Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Mobile health (mHealth) platforms and wearable devices provide behavioral scientists with new tools to capture real-time physiological and behavioral data and deliver interventions when and where they are most needed. Data streams from smartphones and sensors (e.g., heart rate variability, activity, sleep, electrodermal activity) enable researchers to study health behaviors in context and to develop just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) that respond dynamically to participants’ lived experiences. Despite this promise, designing and deploying mHealth studies raises important scientific considerations, including selecting appropriate devices, ensuring data validity and feasibility, managing analytic complexity, and protecting privacy. This pre-conference course will serve as a practical tutorial on how to integrate mobile health tools into behavioral medicine research. Instructors will begin by comparing wearable devices in terms of capabilities, validity, feasibility, and levels of research data access. They will then provide a step-by-step framework for designing mHealth studies, including ecological momentary assessment, biosignal integration, and specification of digital intervention triggers using no-code platforms. Attendees will work through examples to map a behavioral intervention idea onto a mobile health study design, with guided discussion of analytic approaches for high-frequency data. The course will conclude with a hands-on activity in which participants transform an exemplary behavioral intervention into an app-based digital format using a no-code platform, demonstrating how quickly and effectively these methods can be applied to ongoing or planned research.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Learning health systems seek sustainable solutions to respond to complex demands of multi-level care systems. Human Centered Design (HCD) is an innovative participatory approach used to respond to priorities and challenges in complex learning health systems. HCD uses participatory methods to identify and understand human needs to inform the development of innovative solutions that improve human-centered practices. This immersive course objective is to demonstrate and model the practical use of HCD to develop user-centered design thinking skills for innovative solutions. Course facilitators will demonstrate HCD iterative processes and strategic approaches to generate solutions that address diverse perspectives. The aim is to put attendees at the center of the HCD experience through experiential learning. The course will include: (1) introduction to methods for incorporating human perspectives across the design process; (2) interactive small-group activities; and (3) immersive small-group planning and presentations. This course will provide practical, immersive exposure to HCD strategies, so attendees can innovate user-centered design changes in their learning health systems. This course will be divided into 2 components: (1) didactic instruction on HCD purpose, methods, and strategy; and (2) pragmatic experiential activities for skill building. During the first component, facilitators will contextualize HCD and present the purpose, key phases, principles, and benefits across learning health systems. Facilitators will expand on key concepts to incorporate human perspectives across design using illustrations of practical HCD examples across healthcare settings, with an overview of resources and references to provide necessary fundamentals to execute HCD. The second component will leverage interactive small-group engaged activities to elicit practical use of HCD to inform development and process design to solve real-world problems brought from the lived experiences of course participants. Facilitators will model HCD principles and activities throughout the course; however, audience members are encouraged to bring real-world examples to present as HCD opportunities. Real-time improvised engagement will facilitate conceptualization and strategy development and skill building for participants. The collective experience of this workshop will prepare attendees for effective integration of HCD into their efforts to innovate change in learning health systems.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

The Integrative Health and Spirituality SIG along with the Health Equity SIG are bringing together experts in the field of behavioral medicine to identify ways non-federal funding can help participants advance discovery and innovation. These funding pathways often have shorter timelines between submission and award than federal funding sources, provide researchers avenues for funding that may not align with the mission or emphasis of federal funders, and allow researchers to continue the advancement of research ideas during times of policy change and federal budget uncertainty. This workshop will allow participants the unique opportunity to learn from researchers who have received funding through non-federal sources as well as representatives of organizations who are sources of non-federal funding. Experienced researchers will talk about not just applying for and receiving funding but also the management of funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), American Diabetes Association, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as well as the practice of leveraging multiple sources of non-federal funding to support an overall program of research. Representatives from the American Psychological Foundation and the International Society for the Science of Existential Psychology will share their funding opportunities and strategies for developing a successful application. Unlike presentations on non-federal funding, this workshop gives attendees the opportunity to receive in-person mentorship from experts and time to develop an action plan that outlines their current funding needs and themes across their research to help them identify non-federal funding resources to support their current research agenda.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Partnering with communities in health research improves recruitment, retention, implementation, and dissemination and assures ethical and robust research protocols. Innovative community-engaged research (CER) methodologies are emerging that enhance needs assessment, community capacity building, intervention development, and evaluation. Although CER methods are critical to project success, they take time and resources, may add participant burden, or may be misperceived as less rigorous than traditional research methodologies. To help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers learn more about how to use CER methods in an impactful way, this workshop will overview planning considerations for which methods to use during each phase of research and describe rigorous and systematic protocols to conducting CER. Through a combination of hands-on experiential practice and authentic examples from presenters’ research, attendees will learn about photovoice, community profiling and story mapping, digital storytelling, intervention co-design, and impact dissemination. We will also show how CER methods can be paired with other rigorous tools, including intervention and implementation mapping, geographic information system technology, and eye tracking sensor technology to capture objective data. To demonstrate the flexibility and functionality of CER methods, we will use illustrative examples from our own work that show how they are being used within different phases of national (e.g., NIH, USDA) and internationally (e.g., Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases) funded projects that partner with youth, older adults, school staff, racial/ethnic minorities, and indigenous communities on physical activity, nutrition, cancer prevention, vaccination, and other health promotion projects. Attendees will learn about how data collected from CER methods can be applied in scientific decision-making processes and disseminated in scientific manuscripts, project reports, and policy briefs. Following completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to (1) describe systematic CER methods as tools for showcasing multiple types of knowledge and life experiences in data collection; (2) articulate strategies for creating open dialogue between researchers and the communities they serve through equitable power sharing, mutual trust, and respect; and (3) recognize approaches for collecting and reporting outcome data on CER processes to ensure rigor, sustainability, and meaningful impact.