We All Have a Role to Play in This Community, What’s Yours?

Angela Fidler Pfammatter, PhD, FSBM, FAHA¹; Membership Council

In the recent membership survey, most respondents endorsed satisfaction and a feeling that they belonged at SBM. That’s good news on the surface, but three other observations are top of mind for the Membership Council. First, we had only 100 responses out of almost 2400 members. Second, our members aged 42 and under were not as satisfied and did not feel as much of a sense of belonging. Finally, when we recently reviewed retention of members, we discovered that while we typically recruit between 200 to 300 new members and 350 to 500 new students each year, yet only 23% to 38% come back to us in subsequent years.

Membership Council will be laser focused on enhancing a sense of value, satisfaction, and belonging in our members, but we need your help. So, we ask, what’s your role in today’s SBM?

Whether you have been a longstanding champion of SBM or you’ve been on the outskirts, I  invite you to consider that now, more than ever. It is essential we have a strong presence and voice for science and evidence informed practice. Our society is only as strong as its members and that means that each of us has a role to play in pulling new members into the fold, creating value, fostering a sense of belonging, and elevating the science in the field. Here are 3 categories of concrete actions you can take, today and in the coming year. We ask that you pick a couple and commit. We promise that the more you put into this community, the more you will reap the benefits.

1. Engage

Haven’t been on the SBM website in a while? It’s jam-packed full of goodies and the new volunteer portal provides an easy-to-use listing of ways members can get involved with SBM. Get familiar for yourself, but also so you can point new members, trainees/mentees, and others to concrete ways to get plugged in. Take time for SBM. Flag the journal, Digest, and Outlook emails. Set aside brief weekly moments to intentionally read through them. Reach out to that member that was highlighted for doing something cool. Make connections between your peers. Respond to surveys. Only with small acts by our members can we enrich this network.

2. Invite

Every opportunity and award won’t fit you, but I bet you know at least one person that will. Give them that nudge or boost of self-confidence to go for it. Going to the Annual Meeting? Invite a new member to join you for coffee or a meal, or to attend a session with you. Introduce them to others. Remember, not everyone attends with a group or lab, so finding some space to include others will help foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity.

3. Elevate

See a cool new article, award announcement, policy brief, etc.? Send it to a colleague, a local or federal representative, send a congratulatory email to the author, and post on social media tagging SBM. The world should see us all as leaders in the science and practice of behavioral medicine.

Lastly, I ask you for your explicit feedback on what we can do to enhance your experience. I especially want to hear from those under 42 and folks who have newly joined us. What are you looking for in a modern society and scientific community? Reach out to me anytime: angela@utk.edu

Affiliation:

1. Senior Methodologist, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and Associate Professor of Public Health, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville