Outlook | Newsletter of the Society of Behavioral Medicine

Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG Busy Planning Annual Meeting Events

Jamilia Sly, PhD, Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG co-chair
Clement Gwede, PhD Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG co-chair

Many exciting things are happening for the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s (SBM) Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health Special Interest Group (EMMH SIG) this year. Leadership has recently changed and sessions are already being planned for SBM’s 2015 Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions.

New Co-Chairs
We would like to announce a transition of leadership. Hayley S. Thompson, PhD, and Frank L. Sotelo, MS, served as EMMH SIG co-chairs for the past two years, and we are grateful for their contributions. The new co-chairs are Clement Gwede, PhD, and Jamilia Sly, PhD. Gwede is an associate member of the Moffitt Cancer Center. His research spans the continuum of cancer care with a focus on reducing cancer disparities through community-based interventions. Sly is an instructor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and her research is focused on reducing cancer disparities in minority and underserved populations. The co-chairs are both very enthusiastic about future plans for the EMMH SIG, especially at the upcoming 2015 SBM meeting in San Antonio, TX.

Annual Meeting Events
As part of the EMMH SIG mission, we have proposed an exciting slate of events that should be of interest to all SBM members. With the help of the wonderful EMMH SIG planning committee, the SIG has submitted five exciting and timely abstracts for the upcoming meeting. The EMMH SIG Planning Committee includes Heather Honore Goltz, PhD, LMSW; Jean C. Yi, PhD; John S. Wiebe, PhD; Sabrina Ford, PhD; Sarah Miller, PsyD; Cathy D. Meade, PhD, RN, FAAN; Qian Lu, PhD, MD; Yendelela L. Cuffee, PhD, MPH; Stacy N. Davis, PhD, MPH; Hayley S. Thompson, PhD; Linda g. Fleisher, PhD, MPH; Linton Cuff; Robert L. Newton Jr., PhD; Rosalie A. Torres Stone, PhD; Shawna V. Hudson, PhD; Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN; Frank L. Sotelo, MS; and Kimlin Ashing-Giwa, PhD; and SIG Co-Chairs Gwede and Sly.

Under the leadership of Drs. Menon, Ford, and Meade, our SIG has proposed a timely pre-conference day course titled, Promoting Health Equity through Dissemination and Implementation Research. In this workshop, we will define dissemination and implementation terminology, and will discuss strategies for the adaptation of interventions for dissemination and implementation with emphasis on culture, literacy, and race/ethnicity. We will also present frameworks of implementation and evaluation, and will explicate these further with two case studies that address health disparities.

Two exciting symposia have been proposed for the 2015 SBM meeting. The first symposium is titled, Cultural Adaptations of Behavioral Interventions for Lifestyle Change for Minority Women. This symposium will present research findings from studies that aimed to culturally adapt and evaluate the efficacy of behavioral interventions for lifestyle change (healthy eating and physical activity) and weight loss for overweight and obese Latina and African American women. The second symposium is titled, Culturally Competent Interventions Across the Cancer Continuum. The purpose of this symposium will be to provide insight and lessons learned on how to overcome challenges and effectively develop and evaluate culturally sensitive interventions for cancer patients and survivors from ethnic minority populations.

Research training and mentoring is also a priority for the EMMH SIG. Thus, we have proposed to host a midday meeting titled, Developing a Successful Research Career: The Importance of Mentoring. The proposed roundtable discussion will focus on strategies to develop and maximize mentoring relationships/collaborations for career development awards and research funding opportunities from various national research entities.

Finally, the EMMH SIG will hold a breakfast business meeting. We will continue our tradition of presenting abstract awards to a student/trainee and an early investigator. We will also present an award recognizing excellence in mentoring to a senior faculty member who is also an SBM member.

We hope that SBM members are as excited about these activities as we are. See you in San Antonio!


Fall 2014	Return to Outlook main page »
Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG Busy Planning Annual Meeting Events Jamilia Sly, PhD, Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG co-chair Clement Gwede, PhD Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG co-chair Many exciting things are happening for the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s (SBM) Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health Special Interest Group (EMMH SIG) this year. Leadership has recently changed and sessions are already being planned for SBM’s 2015 Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions. New Co-Chairs We would like to announce a transition of leadership. Hayley S. Thompson, PhD, and Frank L. Sotelo, MS, served as EMMH SIG co-chairs for the past two years, and we are grateful for their contributions. The new co-chairs are Clement Gwede, PhD, and Jamilia Sly, PhD. Gwede is an associate member of the Moffitt Cancer Center. His research spans the continuum of cancer care with a focus on reducing cancer disparities through community-based interventions. Sly is an instructor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and her research is focused on reducing cancer disparities in minority and underserved populations. The co-chairs are both very enthusiastic about future plans for the EMMH SIG, especially at the upcoming 2015 SBM meeting in San Antonio, TX. Annual Meeting Events As part of the EMMH SIG mission, we have proposed an exciting slate of events that should be of interest to all SBM members. With the help of the wonderful EMMH SIG planning committee, the SIG has submitted five exciting and timely abstracts for the upcoming meeting. The EMMH SIG Planning Committee includes Heather Honore Goltz, PhD, LMSW; Jean C. Yi, PhD; John S. Wiebe, PhD; Sabrina Ford, PhD; Sarah Miller, PsyD; Cathy D. Meade, PhD, RN, FAAN; Qian Lu, PhD, MD; Yendelela L. Cuffee, PhD, MPH; Stacy N. Davis, PhD, MPH; Hayley S. Thompson, PhD; Linda g. Fleisher, PhD, MPH; Linton Cuff; Robert L. Newton Jr., PhD; Rosalie A. Torres Stone, PhD; Shawna V. Hudson, PhD; Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN; Frank L. Sotelo, MS; and Kimlin Ashing-Giwa, PhD; and SIG Co-Chairs Gwede and Sly. Under the leadership of Drs. Menon, Ford, and Meade, our SIG has proposed a timely pre-conference day course titled, Promoting Health Equity through Dissemination and Implementation Research. In this workshop, we will define dissemination and implementation terminology, and will discuss strategies for the adaptation of interventions for dissemination and implementation with emphasis on culture, literacy, and race/ethnicity. We will also present frameworks of implementation and evaluation, and will explicate these further with two case studies that address health disparities. Two exciting symposia have been proposed for the 2015 SBM meeting. The first symposium is titled, Cultural Adaptations of Behavioral Interventions for Lifestyle Change for Minority Women. This symposium will present research findings from studies that aimed to culturally adapt and evaluate the efficacy of behavioral interventions for lifestyle change (healthy eating and physical activity) and weight loss for overweight and obese Latina and African American women. The second symposium is titled, Culturally Competent Interventions Across the Cancer Continuum. The purpose of this symposium will be to provide insight and lessons learned on how to overcome challenges and effectively develop and evaluate culturally sensitive interventions for cancer patients and survivors from ethnic minority populations. Research training and mentoring is also a priority for the EMMH SIG. Thus, we have proposed to host a midday meeting titled, Developing a Successful Research Career: The Importance of Mentoring. The proposed roundtable discussion will focus on strategies to develop and maximize mentoring relationships/collaborations for career development awards and research funding opportunities from various national research entities. Finally, the EMMH SIG will hold a breakfast business meeting. We will continue our tradition of presenting abstract awards to a student/trainee and an early investigator. We will also present an award recognizing excellence in mentoring to a senior faculty member who is also an SBM member. We hope that SBM members are as excited about these activities as we are. See you in San Antonio!