ISBM Spotlight Issue 01
Welcome to a new chapter for our newsletter!
In response to the way we read and connect today, we’re introducing a refreshed format built around shorter, more accessible articles that deliver key insights without the wait. This new approach is designed to be dynamic, engaging, and easy to navigate—expect concise perspectives, practical takeaways, and a steady pulse on the latest in behavioural medicine, all in a format that fits seamlessly into your day.
We look forward to your feedback!
28 - 31 July 2027
ICBM 2027
The 19th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine convenes in Singapore to turn insight into impact. ICBM 2027 unites researchers, clinicians, and policymakers from across the world to accelerate the transformative potential of behavioral medicine — because the time to act is now. Early bird registrations and a call for workshops, symposia and abstracts will open soon!
Letter from the President
Dear ISBM Community,
In Vienna, I closed my opening address by telling you that the most important chapters of behavioral medicine are not yet written. I talked that day about navigation — about how a goal worth pursuing has to be tied to our values, and about how negative emotions, disruption, and uncertainty often just mean something matters. I said it there, and I believe it more now: our field is uniquely positioned to respond to a moment of real disruption, but only if we’re willing to act, not just study and describe.
That’s exactly why, when we chose “The Transformative Power of Behavioral Medicine: Time to Act” as our theme for 2027, it felt like the natural next waypoint on the map we started drawing together in Vienna. Advancing equity through science, education, and advocacy was never going to be a one-conference conversation. Singapore is where we pick that thread back up — and push it further, from insight into action.
Singapore itself feels like the right place to do that. It’s a city that has made deliberate, values-driven action into a kind of civic identity, and it sits at a genuine crossroads — Asia-Pacific, and beyond — that will let us build the kind of global bench strength I talked about in Vienna as one of the things that keeps us tethered to this work. If we mean what we say about behavioral medicine as a global force, we have to keep showing up in rooms that let more of the world in.
None of this happens without extraordinary people giving their time. Our Local Organizing Committee is being led by Rayner Tan in Singapore, whose steady hand on venue logistics and local partnerships is shaping what your experience on the ground will actually feel like. Our Scientific Program Committee is being led by Kyra Hamilton in Australia, who is building a program designed — in keeping with our theme — to move us from insight to action rather than another round of good-but-familiar presentations. Both of them, their committees, and our ISBM Board and staff are volunteering enormous amounts of time on top of their own research and clinical work. I’m grateful, and I want you to know their names, because the congress you’ll experience in 2027 is their work as much as it is any of ours collectively.
Here’s where things stand, and where you come in:
- Call for Workshop Abstracts is open now.
- Call for Abstracts opens 1 September 2026, with submissions due 8 January 2027.
- Early Bird Registration opens 2 November 2026 and runs through 18 March 2027.
“Time to Act” is a charge to all of us — submit the workshop, propose the symposium, bring the student who’s never presented internationally. Acting starts with showing up ready to contribute, not just to observe.
I’ll share more as the program takes shape. For now: save the dates, and start planning what you’ll bring.
See you in Singapore!
Warmly,
Michael A. Hoyt, PhD
President, International Society of Behavioral Medicine
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
As Editor-in-Chief, I always find this a useful moment to pause, reflect on where IJBM has come from, and think about where we want to go next. This year, there is certainly much to celebrate.
Our Impact Factor has risen to 2.3, up from 1.7 in 2024, and IJBM has now moved into Q2 in Psychology, Clinical, after five consecutive years in Q3 (2020–2024). This is an important milestone for the journal and, above all, a reflection of the wonderful work and commitment of our authors, reviewers, Associate Editors, Editorial Board, and the wider ISBM community.
But metrics are only one part of the story. What matters most is the opportunity to provide a platform for our community to showcase the breadth, creativity, and impact of behavioral medicine research. I would warmly encourage more of you to support IJBM — by submitting your work, reviewing for the journal, sharing our publications, and considering IJBM for your next important piece of research. We would love to see even more of the excellent work being done across our global community represented in the journal.
