Description/Mission Statement

The Aging Special Interest Group aims to use behavioral science to understand and enhance people’s health, well-being, and functioning as they age.

Goals:

• To examine the influence of psychosocial, cultural, environmental, and policy factors on aging-related processes and health in older adulthood.
• To address behavioral factors that contribute to common chronic conditions among older adults, including multiple comorbid conditions, cognitive problems, and geriatric syndromes.
• To address special issues of behavior change among older adults, in order to maximize their benefits from behavioral interventions.
• To promote the inclusion of diverse older adults in behavioral research.
• To foster collaboration on aging research among SIG members and across SBM.
   

Areas of expertise among Aging SIG members:
A snapshot of our members’ aging research expertise includes:

• Physical activity and other lifestyle factors
• Cognitive health
• Care partner well-being
• Multimorbidity
• Geriatric mental health
• Community engagement
• Implementation science
• Intervention development
• Digital health
   

SIG leadership positions:

Outgoing Chair: Sarah Bannon, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Chair: Irina Mindlis, PhD, MPH, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University
Incoming Chair: Allison Marziliano, PhD, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health
Communications and Collaborations Chair: Jacqueline Guzman, PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin
Student Liaison: Diana Morales, PhD Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 

Awards

The Aging SIG offers awards for excellent aging research at SBM.

• Outstanding Student Research in Aging Award: Acknowledges high-caliber aging-related student research at SBM
• Promoting Health Equity in Aging Award: Recognizes high-caliber research that advances health equity in aging
• Local Innovator Award: Honors a local organization conducting high-impact work relevant to the advancement of older adult behavior change

To be considered for an Aging SIG Award, individuals need to fill out a brief application form, which is circulated through our Aging SIG Listserv prior to the annual meeting.

Recent Aging SIG award recipients:

Outstanding Student Research in Aging Award
2026 – Chih-Liang (Arthur) Wang, BA – Doctoral Candidate, University of South Carolina
“Beyond 24 Hours: Day-to-Day Links Between Affect and Movement Activities in Older Adult”

Promoting Health Equity in Aging Award
2026 – Evans F. Kyei, PhD, University of Alabama
“Housing as a Social Determinant of Health: Older Adults’ Experiences in Rural Government-Assisted Housing”

Early Career Research in Aging Award
2026 – Meghan K. Mattos, PhD

 

Recent Aging SIG Highlights

Recent webinars:

• “Non-Federal Funding for Behavioral Medicine Research (Part 1)” SBM Webinar in collaboration with the Health Equity SIG, Spring 2026

Peer-reviewed articles from the Aging SIG:

• Mace, R. A., Mattos, M. K., Vranceanu, A. (2022). Older adults can use technology: why healthcare professionals must overcome ageism in digital health. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 12(12),1102-1105. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibac070

Healthy Living and Outlook articles from the Aging SIG:

These recent articles, written by Aging SIG members for older adults and their loved ones, highlight useful take-aways from behavioral research:

• “Promoting healthy aging among older adults through food assistance advocacy”
• "Do older people need less sleep?"
• "A little movement is better than none: How small micro-workouts can have a big impact"
• “COVID-Safe Winter Physical Activity Ideas: A Special Focus on Older Adults”
• “Caring for an Older Adult? How to Detect Delirium in Your Loved One, and What You Can Do”
• “Physical Activity for Older Adults: It’s Never too Late to Improve Your Health”
• “Aging with HIV: Four Tips for Older Adults with HIV”
• “Insomnia in Older Adults: Tips to Master Sleep as We Age”

Opportunities to engage with the Aging SIG:

1. Join us as a member of the SIG!
   • Here are instructions for how to join a SIG:
     • Log in to the Members Only section.
     • Click My Profile.
     • Edit the SIG section under the Professional tab.
     • If you have questions or difficulty, email info@sbm.org.
   • By doing so, you will automatically receive listserv emails and invitations to our SIG meetings.
      
2. Attend a SIG meeting to get to know our members.
   • Information for our quarterly SIG meetings is sent to our member listserv. If you have any questions or would like to drop-in, please feel free to email the co-chairs for the meeting information.
      
3. Connect with the Aging SIG on social media.
   • Our Twitter account (@SBMAgingSIG) highlights Aging SIG members’ work, recent aging research, aging-related funding opportunities and professional development resources, and more.
      
4. Check out Healthy Living articles on aging and/or share them with a colleague, friend, or loved one.
    
5. Connect with the Aging SIG at the annual SBM conference.
   • Submit an aging-related abstract to the annual SBM conference, and/or collaborate with an Aging SIG member on a submission.
   • Attend Aging-track posters and talks at the conference to learn about the latest aging research in behavioral medicine and meet our members!
   • Say hello at our SIG Breakfast Meeting and networking events.