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as regular physical activity, consuming a healthy diet, and getting adequate sleep, are essential for reducing risk of, and managing, chronic (e.g., heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity) and neurodegenerative disease conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias) associated with aging. However, most older adults struggle to maintain these behaviors, and existing interventions promoting them have largely failed to achieve a meaningful real-world impact. Factors contributing to the lack of effective interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors among older adults have included: (a) the use of study designs that are misaligned with the stage of the research, and (b) insufficient attention to, and explicit testing of, the theoretical mechanisms targeted by the intervention. To address these limitations, the NIH developed a Stage Model to guide intervention development across the translational spectrum (e.g., from basic science to dissemination and implementation research) and has encouraged the use of an Experimental Medicine approach, which emphasizes understanding of how and why an intervention works by identifying and testing specific mechanisms of action, as opposed to traditional approaches that focus primarily on behavioral outcomes without assessing whether the underlying mechanisms targeted by the intervention were engaged. Together, these frameworks have the potential to enhance the scientific rigor and promote best practices for developing, testing, and implementing effective behavioral interventions for healthy aging. This pre-conference course will provide intervention researchers with an overview of how to integrate the NIH Stage Model and an Experimental Medicine approach to develop effective behavioral interventions. Through interactive presentations, group discussions, hands-on activities, and illustrative examples from the presenters’ NIH-funded programs of lifestyle intervention research, we will demonstrate how combining these frameworks can advance behavioral interventions for older adults. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own research ideas to actively engage in the hands-on components of the session. By the end of the course, participants will gain tangible skills and knowledge to apply these NIH frameworks to their own research, supporting the development, testing, and implementation of interventions that promote healthy aging.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

In an era of information overload, misinformation, and polarized public discourse on science, behavioral medicine professionals face an urgent challenge: how to make scientific evidence not just heard, but trusted and acted upon. Simply presenting the data is not enough. We must also learn how to persuade, build trust, and meaningfully engage with audiences whose experiences, values, and worldviews may differ sharply from our own. Storytelling is a powerful, evidence-based strategy that can meet this challenge by humanizing complex science, creating emotional resonance, and inspiring individual and collective action. In this interactive course, Dr. Monica Wang, national op-ed contributor, Executive Editor of Public Health Post, and author of the forthcoming trade book The Collective Cure (Beacon Press, February 2026), will share insights and techniques for how to craft a powerful story, translate research for public audiences, and weave narratives that bridge evidence and lived experience. This interactive course moves beyond reporting a story to developing the craft of how to tell a compelling story—bringing people, places, and stakes to life while threading research seamlessly through the narrative. Using case studies from The Collective Cure, real-world op-eds, and narrative-driven public health campaigns, attendees will identify the core elements of an effective health story, practice crafting their own, and receive feedback on tailoring narratives for diverse audiences. Learning Objectives: By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 1. Identify the core elements of a compelling story that captures attention, builds trust, and inspires action. 2. Select the right story for a target audience and craft interview questions that uncover vivid, authentic details. 3. Weave data seamlessly into narratives that are clear, accessible, and free of jargon. 4. Apply narrative techniques to a current or planned behavioral medicine project to maximize reach, resonance, and impact. This hands-on session is designed for researchers, clinicians, and health professionals seeking to expand the influence of their work and enhance their communication skills. Attendees will leave with a draft narrative, practical tools for audience engagement, and strategies for integrating storytelling into their scholarly, clinical, and advocacy efforts.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Facilitating dissemination & implementation (D&I) and knowledge translation (KT) in learning health systems requires capacity for rapid evidence integration. As innovative practices evolve, manuals; toolkits; and playbooks emerged to enhance promotion and uptake of best practices. Playbooks maximize KT efforts and drive impact across D&I health policy. The objective of this interactive course is to use an evidence-based approach for developing data-driven playbooks to build health policy KT capacity in learning health systems. This course uses participants’ real-world scenarios to support development, design, and implementation of playbooks to inform policy changes. Course participants will gain a fundamental understanding of the theoretical underpinnings, practical approaches, and resources needed to develop playbooks in diverse public health and policy settings. This course will be divided into 4 components: (1) introduction to the purpose, value, and use of playbooks; (2) tour of exemplar playbooks and components for blueprint development; (3) actionable steps and a layered multi-model iterative process for strategy and content development; and (4) interactive small group activity to develop a playbook blueprint. In the first component, facilitators will contextualize the use of playbooks and describe key characteristics to build health policy KT capacity in learning health systems. In the second component, facilitators will compare exemplary playbook components and describe the evidence-based user-centered approach for blueprint development. The third component will present seven actionable steps for playbook development within a layered multi-model iterative process. Facilitators will co-present methods and strategies to strategically develop and organize content through this multi-model approach. In the fourth component, facilitators will co-lead an interactive activity using worksheets with pre-determined prompts to guide participants through the strategic development of a playbook blueprint using real-world scenarios and applications. Facilitators will close the session with a practical discussion on recommendations for applying best practices, as well as embedded resources for post-course access. Upon course completion, participants will be able to identify how to strategically develop and organize playbook content, apply stylistic approaches and data visualizations, and package the product for maximum impact upon delivery.