Outlook: A Quarterly Newsletter of the Society of Behavorial Medicine
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29th SBM Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions Update

Dear Colleague,

On behalf of the 2008 Program Committee, I am pleased to present you with a preview of the planning for the 29th SBM Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions, scheduled to take place March 26-29, 2008, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA. The theme for the upcoming conference is Celebrating the Past, Inspiring the Future and consistent with that theme, the 2008 scientific program is sure to offer something for everyone involved in the field of behavioral medicine!  

In April, the Program Committee distributed a broadcast e-mail to the membership with a request for rankings on presentation topics, as well as suggestions for dynamic speakers and the feedback was fantastic! The Committee has been working diligently to line up a series of Keynote Address and Master Lectures including the following confirmed presentations:

  1. Aging, Physical Activity and Cognitive Function by Edward McAuley, PhD of the University of Illinois
  2. Psychoneuroimmunology by Gregory Miller, PhD of the University of British Columbia
  3. Childhood Obesity by James Sallis, PhD of the San Diego State University
  4. Gene-Environment Interactions in Cancer by Colleen McBride, PhD of the National Human Genome Research Institute of NIH
  5. Lifecourse and Sociocultural Influences in Health Outcomes by Mark Hayward, PhD of the University of Texas, Austin

We are also in the process of organizing several seminars including Preparing Community-Based Research Grants, Advanced Statistical Methods, Genetics and Proteomics, Navigating the NIH Peer Review Process and Behavioral Medicine in Clinical Settings.  

As part of the online survey results, the Committee received a variety of very helpful suggestions from the membership. Feedback gathered from the survey aided us in adding new features, as well as fine tuning existing features of the program. New in 2008, the Friday Poster Session will now take place from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon which will leave meeting attendees with one free evening, so be sure to get out and enjoy San Diego a bit. In addition, based on presenter feedback we’ve broken down the Psychological and Person Factors Program Track into several subcategories making it easier to submit, categorize and select presentations of interest within that particular track.  

As we get closer to the meeting, please be sure to watch for updates to the Annual Meeting pages of the SBM Website (www.sbm.org). Important information, dates, deadlines and meeting updates for the conference are continually posted on these pages for your convenience. If you missed the abstract submission deadline of September 17 and would like to submit your late-breaking work via the Rapid Communications abstract submission process, the submission site is scheduled to go live November 28 and the submission deadline is January 4, 2008, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

If you plan to register for the 2008 conference, please be sure to visit the SBM Website soon to secure your guest room via the official SBM-Manchester Grand Hyatt online reservations system. A block of rooms (at a reduced rate) have been secured for SBM attendees, but space sells out quickly. The deadline for housing reservations is February 22, 2008.

Again, thanks to all who have contributed to the 2008 scientific program. For more information on the Annual Meeting program, registration or important deadlines, please be sure to visit www.sbm.org soon. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego in March, 2008!

Sincerely,

Frank J. Penedo

Frank J. Penedo, PhD
2008 Program Chair

 

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