This R13 conference grant will help further the field of behavioral medicine, lead to novel integration with cutting edge research on aging, and support promising early stage investigators in these areas. The transdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine builds on an understanding of behavioral, biomedical, and psychosocial mechanisms to reduce costly chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and psychiatric disease. However, it has not targeted biological aging as an outcome. Research on biology of aging and geroscience examines common mechanisms of disease, but does not emphasize behavioral and social factors. The integration of these fields holds tremendous promise for understanding disease pathways and improving prevention by slowing biological aging processes. It is imperative to better integrate a geroscience focus into behavioral medicine research. The Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (AMBR) annual meeting provides a highly interactive forum for thought leaders to exchange transdisciplinary ideas often with a high impact on research programs and collaborations. In June 2020, the focus will be on ?Optimal Longevity: Mechanisms, health disparities, and increasing healthspan.? Confirmed keynote speakers include Elizabeth Blackburn (cell aging mechanisms), Eileen Crimmins (socio- and biodemography of aging), Terrie Moffitt (early life, mental health, aging trajectories), Daniel Belsky (social disadvantage and biological indices of aging), and Bonnie Kaplan (nutrition, aging, and mental health). Drawing on the deep expertise of ABMR members, symposium and discussion topics focus on mechanisms of disease and aging such as stress and discrimination, vagal regulation, personality, mindfulness, and self-regulation in understanding trajectories of aging. We will address questions such as how to best measure healthspan, biological aging trajectories, biobehavioral risk factors, and interventions to slow aging and target cancer and other diseases of aging. The program will be overseen by ABMR President Elissa Epel, council members, and the planning committee. Dr. Epel has experience in chairing conferences and a strong commitment to mentoring the next generation of researchers.
Our aims are: To introduce behavioral medicine researchers to critical topics in healthy longevity; 2) To support Early Stage Investigators, particularly URM, interested in integrating behavioral medicine and aging research to attend the conference and receive a mentored experience; 3) To implement a mentored experience, strategies for sustaining and strengthening investigator independence and leadership. This includes a leadership workshop, NIH led roundtable, process group, and mentor assignments. We had 21% URM faculty in 2019 and we aim to grow representation in 2020. This R13 will increase the success of future generations of diverse behavioral medicine researchers, as well as help integrate cutting edge issues in healthy longevity into behavioral medicine research programs widely. Dissemination of the conference proceedings will include a special issue in Psychosomatic Medicine.
The annual scientific meeting of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR) is a unique highly interactive forum for established scientists and thought leaders to exchange cutting-edge, transdisciplinary ideas to better understand disease processes, prevention and intervention. This R13 conference grant will bring pioneers in the mechanisms of aging--behavioral, social and biological?leading to an innovative integration of behavioral medicine and optimal aging research. It will also provide a mentored track for ten promising young behavioral medicine investigators to attend the conference, benefit from leadership training and career mentoring, and learn cutting edge issues in behavioral medicine and aging research.