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Many evidenced-based digital health interventions fail to move into healthcare practice, limiting their public health impacts. Digital health interventions are often designed without attention to implementation, dissemination, and sustainability, leading to a poor fit between intervention and context. This results in ineffective interventions, wasted resources, and missed opportunities to improve health. Designing for Dissemination and Sustainability (D4DS) is a set of principles and methodologic approaches to engage community partners and integrate the perspectives of potential users and knowledge of the implementation context into intervention design from the outset. D4DS bridges gaps between knowledge and practice, accelerating the translation of discoveries into sustained impacts. The web-based D4DS Planner helps users collaboratively apply D4DS principles to maximize the potential of their work through the Education Hub and Action Planner. The Education Hub educates users on D4DS, including websites, journal articles, and videos. The Action Planner allows real-time or asynchronous collaboration through a series of interactive steps: identify partners, empathize/ outline the problem, understand the context, co-design your product, plan for dissemination/sustainability. The workshop will begin by introducing the importance of D4DS so attendees understand why D4DS is essential for ensuring the long-term success of digital health interventions. Then, the workshop will delve into the D4DS method and Planner. This segment will demonstrate how the Planner can help strategize and implement D4DS principles effectively. There will then be a discussion on measurement, focusing on how to thoughtfully measure implementation and dissemination efforts. After a break, the workshop will showcase a novel application of the D4DS approach, including measurement examples to provide practical context and demonstrate real-world application. Participants will then engage in a hands-on session applying D4DS principles directly to their projects. This interactive segment will help attendees develop tailored action plans using the D4DS Planner and integrate strategies into their research. The workshop will conclude with future directions of D4DS, emphasizing long-term goals and potential advancements in the field. This final segment aims to inspire attendees to think ahead proactively for the sustainability of their interventions to enhance their lasting impact.

Wednesday, April 22
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Many health interventions that show efficacy under controlled conditions face substantial challenges when they are implemented in real-world settings. Behavioral science is a key element of this translation into practice, and implementing change often occurs at various levels (e.g. individual, clinic, community, payor). Additionally, an Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) effectiveness in an applied context depends on careful adaptation, the development of the right implementation strategies for the right context, and the use of innovative study design methodologies to evaluate implementation efforts. Without structured guidance, adaptation and scale up efforts may compromise intervention effectiveness and implementation outcomes (e.g., fidelity), whereas inadequate reporting limits reproducibility, scalability, and long-term sustainability. Researchers and practitioners with advanced skills in dissemination and implementation (D&I) science methodologies are needed to help speed up the research-to-practice translation process for EBIs. To address these critical gaps, we propose an interactive workshop designed to enhance participants’ competencies in intervention adaptation, implementation strategy design (i.e., implementation mapping), study design for implementation trials, program scale-up for dissemination, and the application of conceptual and reporting frameworks to facilitate transparent and replicable program design. Using examples and experiences from our ongoing D&I studies, we will use interactive presentations, group discussions, and small group activities to help attendees learn how to incorporate D&I science concepts into their research area. This workshop is intended for early-career and established researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to enhance their skills in D&I science. By the end of the session, participants will have experience (1) identifying principles for adapting EBIs without compromising fidelity and effectiveness; (2) applying Implementation Mapping to guide program planning and adaptation; (3) outlining strategies for scaling up interventions, and (4) utilizing established frameworks to improve reporting of intervention and implementation strategy design and adaptation. By equipping attendees with practical methods and tools, this workshop will contribute to advancing the rigor, transparency, and impact of implementation efforts across diverse behavioral science settings.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Generative AI coaching is an emerging approach that uses large language models to deliver personalized, scalable, and interactive health support. While enthusiasm is growing, there remains a need for practical guidance on how to design, build, and validate AI coaching systems that are safe, effective, and grounded in behavioral science. This pre-conference workshop will introduce participants to the core principles of generative AI coaching, highlight its diverse applications across health behaviors, and showcase emerging innovations in the field. Attendees will learn how to integrate behavior change techniques (BCTs) and behavior change theory into AI workflows, explore common ethical dilemmas and safety considerations, and examine frameworks for responsible AI design. The session will also include a hands-on demonstration of building a basic AI health coach using ChatGPT Plus, including uploading knowledge-base materials, drafting assistant instructions, and refining chatbot outputs. Additional modules will focus on strategies for designing effective and user-relevant coaching messages, selecting the most appropriate theories and techniques, and approaches to validating AI coaches. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to identify key considerations for designing generative AI health coaches, understand the added value of embedding behavior change theory, and apply practical strategies for testing and validating AI coaching systems in their own research and practice. This abstract utilized generative AI for language refinement only.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

