President's Blog - JUNE 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

June is a month of transition and coming together for our Society. On June 4th we welcome new leadership including Jason Ong, incoming President, Donna Arand, President Elect, Kenny Lichstein, Director At Large, and Karlyn Vatthauer, Student Member. I wish to thank Michael Scherer, our departing Past President, for his leadership within the SBSM. I would also like to acknowledge Laura Broch and Kevin Smith for their service as they complete terms as co-chairs of the Accreditation Committee.

As our members come together in Boston for SLEEP 2017 I encourage all of you to participate in the SBSM Awards and Recognition Reception. Our gathering presents a unique opportunity to network and build connections between clinicians, researchers, educators and students.

BSM Certification planning and implementation continues with the anticipated launch of the SBSM Credentials Committee in late Summer. I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have volunteered their time and expertise to serve on the committee: Janice Biddle, Kelly Byars, Valerie Crabtree, Christina McCrae, and Don Townsend. Kenny Lichstein will also join the committee serving as board liaison.

Looking to the fall, our Education Committee has put together a great two day BSM Course to be held once again in Minneapolis on September 16-17. This year’s course Caring for Patients with Complex Sleep Problems: Advanced Topics in Behavioral Sleep promises to be another great opportunity for us to come together to learn and build our BSM professional community.

It has been a pleasure to serve as president this past year and witness the passion, creativity, and many contributions of our members. Our commitment to you is that we continue to work to earn your membership by creating an ever richer community of valued resources and relationships.

With Warm Regards,
Michael Schmitz, PsyD, CBSM
SBSM President