Looking forward, we are also planning exciting special issues on patient and public involvement (PPI) and women’s health, alongside other initiatives to broaden the reach and relevance of IJBM. I hope these will provide a space for new conversations, diverse perspectives, and research that can move our field forward.
And, of course, there is something particularly special on the horizon: ICBM 2027 in Singapore this July! I am delighted to be wearing two hats, as Editor-in-Chief of IJBM and as part of the wonderful Singapore team working behind the scenes to plan and organize the Congress. It is a real privilege to help bring our global behavioral medicine community together in Singapore. So, as I reflect and plan forward, I feel both proud of what we have achieved and excited about what is still to come. I cannot wait to welcome you all to Singapore in July 2027 — to reconnect with old friends, meet new colleagues, share our work, and celebrate behavioral medicine together. I hope to see many of you there!
Konstadina Griva, MSc, PhD, FEHPS
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Update from the Finance Committee
Dear ISBM Members,
Our primary aim is to work with ISBM to remain financially healthy. Our finances have continued to improve since 2021. The ISBM biennial conferences, alongside membership dues, and our flagship journal, the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, are central to our scientific and financial growth. Regarding the conferences, the Chair worked closely alongside the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) on cost management to plan for an ICBM surplus at the Vienna conference. The Vienna conference was well-received by participants according to an exit survey, and the conference generated a surplus. As the Chair of the Finance Committee, I have been invited to join the LOC for the Singapore conference; with your abundant attendance, we plan to again benefit from a surplus. These monies advantage both the ISBM and the Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore to advance their missions.
For the coming year, we have narrowed our attention to fewer concrete steps toward financial growth, with a focus on financial planning. To continue to meet our organization’s mission, and to grow, we need to invest our monies and are in the process of evaluating possible investments. In addition, we have drafted a finance policy statement that has been reviewed by our Executive Board and our attorney. The implementation process is planned over the coming year.
As we have shared in the past, your member society dues continue to provide an important source of funds for our ISBM. We will continue to look for opportunities to work with you to strengthen your local societies. Thank you again for contributing to the growth of our ISBM.
Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin, PhD, FSBM
Chair of the ISBM Finance Committee
Update from INSPIRE and the Education and Training Committee
Since the start of 2026, INSPIRE and the Education and Training Committee have been working to continue to make the ISBM webinar series a success. We have hosted and recorded the following webinars, which have been posted to the ISBM website:
- January 21, 2026, Dr. Laura Konig, Communicating Behavioral Science: Insights from Research and Practice
- February 23, 2026, Dr. Rachel Dale, Change of plans! Career Shifts within Academia
- May 13, 2026, Dr. Michael Hoyt, When Treatment Ends, the Real Work Begins: A Biobehavioral Intervention for Young Adult Cancer Survivors
- June 11, 2026, Dr. Nelson Yeung, Rejections as Redirections: Strategies and Hacks of Grant Writing for Early Career Researchers
As Chair of INSPIRE, I also chair the Health and Behavior International Collaborative (HBIC) Award. The purpose of the HBIC award is to facilitate a new mentorship collaboration with an international laboratory or research group under the guidance of an identified international mentor. Applications are now open for the 2027 cycle, and are due in October 2026. ISBM members are eligible to apply for the ISBM-sponsored HBIC award. See more details here:
https://ibtnetwork.org/training-initiatives/hbic-award-overview/
We are excited to share that INSPIRE is planning many exciting activities for those early in their careers at the next International Congress of Behavioral Medicine in Singapore (July 2027)! Please be sure to join INSPIRE to stay up to date: https://isbm.info/early-career-network/join-inspire
Allison Marziliano, PhD
INSPIRE Committee Chair
Chris Kilby, PhD
Education and Training Committee Chair
A behavioral medicine view on … Artificial Intelligence
Mutsuhiro Nakao, MD, MPH, PhD
Advisor, Japanese Society of Behavioral Medicine
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Behavioral Medicine
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers exciting opportunities for behavioral medicine, particularly in providing personalized and scalable behavioral interventions. AI-assisted cognitive behavioral approaches may help individuals reflect on their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and receive timely support in their daily lives. In Japan, AI and digital technologies are increasingly being explored and implemented to support behavioral change, ranging from personalized lifestyle guidance for people with lifestyle-related diseases [1] to AI chatbot-based psychological support [2]. However, human behavior cannot be fully understood from data alone; personal meaning, relationships, culture, and individual values remain essential. AI should therefore augment, rather than replace, the empathy, clinical judgment, and human relationships that are central to behavioral medicine. With its interdisciplinary tradition of integrating biological, psychological, behavioral, and social perspectives, behavioral medicine is uniquely positioned to guide the responsible use of AI in health care. Our challenge is not only to ask what AI can do for behavioral medicine, but also what behavioral medicine can contribute to the development of human-centered AI.
