Women's Health

Description/Mission Statement

The Special Interest Group in Women’s Health is an interdisciplinary network of researchers, clinicians, educators, and public health advocates.

We focus on two core missions:

• Advancing Women's Health: Promoting impactful research, clinical and community interventions, policy updates, and professional mentoring.
• Empowering Professionals: Supporting the advancement of women and women’s issues within behavioral medicine.

 

Engage with Us!

1. To join the SIG roster or be added to the listserv
   1. Login to the Members Only section of the SBM website; click My Profile, and then edit the SIG section under the Professional tab. If you have questions or difficulty, please email info@sbm.org.
2. To network with other researchers in the Women’s Health SIG,
   1. Attend our quarterly SIG meetings (join our email listserv to receive notices of SIG meetings and other SIG-related announcements)
   2. Email the Co-Chairs or the email list to connect with others in your area of interest.
   3. Join the Women’s Health SIG LinkedIn group at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14688079/
3. To join a sub-committee
   1. Please see information below.

 

Women’s Health SIG Subcommittees

Communications

This subcommittee publishes the SIG email newsletter and leads the Women’s Health SIG social media presence on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14688079/).
Leader: Natalie Papini
Members: Shana Byerley, Lea Cambranes, Elena Slater, Selina Willfort
Want to get involved? Questions? Please email: natalie.papini@nau.edu

Training

This subcommittee organizes webinars, often in collaboration with other SIGs, on topics related to women’s health and of interest to membership.
Leader: Tisha Felder
Members: Shannon Donofry, Cara Green
Want to get involved? Questions? Please email: feldert@mailbox.sc.edu
 

General Writing

This subcommittee hosts regular writing accountability group meetings and leads development of Outlook and Healthy Living articles.
Leader: Anna Strahm
Member(s): Kim Mueller
Want to get involved? Questions? Please email: Anna.Strahm@SanfordHealth.org
 

Grant Writing

This subcommittee organizes webinars and other professional development opportunities related to grant writing.
Leader(s): Yendelela Cuffee
Members: Cara Green, Gabrielle Hettie, Shania Kelly, Tory Suhy
Want to get involved? Questions? Please email: ylcuffee@udel.edu
 

Annual Meeting

This subcommittee works with members of the Women’s Health SIG (and often other SIGs) to develop and submit symposium and other abstracts to the Annual Meeting. This subcommittee also facilitates abstract awards and organizes SIG networking events at the Annual Meeting.
Leader: Kris Zimmerman
Members: Shannon Donofry, Cara Green, Gabrielle Hettie, Kim Mueller, A’Naja Newsome
Want to get involved? Questions? Please email: kzimme3@uic.edu
 

Stages of Women's Health

This new subcommittee facilitates the “Women in Midlife” drop-in group and supports other activities related to the phases of women’s lives.
Leader(s): Dani Arigo, Reema Clem
Members: Gabrielle Hettie, Kris Zimmermann

 

Women’s Health SIG Leadership

Current/Previous Chairs

2024-2025 Maimouna Kapram (Student/Trainee Co-Chair)
2023-2026 Anna Strahm, PhD
2023-2024 Liane Ventura, MPH (Student/Trainee Co-Chair)
2022-2025 Molly Waring, PhD
2022-2023 Natalie Papini, PhD, MA (Student/Trainee Co-Chair)
2021-2024 Rizwana Biviji, PhD, MS
2021-2022 Jodie Lisenbee, MA (Student/Trainee Co-Chair)
2018-2023 Alicia Dahl, PhD, MS
2018-2022 Veronica Njie-Carr, PhD, RN

 

Women’s Health SIG Abstract Awards

The Women's Health currently offers three different abstract awards for SIG members.

• Women’s Health SIG Outstanding Trainee Abstract Award
• Women’s Health SIG Outstanding Abstract Award
• Women’s Health SIG Outstanding Abstract Award – Addressing Conference Theme

At the 2026 Annual Meeting, we also introduced a “3-minute research presentation” for students and trainees who competed for best presentation during our Women’s Health SIG business meeting.

