Editor's Note: Thrive in the New Normal

Crystal Lumpkins, PhD; Editor, Outlook

Crystal Lumpkins, PhD

Hello to summer! It’s hard to imagine we are past the first six months of 2021. As we look to the last half of the year, we can finally see a clearer path of what the future looks like. Hindsight is “20/20” and we are seeing some brighter days ahead. The society is thankful for SBM leadership that paved the path for success during a time of uncertainty and is excited to see our new President Dr. David E. Conroy take the helm. This issue of Outlook includes his first message to the society as president and great news about the society’s upcoming 43rd Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions next April.

As we prepare to meet and greet each other in person next year, the president’s message echoes a call for adaptation and to thrive in the new normal. This issue reflects that call and highlights opportunities for integrated primary care (IPC) and implementation science; and how exercise may improve cognitive and brain health among cancer survivors. We also see how the pandemic unearthed communication inequities and the need for more equitable health communication models for future public health crises. An interview with Dr. Craig Umscheid, new director for AHRQ’s Evidence-Based Practice Center Division, shows how his experiences will help to shape that division’s direction and opportunities he sees for the intersection and integration of behavioral medicine in evidence-based medicine. Interviews with Dr. India Ornelas and Dr. Reginald Tucker-Seeley highlight their experiences during the pandemic, encouragement to seek out policy opportunities and to continue the focus on addressing systemic racism in clinical practice and public health.

Finally, there’s a chance to show your support by giving to SBM’s Giving Campaign because as the title states—“We’re Just Getting Started.”