Supporting Mid- and Senior-Career Members in SBM’s Special Interest Groups

Jackelyn Payne, PhD, MPH; Jennifer Taber, PhD; Heather Orom, PhD - Health Decision Making and Communication SIG 

The Health Decision Making and Communication (HDMC) SIG has long prided itself on helping to support and cultivate the next generation of behavioral researchers. Our programming for trainees and early-career researchers has become a hallmark of the SIG's identity - including regular virtual Coffee Talks where more senior members provide career advice, involving trainees in leadership and decision-making, and encouraging new members to engage with the SIG. Recent member feedback indicated a need for the HDMC SIG that likely stretches across numerous SIGs: mid- and senior-career members desire support, resources, and targeted programming as well.

One respondent put it plainly: they appreciated the SIG's focus on trainees but hoped the group would "also remember those of us who have been around for a while." Another echoed this, noting that while early-career activities should continue, the SIG should "increase activities for more seasoned members" and should actively "lean on the expertise" that senior members bring rather than leaving it untapped. 

Several members pointed toward activities that would be of mutual benefit across career stages — using a model where experienced members mentor and sponsor those earlier in their careers and creating structured connections across career stages rather than parallel, disconnected tracks. Rather than creating formal sub-groups by career stage, members discussed building topic-based conversations that intentionally bring together people with different interests, expertise, and career stages. This kind of format — organized around shared intellectual questions rather than career rank — may be exactly the structure that lets senior members contribute as equals rather than only as mentors from a distance. Members also expressed a desire for renewed connection to purpose. One respondent asked for opportunities to share "strategies to increase joy or reconnect with the 'why' of the work" — a sentiment that likely resonates with many people who are years into their careers.

In the coming months, SIG leadership will explore cross-career-stage topic discussions, drawing on formats members already told us they'd value, and informal connection opportunities (e.g., a member directory or interest-based groupings) that help members at any career stage find collaborators. We encourage other SIGs to consider how they can effectively support members across career stages. Multiple SBM resources are aimed at mid- and senior-level individuals, including the Mentoring Toolkit and Leadership Institute. SIGs can consider whether there are ways to facilitate and promote these resources to their membership, thus increasing the impact these already available resources can have.  

Trainees are vital to the future of behavioral medicine and bring needed energy and optimism. By expanding programming to cover the needs of mid- and senior-level individuals, we hope to ensure that SBM’s SIGs are a professional home across the entire arc of a career, not just its beginning.