ISBM Committees
The ISBM comprises twelve committees: The Awards Committee, the Communication Committee, the Education and Training Committee, the Finance Committee, The International Collaborative Studies Committee, the Membership Committee, the Nominations Committee, the Organizational Liaison Committee, the Scientific Program Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Editor of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, and the Editor of the ISBM Newsletter.
The Awards Committee is comprised of the President, the immediate Past President and the President-elect. The Awards Committee selects deserving individuals who may receive the Lifetime Achievement, Distinguished Scientist, Distinguished Career Contribution Award, Outstanding New Investigator Award and other honors provided by the ISBM, except the Early Career Awards. The immediate Past President of the ISBM will chair the awards committee.
The Communications Committee is responsible for the coordination and facilitation of information exchange among Member Societies and their constituents. This includes identifying innovative communication vehicles to meet evolving member needs. Communications among Member Societies and their constituents will be facilitated electronically as much as possible. Responsibilities of the Communications Committee include, but are not limited to, maintaining the ISBM web site. The Communications Committee hosts the ISBM web site and performs regular updates to the site. Other responsibilities include maintaining, in cooperation with the Secretary, a contact list of all email addresses of the Executive Committee, Governing Council and web sites of the Members Societies. The ISBM Communication Committee Chair is a 4-year term position.
The Education and Training Committee has responsibility for the synthesis and dissemination of educational opportunities in behavioral medicine around the world, including primary training, continuing education, workshops, conferences and other activities designed to increase knowledge and upgrade skills in behavioral medicine. Such programs include the entire scientific spectrum concerned with health and behavior relationships: from investigations of brain-body mechanism linkages to reducing health-risk via community intervention strategies. This committee has the responsibility of selecting the recipients of the Early Career Awards. The ISBM Education and Training Committee is a 4-year term position.
The Finance Committee provides guidance and oversight over the income, expenditures and investments of the ISBM. Functions of the committee are to assist the Treasurer in preparation of a biannual budget, recommend this budget to the Governing Council, provide oversight of ISBM expenditures, and together with the Treasurer make recommendations to the Executive Committee or Governing Council regarding proposed modifications in the existing budget.
The committee will recommend to the Governing Council specific rules for the allocation of funds by the Executive Committee, Elected Officers and Committee Chairs. In addition, the committee may recommend to the Governing Council, plans for investment and fund raising to improve the finances of the ISBM.
The Committee's membership includes the ISBM Past President, President, Treasurer, and President-Elect as well as any other members deemed by the Committee or Governing Council to have expertise that may contribute to the performance of the Committee's duties. The Governing Council selects the Committee's Chair. The ISBM Finance Committee Chair is a 4-year term position.
The main objective of the INSPIRE early career network of the ISBM is to facilitate the development and promotion of research opportunities, mentoring and education for students and early career members who have an interest in behavioural medicine. The ISBM INSPIRE Committee Chair is a 4-year term position.
The International Collaborative Studies Committee is responsible for the encouragement and stimulation of international/cross- cultural research projects in the area of behavioral medicine. This committee helps identify areas of prime interest to the field as well as possibilities for collaborative efforts with international research organizations. The ISBM International Collaborative Studies Committee Chair is a 4-year term position.
The Membership Committee is responsible for identifying potential Member Societies, facilitating their development, and counseling them regarding future relationships with the ISBM. A major responsibility of the committee is to promote interactions between possible future member societies and the ISBM. Members of the committee acquaint those developing emerging societies with the rules, responsibilities and benefits of ISBM membership. The committee also helps emerging societies develop their: charter; bylaws; list of members including their degrees and disciplines; and a list of officers and their credentials (e.g., curriculum vitae), in preparation for applying to the ISBM for membership. Completed applications are forwarded to the Chair of the Membership Committee for consideration by the Board, which will make a recommendation to the Governing Council. The Governing Council elects the Chair of the Membership Committee. The ISBM Membership Committee Chair is a 4-year term position.
The Board, with concordance of the Governing Council, appoints a Chair and at least two additional members of a Nominating Committee. The task of the Nominations Committee Chair is to solicit at least two candidates for each open office, and to compile a list of nominees that will be circulated at least a month before the Governing Council meeting where the elections will take place. The ISBM Nominations Committee Chair is a 2-year term position.
The Organizational Liaison Committee is responsible for identifying, relating to and coordinating information exchange with relevant international health-related scientific organizations, (e.g., WHO, international health specialty groups, etc.). The Organizational Liaison Committee Chair is a 2-year term position.
The Program Committee has responsibility for organizing the invited and competitive components of the International Congress. The Program Committee consists of the Chair, Co-Chair (the Host Country President or their designee) and members representative of the geographic and scientific diversity of the organization, to be chosen by the Program Committee Chair. The ISBM Scientific Program Committee Chair is a 2-year term position.
The Strategic Planning Committee is responsible for developing, maintaining and updating on an ongoing basis a Strategic Plan for the International Society of Behavioral Medicine. The chair of this committee is appointed by the President of ISBM and confirmed by the Governing Council to serve a four-year term. The membership of the Strategic Planning Committee consists of those attending meetings of the Committee, which will be scheduled to take place at Governing Council meetings upon recommendation of the chair to the ISBM president. Among the responsibilities of the chair of this committee are the following: 1) chair meetings of the Strategic Planning Committee and prepare reports of the meeting to be submitted to the ISBM secretary for posting on the ISBM website; 2) monitor the implementation of any action steps that are decided at meetings of the committee, reminding those charged to carry out actions of the timelines for such actions that were voted by the committee; and 3) monitor the needs for further strategic planning activities and make recommendations to the ISBM president re need for Strategic Planning Committee meetings. The ISBM Strategic Planning Committee Chair is a 4-year term position.
A selection committee consisting of the Board and the former Editors-in-Chief of the journal will recommend the Editor/s of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine for a term of six years. The appointment must then be submitted for approval to the Governing Council and approved at least twelve months prior to the end of the six-year term of the Editor/s-in-Chief. The term will begin on January 1 corresponding to the first issue of that year's volume. The Editor/s-Elect will commence responsibility for manuscript review at a time mutually determined with the Editor/s-in-Chief. With the concordance of the Governing Council, the Editor/s-in-Chief is/are responsible for editorial policy including that the Editorial Board be broadly representative of the membership, and for journal processing as well as for furnishing reports to the Governing Council on the state of the journal and future plans. The Editor of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine is a 6-year term position.
The Newsletter Editor shall be nominated by the Board and confirmed by the Governing Council to serve a four-year term.