There has been a sharp increase in demand from behavioral medicine scientists and clinicians for career advice to land jobs in industry sectors recently. In this session, SBM’s Industry Connections Committee (ICC) will provide a hands-on career navigation workshop with specific resume, job search, and career advice from our experienced industry SBM members. Transitioning from traditional clinical and academic jobs to private sector industry jobs is an increasingly appealing career option for behavioral medicine clinicians and scientists. ICC currently hosts a popular annual speed networking event during SBM’s Annual Meeting, which provides an important opportunity for attendees to network with SBM members working in industry. The number of past participants indicates a growing interest in industry careers and the need for career guidance, yet the time constraints around this event do not allow for in-depth discussions about industry or personalized career advice. This proposed pre-conference workshop aims to close the gap between information about industry and actionable tips and insights to students and professionals looking to pursue a career in industry. This pre-conference workshop will include three main parts: 1) Industry Overview , 2) Job Navigation, and 3) a Resume Workshop. Participants will be exposed to different types of industry sectors, including digital health, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies, as well as learn business acumen, transferable skills, and best practices for job searching and interviewing. Thirty minutes of the pre-conference workshop will be dedicated to a resume and cover letter workshop as well as a final Q&A discussion period with our ICC members. In this section, ICC members will lead breakout groups to share resume tips and provide live feedback. Overall, this workshop will give participants an inside look at the transition to an industry role and real-time practice tailoring their resume and cover letter to today’s job market.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Behavioral science studies often include intensive longitudinal data (ILD), such as daily diaries, ecological momentary assessments, and ambulatory assessment device data (e.g., physical activity, sleep). ILD are often analyzed using multilevel modeling (MLM), where variance on the outcome is partitioned into between- and within-person components, and effects of person-level and day/moment-level predictors and their cross-level interactions are examined. Outcomes in MLM are typically unidimensional (i.e., single variable/scale score), but many constructs (e.g., sleep health, including objective and subjective measures of timing, duration, quality, etc.), may be better measured multidimensionally. Latent class analysis (LCA) enables measurement of complex, multidimensional outcomes for advancing knowledge on numerous health behaviors. The method was developed for cross-sectional data but can be extended to model highly dynamic outcomes. Given the conference theme, “to advance discovery & innovation,” this course will introduce multilevel LCA (MLCA), which integrates features of LCA and MLM. MLCA can be used to analyze complex outcomes measured at many timepoints to answer novel questions such as the following: What are common patterns of daily substance use/co-use? How are daily antecedents associated with daily sleep patterns, which may be optimal targets for a just-in-time intervention? This course will provide a conceptual understanding and practical knowledge to posit and address new research questions in behavioral medicine using MLCA. Primary objectives: Attendees will (1) identify and explain attributes of MLCA, including the data structures necessary; (2) posit new research questions that can be addressed by applying MLCA to ILD; (3) acquire practical knowledge of R and Mplus syntax to conduct MLCA (4) be oriented to the LCA Knowledge Base online resource hub (e.g., annotated sample syntax). In a concluding Q&A session, researchers at all stages will be able to ask questions and receive guidance on implementing these techniques. Instructors have complementary backgrounds: Stephanie Lanza (methods for ILD analysis, young adult substance use, intervention science), Bethany Bray (LCA, prevention science, health equity), and Yuqi Shen (computational modeling, sleep health). Drs. Lanza and Bray have significantly expanded applications of LCA and MLCA; they are world leaders on training applied researchers to apply these and other innovative methods.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (mTBI) are a common injury, with lifetime prevalence rates estimated to be approximately 20%. Despite prevalence rates and recent attention, the injury is still largely misunderstood in a variety of clinical and research contexts. Gaps in research, assessment, and recovery provide multiple avenues for intervention by behavioral medicine professionals. This pre-conference workshop will include input from clinical health psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and physical therapy professionals who have a diverse range of experience treating mTBI. All the providers share a common view that in order to best treat this type of injury, a biopsychosocial (BPS) model must be implemented early. There will be a discussion of how to foster collaborative cross-disciplinary care, and why it matters, as well as how advocacy from professionals can help enhance outcomes for patients. Professionals will gain knowledge about applying behavioral health principles to a clinical condition that is not frequently considered in this way. Assessment of mTBI has historically relied on direct observation, or self-reporting from patient. However, taking a more holistic approach to assessment of injury may increase sensitivity of detection. The context in which the injury occurred and possible confounding variables on assessment performance provide potentional targets for intervention. Specific examples from multiple clinical contexts will be explored. Although there is no specific treatment for mTBI, many of the best practices to enhance outcomes rely on behavioral health principles such as emphasis on healthy sleep and activity pacing. Patients may benefit from education on the nature of their injury, and normal expectations for recovery. Providers may benefit from consideration of recovery from a BPS model, acknowledging that there are multiple factors that can accelerate or delay recovery. Treatment that is not optimized may lead to misattribution of lingering symptoms, and postponement of appropriate referrals/care. Finally, although there has been increased discussion about mTBI within popular culture, the information portrayed is often exaggerated or inaccurate. More research is needed about on reliable education for the public about these injuries in order to improve outcomes without creating fear. Possible solutions will be suggested to disperse mTBI knowledge and empower more individuals to effectively manage these conditions.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

An NIH biographical sketch (“biosketch”) is the standardized résumé format that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires for key personnel on most grant applications. It is the primary way NIH evaluates whether a team has the expertise and track record to successfully carry out the proposed research. Over the past three decades, NIH has shifted from treating community engagement as optional to embedding it across all research phases. Many Institutes and Centers now require community engagement plans in Clinical and Translational Science Awards, disease-specific centers, and large cohort studies. These include co-creation of study aims, shared leadership, and return of results in accessible formats. NIH now recognizes that sustainable health improvements require community expertise at every stage of research of the research process. Community members serving as key personnel on NIH research proposal must also submit NIH biosketches. Their expertise, however, often extends beyond traditional academic pathways and may not align neatly with standard categories. Clear guidance is needed to highlight untraditional skills such as lived experience, grassroots leadership, and community-based organizing, and to reference gray literature including community reports, policy briefs, and program evaluations that reflect their impact. Academicians also face challenges with biosketch development. Early-stage investigators may struggle to demonstrate independence, frame emerging contributions, and showcase non-traditional outputs. Seasoned researchers often face the opposite: condensing long careers, tailoring narratives for different proposals, and translating mentorship or collaborative roles into concise impact statements. Both groups must adapt to changing NIH formats, integrate evolving expectations around team science and equity, and balance traditional publications with broader measures of influence such as policy impact, training, and community engagement. Our workshop objectives are three-fold: (1) to raise academician awareness of supporting biosketch development for community partners; (2) to provide a hands-on session for academic researchers to guide their partners in creating an NIH biosketch; and (3) to share best practices to enhance academician biosketch development across career stages.