Dr. Giesje Nefs, Radboudumc, The Netherlands
Human-AI Collaboration in Healthcare: A Behavioral Medicine View on Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is often presented as a technological solution to healthcare challenges, yet its success ultimately depends on people. In diabetes care, automated insulin delivery systems provide a compelling example of algorithm-supported decision making in everyday self-management. While these systems can improve outcomes, users do not simply follow algorithmic advice. They continuously interpret, adapt, override, and negotiate with technology. Behavioral medicine has an important role in understanding the psychological processes that shape these interactions, including trust, reliance, learning, anxiety, and autonomy. In my view, the next frontier is not developing better algorithms alone, but understanding how humans and algorithms can work together effectively, safely, and in ways that support well-being. AI should be evaluated not only by its technical performance, but also by the quality of the human-AI partnership it creates.
Anna Serlachius, PhD (together with Nathan Consedine and Vinayak Dev)
President, Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine (ASBHM)
AI is transforming multiple areas of modern life, and behavioural medicine is no exception. It offers some exciting opportunities, notably in making psychological and behavioural support more personalised and accessible outside traditional healthcare settings. Our recent reviews of AI in diabetes care and psychological assessment found a lot of potential, but also important gaps around clinical validation, transparency, cultural diversity, and whether AI-based tools actually improve people’s lives in real-world healthcare settings (Dev et al., 2026; Dev et al., 2026).
In our current work, we are exploring how AI might support mental health assessment, including whether it can accurately and efficiently identify psychological difficulties while retaining clinical judgement, transparency, and appropriate safeguards at the centre. One growing challenge, though, is getting AI-related research through ethics review, which can be significantly delayed as committees grapple with rapidly changing technology, limited AI-specific expertise, and understandable concerns arising from negative stories about AI and mental health.
This creates a dilemma for researchers: we need to be involved in developing these tools carefully to determine what is safe and useful, but overly cautious review processes can make that research difficult to conduct. The risk is that, while academic and clinical researchers are slowed down, AI development continues at pace in the commercial sector, where priorities may not always centre on evidence, equity, or patient safety. Behavioural medicine has an important role to play in finding that balance and ensuring AI is not just clever technology, but something that is safe, useful, equitable, and genuinely improves care.
Photo from the Australasian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine (ASBHM) 2026 conference in Auckland, New Zealand
Edmond Girasek, PhD
Hans Selye Hungarian Society of Behavioural Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming behavioral medicine, offering powerful tools to enhance education, research, and clinical care. Our research shows that both patients and healthcare providers are increasingly integrating AI into their routines, significantly improving care delivery and optimizing healthcare systems overall. However, while AI can streamline processes and support clinical workflows, it cannot replace human decision-making and genuine clinical empathy. Proper education and awareness are essential to ensure these technologies are used ethically and effectively in practice. Ultimately, AI must serve as an amplifier of human expertise, as the final responsibility for patient care always rests with the human professional.
Meet the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)
An introduction to MASCC by Professor Alexandre Chan – President, Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). For more information, please visit https://mascc.org
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