award

• 2026: Stephanie Carpenter, PhD

 

To be considered for an OBBI SIG award, individuals need to fill out a brief award application form. It is circulated on the OBBI listserv a few months prior to the annual meeting. 

 

OBBI SIG Board

Current Board:

Chair: Danielle Ostendorf, PhD, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Co-Chair: Lizbeth ‘Libby’ Benson, PhD, University of Michigan
Past Chair: Michele ‘Shelley’ Patel, PhD, Stanford University
Trainee Liaison: Jingchuan Wu, PhD, The University of Arkansas
Trainee Liaison: Diana Rosenthal, PhD, New York University

 

Recent Previous Chairs:
2024-2025 Rachel Wells, PhD
2023-2024 Siobhan Phillips, PhD
2022-2023 Heather Wasser, PhD
2021-2022 Ahnalee Brincks, PhD
2020-2021 Angela Pfammatter, PhD
2019-2020 Sara St. George, PhD
2018-2019 David Cavallo, PhD
2017-2018 Thelma Mielenz, PhD

Recent Previous Trainee Liaisons:
2025-2026 Emily Hill, PhD

 

OBBI SIG Outlook Articles

2025: MOST Made Simple: How to Avoid Common Errors when Publishing your Preparation Phase Research
2024: Designing Better Behavior Change Interventions: A Case Study on Selecting Components with Dr. Susan Brown
2023: A Glimpse into the Future of Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST): A conversation with Dr. Jillian Strayhorn
2022: When K is More than Just a Letter: Top Tips and Consideration for Early Career Investigators
2021: Resources for Researchers Interested in Intervention Optimization
2020: Running an Optimization Trial during COVID-19: Adaptations and Considerations from the Field
2019: SBM Past-President Dr. Gary Bennett Shares His Experiences Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST)
2018: OBBI SIG Interview: Sara Hoffman Shares Her Takeaways from a NIH Optimization Training Course
2017: OBBI SIG Talks with Daniel Almirall about Experimental Designs for Adaptive Interventions
2016: Linda Collins Talks Strategies for Optimizing Behavioral Interventions
2015: Optimization of Behavioral Interventions SIG Talks with Bonnie Spring about her Study of Weight Loss Program Components

 

Optimization-related Webinars

• Optimizing Project Management in Complex Behavioral Clinical Trials: From Chaos to Coordination
• Making Sense of the Latest Developments in Decision-Making in MOST
• Applied Examples of the Preparation Phase of MOST: Preparing for Optimization
• Ideas for a Successful NIH K application for MOST Optimization Research
• Getting Optimization Work Funded in your Career Stage
• Choosing the Right Research Design in the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST)
• Presidential Symposium: From Ideas to Interventions: A Review of Frameworks for Designing and Optimizing Health-Related Behavioral Interventions
• Integrating the Multiphase Optimization Strategy and the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology
• Optimization of Behavioral Interventions: An Illustrative Example of an Adaptive Intervention
• Getting SMART about Developing Adaptive Behavioral Interventions
• Introduction to Optimization of Behavioral and Biobehavioral Interventions

Additional webinars can be found on the SBM member page (Webinar Series).