President's Blog - NOVEMBER 2019
My October President’s blog was infused with the contagious enthusiasm lingering from the SBSM’s 1st Scientific Conference. You’ll be pleased to know that the Scientific Program Committee wasted no time setting in motion the apparatus for the 2nd SBSM Scientific Conference, which will be held from November 4-8, 2020 at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee! The overall theme will be innovative and edgy focusing on the role of big data in research and practice, and the speaker panel promises to be equally impressive as the one provided during our first conference.
Many of us were still ‘riding high’ from the first SBSM Scientific Conference. That same enthusiasm has shifted into action this month as several new volunteers have stepped forward to translate their excitement for behavioral sleep medicine into committee involvement. So, if you are still contemplating how to make an impact in the field and for our society, please consider putting your enthusiasm into action by serving on one of the SBSM’s seven committees.
Each of the seven SBSM committees has been diligently working on SBSM business since leaving Birmingham. Several things that you can look forward to in the next couple months include a calendar of webinars sponsored by the Clinical Practice Committee, and Science and Advisory Committee, plus the Virtual Journal Club hosted by the Education Committee. Join us for our next webinar on November 15th featuring our presenter Luis Buenaver, PhD, DBSM, and discussant, Michael Smith, PhD, DBSM, who will be discussing Use of Actigraphy for the Evaluation of Sleep Disorders and Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorders: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. An educational blog is part of a new venture into social media by the Outreach and Public Education Committee, and our Scientific Program Committee is identifying a list of potential speakers for the 2020 scientific conference. Again in 2020, the Education Committee will sponsor a DBSM Board Review Course with an updated focus on key topics that correlate to the learning domains of the credentialing exam.
One big task looming in front of the society is the re-application for specialty status from the American Psychological Association. Dr. Arand has been leading the efforts on this project with her writing and organizational abilities. We want to thank those committee members who have volunteered to assist in numerous ways. The deadline for submission of the completed application is December 31st and you’ll be hearing more about this in the next month. The APA is hosting a conference on Saturday November 2, for various specialties, and I am fortunate enough to be attending, and I will look forward to reporting any news to the society in our next newsletter.
The SBSM is busy promoting BSM to our colleagues and the public as we pursue our mission and strategic focus on education and advancement of Health Psychology.
Dr. Don Townsend
SBSM President