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Designing theory-informed and contextually responsive interventions and implementation strategies requires recognizing the complexity and multidimensionality of the problems, as well as meaningful engagement of stakeholders in the design and evaluation. The ACT (Activate, Connect, Transform) model offers a structured framework for supporting the design and evaluation of complex interventions, focusing on individual, relational, and contextual dynamics. This interactive workshop will introduce participants to the ACT model and demonstrate its utility for integrating complexity into intervention planning and evaluation. The model is organized around three interrelated pillars: • Activate individuals and organizations with the motivation, skills, and strategies to mobilize resources and take action; informed by the COM-B model of behavior change.1 • Connect to build and strengthen social networks to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and support; informed by social network interventions.2 • Transform systems and structures to make the change feasible and sustainable; informed by the Implementation in Context (ICON) framework.3 The workshop will focus on applying the ACT model within the framework of Design for Dissemination and Sustainability (D4DS)4. An interactive ACT mapping activity will provide a common language and structure to organize conversations in participatory planning and co-design. Through small-group exercises, attendees will collaboratively conceptualize complex interventions and strategies. Participants will leave with practical tools to support co-design and planning (the Forms & Functions templates, the ACT wheel, and the Radar tool). Objectives: By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: 1. Identify key domains of complexity in problems and integrate them into the design and evaluation of interventions. 2. Apply the ACT model to design and evaluate complex interventions that activate individuals, mobilize social networks, and leverage and modify contexts. 3. Use the ACT framework to guide and organize participatory processes, engaging diverse interest-holders in co-design and planning. Intended Users: This workshop is designed for researchers, community partners, and decision-makers involved in the development, implementation, or evaluation of complex interventions. No prior experience with the ACT model is necessary.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Researchers and practitioners have advocated for nature contact—exposure to and engagement with natural environments—as an important health behavior due to its wide-ranging benefits for both prevention and management of chronic disease. A growing body of ecological and experimental evidence demonstrates the benefits of nature via physiological (e.g., immune function, oxidative stress) and psychological (e.g., enjoyment, vitality, attention restoration) pathways. Nature contact has also been linked to increased physical activity and pro-environmental behaviors (including advocating for and protecting natural resources that serve as both climate mitigation and adaptation strategies). Despite these benefits, most individuals spend only ~10% of their time in nature. Nature prescription (NatureRx) programs offer an accessible and scalable evidence-based behavioral medicine approach to prevent and treat chronic disease. Grounded in evidence-based frameworks (e.g., restoration, biophilia), these programs involve healthcare providers recommending “green space” (e.g., park walking, gardening) or “blue space” (e.g., walking near water) activities. In this 2-hour interactive workshop, community-engaged nature and health researchers will immerse participants in Grant Park, where they will complete a brief affect measure (Feelings Scale) before and after a 15-minute guided nature experience. This immersion—featuring light walking, mindfulness, and forest bathing—offers firsthand restorative benefits while modeling integration into practice. Following the immersion, facilitators will introduce the NatureRx framework, review current evidence, discuss ongoing research, and demonstrate practical behavioral counseling techniques (e.g., motivational interviewing, tailored goal setting). Participants will receive practical resources including a NatureRx prescription pad and engage in guided role-play activities to practice delivering and receiving nature prescriptions across healthcare, community, and research settings. The session will conclude with a group discussion to reflect on experiences, share perspectives on feasibility and potential adaptations, and explore strategies for implementation in diverse professional contexts. Through these activities, participants will leave able to describe the core components of NatureRx programs, apply evidence-based counseling skills, and identify opportunities to integrate nature-based activity promotion into their own work.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Mobile health (mHealth) platforms and wearable devices provide behavioral scientists with new tools to capture real-time physiological and behavioral data and deliver interventions when and where they are most needed. Data streams from smartphones and sensors (e.g., heart rate variability, activity, sleep, electrodermal activity) enable researchers to study health behaviors in context and to develop just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) that respond dynamically to participants’ lived experiences. Despite this promise, designing and deploying mHealth studies raises important scientific considerations, including selecting appropriate devices, ensuring data validity and feasibility, managing analytic complexity, and protecting privacy. This pre-conference course will serve as a practical tutorial on how to integrate mobile health tools into behavioral medicine research. Instructors will begin by comparing wearable devices in terms of capabilities, validity, feasibility, and levels of research data access. They will then provide a step-by-step framework for designing mHealth studies, including ecological momentary assessment, biosignal integration, and specification of digital intervention triggers using no-code platforms. Attendees will work through examples to map a behavioral intervention idea onto a mobile health study design, with guided discussion of analytic approaches for high-frequency data. The course will conclude with a hands-on activity in which participants transform an exemplary behavioral intervention into an app-based digital format using a no-code platform, demonstrating how quickly and effectively these methods can be applied to ongoing or planned research.