Here are our past award winners:

 

• Women’s Health SIG Outstanding Trainee Abstract Award
  • 2026: Abigaile Regal, BS "Associations between the Four Domain Food Insecurity Scale Scores and Mental Health Outcomes in a Pregnant Sample"
  • 2025: Jerik Leung "Confirming the Factor Structure of the Superwoman Schema Instrument in a Cohort of Black women with Lupus"
  • 2024: Savannah Reitzel, MPH "Women Leading Healthy Change: Improving sexual education among justice-involved women as an opportunity for enhanced re-entry"
  • 2023: Gabrielle Salvatore, PhD “Women’s Experiences with Mobile Applications for Self-Monitoring of Physical Activity and the Menstrual Cycle”
  • 2022: Natalie M. Papini PhD, MA “Self-Compassion and Body Image in Pregnancy and Postpartum: An RCT of a Brief Self-Compassion Meditation Intervention” 
• Women’s Health SIG Outstanding Abstract Award
  • 2026: Danielle Symons Downs, PhD, FNAK “Feasibility and Early Outcomes of a Digital Platform for Managing Gestational Weight Gain in Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity”
  • 2025: Alicia Allen, PhD "Early Postpartum Pain Predicts Opioid Cravings"
  • 2024: Lorraine O. Walker, EdD, MPH, FSBM "What are the leading stressors and associated risk factors for women during the extended postpartum period?"
  • 2023: Kailey Snyder, PhD, MS “Application of the MOST Framework to Address Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in Rural Postpartum Mothers: The Preparation”
  • 2022: Alison E. Hipwell, PhD, PsyD “BMI Trajectories from Pre-Pregnancy to postpartum among Young Black Women” 
• Women’s Health SIG Outstanding Abstract Award – Addressing Conference Theme
  • 2026: Danielle Symons Downs, PhD, FNAK “Feasibility and Early Outcomes of a Digital Platform for Managing Gestational Weight Gain in Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity”
  • 2025: Marie Hayes, PhD “Conversations Around Perinatal Cannabis Use: Provider Perspectives”
  • 2024: Sara Folta, PhD "Formative research to develop a home-delivery produce prescription program for pregnant patients"
  • 2023: Liane Ventura, MPH “Immediate Postpartum Contraception Provision during the Choose Well Initiative in South Carolina: A Qualitative Analysis”
  • 2022: Meghan Sharp, PhD “Transitioning a postpartum mental health support group to telehealth in COVID-19"
• 3-Minute Research Presentation Award
  • 2026: Shalini Venkat, “Exploring health vulnerabilities faced by postpartum individuals with PCOS: Importance of providers’ validating communication”
     

To be considered for a Women’s Health SIG abstract award, when submitting an abstract to the SBM Annual Meeting, select the "Women's Health" topic area if it's relevant to your work. Accepted abstracts with this topical focus are peer reviewed and scored by SIG members for award consideration. (Email Co-Chairs if you’d like to volunteer to review abstracts!) Abstract winners will be notified by email at least one month before the annual meeting.

 

Position Statements

• Protect abortion rights

 

Healthy Living Articles

• Choosing the Right Postpartum Birth Control Option for You
• Caring for your Mental Health as an LGBTQIA+ Individual
• Finding the Best Pregnancy App to Support Your Health
• Social Media and Pregnancy: How the Digital Age Drives Weight Stigma
• Regular mammograms are beneficial, but don’t forget your breasts the rest of the year
• Promoting health and wellbeing for survivors of sexual violence
• Women’s Health: Facts about Birth Control, STIs and Condoms
• Women’s Heart Health Part 1: What to Know about Women and Heart Disease across the Lifespan
• Women’s Heart Health Part 2: Keys to Preventing Heart Disease and Managing Heart Health for Women
• Women’s Heart Health, Part 3: Tips for Talking to your Doctor
• A Guide to Preconception Health Considerations
• Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

 

Outlook Articles

• Period Politics: Policies to address Period Poverty
• National Data Related to Reproductive Health and Health Care – Where to Go When You Need Quick Statistics About the Health of Persons Who are or May Become Pregnant
• Community-engaged Research at the Society of Behavioral Medicine: Reflecting on Partner Perspectives
• The power of advocacy: Two leaders discuss health policy advocacy for women, children and families
• Pandemic parenting: Challenges and silver lining
• Countering the Negative Health Effects of Racial Injustice and Systemic Racism
• An Interview with Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell on Mentoring and Mentorship
• Expansion of Women’s Health Research: Addressing Maternal Distress in the NICU