ABMR Annual Meeting 2024 & 2025

The Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR) is guided by its mission to advance the field of behavioral medicine by creating and disseminating knowledge, cultivating discourse, and inspiring change that culminates in better health for all. ABMR members are distinguished mid-level and senior scientists, including MDs and PhDs, elected by their peers for contributions to behavioral medicine research. Our mission primarily is accomplished through the annual scientific meeting that brings together our diverse membership and invited thought leaders to share the latest scientific advances, exchange cutting-edge ideas, and provide stimulating and engaging discussions in an informal but rigorously scientific atmosphere. ABMR scientists lead extensive NIH-supported programs of research that integrate biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences to improve the health and well-being across the lifespan. Our members focus on understanding biologic mechanisms of aging that underlie leading causes of death and disability (heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes) and developing and implementing effective interventions to maintain health and reduce the burden of age-related chronic conditions. In 2021, we added an early-stage investigators (ESI) program to the ABMR annual meeting, specifically to foster career development and leadership skills of promising behavioral medicine scholars with their first K- or R-level award from NIH. This R13 conference grant will support the planned 2024 and 2025 annual scientific meetings, including participation of 6 invited Keynote Speakers (3 per year) and our ESI Program (10 per year). The 2024 meeting will be held June 20-23, 2024, at The Depot in Minneapolis, MN and the 2025 meeting will be held June 25-28, 2025 in Portland, ME. Our R13 has 3 Aims. In Aim 1, we seek to promote interdisciplinary discourse on the latest advances in behavioral medicine, public health and health policy to promote healthy aging and reduce chronic disease disparities. Within this overall theme, the 2024 meeting will focus on strengthening the impact of our science by enhancing collaborations among scientists, discussing cutting-edge and integrative team science approaches to research. The 2025 focus will be on strengthening the impact of the science by enhancing collaborations outside our traditional academic boundaries, discussing innovative partnerships and the critical value of two-way communications with local communities, healthcare systems, and policymakers. Both meetings will include Keynotes, symposia, roundtable discussions, working groups, and ample time for networking. In Aims 2 and 3, we will support diverse and up-and-coming ESIs through the ABMR ESI Fellowship Award, providing a leadership workshop, mentorship and career development training focused on strategies for sustaining and strengthening independence and leadership. This R13 enables ABMR to nurture the success of the next generation of behavioral medicine researchers and leaders, which aligns with NIH’s Next Generation Researchers Initiative, and enables ABMR to advance the field of behavioral medicine as it has since its inception 45 years ago.