Wednesday, April 22
11:00 – 1:00 p.m.

This course will provide an introduction to the Revised ORBIT model, a framework for developing, refining and testing behavioral treatments for chronic diseases. The session will: (1) describe the core features of the Revised ORBIT model; (2) address several important issues that arise when using the Revised Model, such as defining and utilizing go/no-go criteria for moving from one phase of the model to the next; and (3) enable participants to begin to apply this knowledge to their own behavioral treatment development projects. The session will begin with an overview of the Revised ORBIT model that describes its differences with the original ORBIT model and compares it with other intervention development and testing frameworks (e.g., NIH Stage Model, MRC framework). This will be followed by presentations on topics important to understanding and appropriately using the model, including: (1) defining and operationalizing clinically significant outcomes within a program of behavioral intervention development; (2) identifying and using go/no-go criteria for moving forward in the model; (3) the value and use of proof-of-concept studies in designing behavioral interventions; (4) how mechanistic trials, internal pilot and feasibility trials "fit" within the Revised ORBIT model; and (5) considerations in designing Phase II efficacy trials and distinguishing Phase II from Phase III behavioral trials. Examples will be provided to illustrate the concepts being discussed and to enhance understanding and appropriate use of the Revised ORBIT model. The presenters will describe their own experiences in designing behavioral intervention development studies, bringing these “lessons learned” to bear in providing guidance to course attendees to help them design their own behavioral intervention development projects. The speakers will also describe examples of successful grant applications that have used the Revised ORBIT model, providing advice and tips for maximizing success in grant submissions that utilize this model. Participants will be asked to submit questions in advance regarding the ORBIT model and the process of behavioral intervention development. The questions they submit will help to shape the presentations and discussions and will provide opportunities for presenters to follow-up with individual participants during the meeting or afterwards to address their questions and needs in the area of behavioral intervention development and preliminary testing.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Novel methods allow us to further optimize and personalize behavioral and clinical interventions with the aim of increasing effectiveness and reach. Emerging mobile health systems and wearable technology have further afforded the opportunity to detect and predict in real-time human behaviors and contexts that allow us to test interventions when and where they are most needed (Just-in-time adaptive interventions [JITAIs]), optimize and build the most effective intervention components (Multiphase Optimization Strategy), and employ dynamic designs that test different treatment sequences based on a participant’s response over time (Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trials). While there is promise in these sensors (or devices) and smartphone apps, early stage investigators entering the mobile health field are often excited by their potential but uncertain how best to integrate them into a study design. More importantly, they are often faced with a dilemma:do we utilize existing commercial devices,or do we team up with an engineer or company to build the system for us? Each approach comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities that must be carefully considered against the means and objectives of a given research project before the team decides whether to buy or build. Speakers include SBM members with expertise in novel methods, building technology, integrating commercial sensors into clinical trials and collecting intensive longitudinal data, and commercializing devices. The course will begin with a brief overview of the tradeoffs of working with engineers to test a new device, questions to engage with companies when deciding on a sensor or device, and common pitfalls to think about. This will be followed by individual presentations showcasing examples where researchers engaged with companies to use a device in their research and others that engaged with engineers in building their own device because their needs were unmet. Discussions will revolve around real-time implementation of algorithms vs. use of wireless transmission, open sourcing the data, data availability, cost negotiation, matching between one’s technology and behavior change technique, technology for diagnostic vs.intervention applications, and communication and relationship building. The session will finish with an interactive panel, enabling researchers at all stages to ask questions and receive guidance on their own technology and study design needs.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

There is a critical opportunity for behavioral scientists to integrate scientific perspectives in public discourse, especially during an era of rapid mis- and disinformation spread around health topics. The Society of Behavioral Medicine’s (SBM) Public Education Committee (PEC) provides resources to encourage and strengthen science communication (SciComm) efforts among SBM members. The PEC regularly contributes to the SBM SciComm toolkit and Healthy Living outlet on the organization’s website, where evidence-based lifestyle information is summarized and made freely available to the public. Furthermore, SBM’s Health Decision Making and Communication Special Interest Group (HDMC SIG) supports the advancement of health decision-making and communication theory, research, and practice, with the goal of improving health. When considering the ways in which behavioral scientists may want to engage in SciComm, relevant training is essential to ensure effective messaging. This pre-conference workshop, a collaboration between the PEC and the HDMC SIG, aims to provide attendees with guidelines and resources for developing effective SciComm content, with dedicated time allocated for drafting materials. Attendees will be asked to identify a project (e.g., a research study) or a topic of public interest (e.g., cancer prevention) for developing a SciComm product before arriving at the meeting. Brief informational presentations covering a portfolio of SciComm examples (e.g., op-eds, press interviews, policy briefs) will be shared in the first segment of the workshop, followed by a panel Q&A. For the second half of the session, attendees will select a SciComm product to workshop content of their choice: (1) SBM Healthy Living articles; (2) infographics; (3) op-eds; (4) public interviews (press & podcast); (5) white papers/policy briefs; and (6) tailored communications for communities, health systems, and clinicians. This interactive workshop will pair small groups of attendees with SciComm experts from the PEC and HDMC to discuss best practices and recommendations for effective communication in their selected products. Attendees will leave the session with an outline or early draft of a SciComm product to disseminate their work. Lastly, attendees will receive a template guide covering a range of SciComm products beyond what is presented in the workshop, along with a dissemination planning document that can help individuals and teams maximize their SciComm reach.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Early career behavioral scientists and pre-, post-doctoral trainees often face challenges with professional development as they transition to independent investigators. This critical period is frequently marked by uncertainty and imposter syndrome, particularly within rapidly evolving behavioral digital health fields. Thus, it is essential to create supportive opportunities that guide honest conversations around professional growth to support the next generation of behavioral scientists. This pre-conference course aims to provide trainee-centered professional development in behavioral digital health research, with a focus on addressing priority areas and integrating interdisciplinary perspectives. The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Digital Health Special Interest Group Trainee Sub-Committee annually surveys trainee members to guide trainee-focused programming. In the 2025-2026 cycle, we specifically surveyed trainees on professional and personal interests and priorities for a pre-conference course at SBM 2026. A total of n=28 surveys were completed; the majority of trainees were from academic settings (89%). Trainees reported a wide range of professional challenges: limited technical training (75%), difficulty building professional networks (64%), and securing funding opportunities (61%). Personal challenges included uncertainty about career direction (77%), feelings of isolation (65%), and imposter syndrome (58%). When asked about pre-conference course preferences, 48% expressed interest in an expert-led course with a strong focus on professional development. Based on trainee preferences, this pre-conference course will focus on strength-based career advancement by reframing failure as a critical learning opportunity. Over a two-hour session, three SBM panelists, representing both early career and senior researchers, will each deliver a 10-minute presentation on their career paths, followed by a 5-minute “failure stories lightning round” highlighting key setbacks and lessons learned. Each segment will incorporate an interactive “Failure Wall,” where trainees anonymously share challenges that panelists respond to in real time. This structure is designed to foster candid dialogue, normalize career struggles, and translate lived experiences into actionable strategies. By the end of the course, trainees will gain three concrete skills in overcoming barriers, strengthening resilience, and shaping sustainable career paths in behavioral digital health.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Digital health technologies, including wearable devices and smartphones, are rapidly advancing our ability to deliver personalized behavior change interventions. Experimental optimization designs utilized as part of the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), such as Microrandomized Trials, are emerging as especially promising for constructing real-time digital interventions. Meanwhile, community engagement efforts have accelerated to ensure user and community perspectives are incorporated into the development of digital technologies. However, the integration of optimization methods with user-centered frameworks, particularly those that highlight academic and community partnerships for co-creation of digital health interventions, remains limited. Intervention researchers and practitioners would benefit from a clearer understanding of how a co-creation approach can be embedded at each stage of the intervention development process, from conception, to optimization, to component selection, and beyond. This workshop will guide attendees through the steps and considerations needed when approaching community-adapted personalized digital interventions. Leveraging design principles from both the IDEAS (Integrate, Design, Assess, and Share) and MOST frameworks, we will guide workshop attendees through the novel Design Studios for Health approach developed by our team to enhance community and user engagement from the conceptualization of a digital intervention. Workshop attendees will be provided with a step-by-step guide for how to (i) identify and engage interdisciplinary research team members and community partners, (ii) co-create and prioritize potential intervention components, (iii) establish feasibility and acceptability of components and procedures, (iv) optimize, (v) evaluate, and (vi) prepare digital interventions for successful implementation. We will also discuss the expertise needed to effectively conduct this research and share best practices for establishing strong interdisciplinary collaborations. This workshop will illustrate the process with an example of developing a digitally delivered just-in-time adaptive intervention to promote physical activity, although our overarching framework can be applied to the design of any type of digital intervention. Attendees will learn actionable strategies for advancing discovery and innovation through integrated scientific and community perspectives.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

This interactive session will synthesize our programmatic research efforts exploring trauma-informed care (TIC) and trauma assessment and screening within behavioral medicine practice and research. Participants will learn practical tools to create trauma-informed research protocols in behavioral health settings. Participants do not need to be directly studying trauma to benefit from this session, as trauma-informed principles and screening practices are broadly applicable to improving behavioral medicine protocols across diverse clinical and research settings. Drawing from three integrated studies authored by our team, we will provide research-driven insights for behavioral medicine providers and researchers. We will differentiate universal trauma precautions—routine, empathetic practices applied to all patients to foster safety and trust—from trauma-specific care focused on individuals with known trauma histories. We will explore key distinctions across assessment and screening domains, including trauma history, recent or ongoing trauma, current mental health status, and environmental triggers in healthcare settings. We will also examine how these factors influence behavioral health outcomes. Our findings highlight that trauma exposure alone explains little variance in preventive health behaviors; instead, current psychopathology, social support, and coping strategies significantly predict health behaviors and self-rated health. Another study emphasizes patient comfort concerns with answering sensitive behavioral health screening questions, especially regarding trauma and intimate partner violence, and offers strategies to enhance acceptability through provider communication skills and privacy safeguards. Finally, we review clinical and methodological challenges in trauma screening implementation, recommending tailored approaches that integrate patient preferences, privacy concerns, and resource considerations. After this session, participants will be able to: 1) Clarify distinctions between universal trauma precautions and trauma-specific care, 2) Understand when trauma history may impact health behaviors and health outcomes, 3) Differentiate screening for trauma history, current trauma exposure, current mental health symptoms, and healthcare triggers. 4) Apply evidence-based insights to develop or refine trauma-informed behavioral medicine protocols in their own research and practice.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

As demand grows for implementation research to bridge the gap between evidence and practice, the need for practical, accessible training has never been greater. This short course is designed for individuals preparing to lead implementation science projects that involve training program implementers. Participants will develop a training blueprint for brief, impactful implementation science sessions designed for non-specialist audiences. Recognizing that one size does not fit all, the course emphasizes tailoring training plans to learner backgrounds, prior exposure to implementation science, and local context. Using the Dissemination and Implementation Educational Competencies Checklist (Padek et al., 2015), participants will identify and prioritize competencies that align with their audience’s needs. Through facilitator guidance, peer exchange, and small-group exercises, participants will create a draft training plan that reflects their goals and builds on participant experience. The workshop will incorporate real-world examples of trainings for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, with practical tips on selecting content, engaging adult learners, and adapting modules to available resources. The course will be facilitated by Drs. Leslie Johnson, Lillian Madrigal, and Kaitlin Piper, implementation scientists with complementary expertise in designing and delivering implementation science trainings. Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor at Emory School of Medicine and Associate Program Director for an NIH-funded global training program, with nearly a decade of experience developing short courses for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Dr. Madrigal, Assistant Professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and Director of Implementation Science and Practice at the Emory Centers, brings expertise in workforce training that emphasizes equity, community engagement, and systems strengthening. Dr. Piper, Assistant Professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and Associate Director for Community-Engaged Research at the Emory Injury Prevention Research Center, regularly leads trainings for over 300 community-based organizations and delivers implementation science teaching globally. By the end of this interactive session, participants will leave with a tailored draft blueprint to guide the development of their own implementation science training program.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

This interactive workshop aims to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to conduct a modified rapid process improvement workshop (RPIW) to facilitate the implementation of health technologies in clinical settings. Drawing from a successful case study within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) where RPIW was utilized to develop and implement a mobile screening technology (eScreening), this workshop will provide practical guidance, tools, and hands-on experience in applying quality improvement (QI) methods to the deployment of health technology. Agenda: Introduction and Overview (15 minutes) Welcome and objectives of the workshop Overview of quality improvement (QI) methods and RPIW principles Case Study: eScreening in VHA (30 minutes) Presentation of the eScreening implementation project Discussion on the challenges and solutions encountered Developing an Implementation Plan Using RPIW (30 minutes) Step-by-step guide to conducting an RPIW for technology implementation Interactive exercise: Developing a process guide for a sample health technology Pilot Implementation and Data Collection (30 minutes) Methods for piloting the implementation strategy in clinical settings Techniques for collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data Discussion and Future Directions (15 minutes) Q&A session with workshop leaders Identifying further opportunities to refine and adapt RPIW for diverse health technologies Learning Objectives: Participants will understand the foundational concepts of quality improvement methods and RPIW. Participants will gain practical experience in conducting an RPIW and developing an implementation plan for health technology implementation. Participants will learn to integrate RPIW with additional implementation strategies and analyze pilot data to inform future scale-up efforts. Participating Faculty: Interactive and Attractive Format: This workshop is designed to be highly engaging and interactive, incorporating presentations, case studies, hands-on exercises, and group discussions. Participants will leave with concrete skills and a comprehensive understanding of how to apply RPIW to facilitate the implementation of health technologies in their respective settings.

Wednesday, April 22
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Learning health systems seek sustainable solutions to respond to complex demands of multi-level care systems. Human Centered Design (HCD) is an innovative participatory approach used to respond to priorities and challenges in complex learning health systems. HCD uses participatory methods to identify and understand human needs to inform the development of innovative solutions that improve human-centered practices. This immersive course objective is to demonstrate and model the practical use of HCD to develop user-centered design thinking skills for innovative solutions. Course facilitators will demonstrate HCD iterative processes and strategic approaches to generate solutions that address diverse perspectives. The aim is to put attendees at the center of the HCD experience through experiential learning. The course will include: (1) introduction to methods for incorporating human perspectives across the design process; (2) interactive small-group activities; and (3) immersive small-group planning and presentations. This course will provide practical, immersive exposure to HCD strategies, so attendees can innovate user-centered design changes in their learning health systems. This course will be divided into 2 components: (1) didactic instruction on HCD purpose, methods, and strategy; and (2) pragmatic experiential activities for skill building. During the first component, facilitators will contextualize HCD and present the purpose, key phases, principles, and benefits across learning health systems. Facilitators will expand on key concepts to incorporate human perspectives across design using illustrations of practical HCD examples across healthcare settings, with an overview of resources and references to provide necessary fundamentals to execute HCD. The second component will leverage interactive small-group engaged activities to elicit practical use of HCD to inform development and process design to solve real-world problems brought from the lived experiences of course participants. Facilitators will model HCD principles and activities throughout the course; however, audience members are encouraged to bring real-world examples to present as HCD opportunities. Real-time improvised engagement will facilitate conceptualization and strategy development and skill building for participants. The collective experience of this workshop will prepare attendees for effective integration of HCD into their efforts to innovate change in learning health systems.