President’s Blog – July 2021

Greetings Colleagues,

Summer is finally here, and the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine’s 3^rd annual scientific conference takes place in Nashville in just over two months – September 16^th -19^th!  Be sure to register by August 28^th to take advantage of the early bird discount. Much has happened since our very successful virtual conference last year.  This year’s program committee, led by Dr. Eric Zhou, has prepared an incredible line up of invited speaker presentations, symposia, workshops, and poster presentations covering a variety of behavioral sleep medicine topics.  A unique feature of this year’s conference is the inclusion of two virtual conferences – one from Europe & Asia and another from Australia/New Zealand/Oceana.  Registration for the conference in Nashville includes access to both of these virtual conferences.  I encourage you to take part in these conferences as they provide unique opportunities for learning about cutting edge science, clinical practice, and advocacy in behavioral sleep medicine.  Thank you to Dr. Zhou and all of the other members of our hardworking Program Committee! Keep checking the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine website, behavioralsleep.org for the latest conference updates! 

This past year has seen the SBSM rapidly respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic through the continued efforts of our COVID-19 task force originally formed during my predecessor, Dr. Don Townsend’s presidential term. As the world has continued to wage war against COVID-19, the pandemic has continued to impact each of us on a more local level, disrupting our lives both personally and professionally.  The SBSM through our COVID-19 task force, led by Dr. Chuck Crew has been at the forefront of promoting the importance of sleep as a foundational health behavior and providing key education regarding the behavioral approaches that can improve sleep and support healthy immune functioning and better coping with anxiety, stress, and depression.  Thank you to Dr. Crew and all of the other members of the task force!

This past year has also seen the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine’s continued focus on the public health crisis that sleep health disparities represent and the urgent need for more research in that area as reflected in the establishment of our diversity and inclusivity committee lead by Dr. Fiona Barwick in collaboration with the Science and Research Committee. That group met for a planning and brainstorming session at the end of last year’s scientific conference. That session resulted in multiple short-, mid- and long-term goals intended to address sleep health disparities from multiple angles from training to public education to clinical services to research. One of this committee’s initial activities was a membership survey intended to provide greater understanding of the diversity within our own membership. I am interested to see the additional initiatives this group pursues as they unfold!  Thank you to Dr. Barwick and all of the other members of this new committee!

At the beginning of my presidency, I established several work groups to address key issues facing our field and the SBSM, namely digital therapeutics, better understanding of behavioral sleep medicine providers, and societal position papers.  I am happy to report those work groups have made significant progress. One group, led by Dr. Don Townsend, has developed educational materials and societal policy related to digital therapeutics. Another group, led by Dr. Don Townsend has developed a societal survey plan.  Please be on the lookout for this group’s new member survey!  Your responses will help us to learn more about the provision of behavioral sleep medicine (Who is providing such services, what disciplines do they represent, and what settings are they practicing in?). Last but not least, a third group, led by Drs Crew and Grander, have developed of a societal plan for position papers and is in preparing to put out the call for our first position paper on digital therapeutics. Keep an eye out for that call!  Also, please share with us other important topics you would like to see the society address.  Our goal is for the SBSM to produce position papers that reflect current and cutting-edge topics in behavioral sleep science and practice. Thank you to the leaders and other members of these work groups!

These are just a few of the highlights of all of the work that has been going on behind the scenes at the SBSM over the past year.  I am looking forward to sharing more of the SBSM’s accomplishments at our annual scientific meeting this fall!  Likewise, I look forward to recognizing the important contributions of our members through our newly expanded award offerings. We will continue to offer our research focused awards for early and late career contributions and have added a new award to recognize the contributions of our mid-career scientists. We have also added 12 new awards that recognize a greater range of member activities and accomplishments that help to promote the field of behavioral sleep medicine, including clinical practice awards that recognize innovation, altruistic delivery, and contributions toward equity, diversity, and equality in the delivery of behavioral sleep medicine services. New awards also recognize advocacy by early, mid, and late career members and provide additional recognition of student scholarly activities from early, mid, and late-stage trainees.  I look forward to meeting our award winners and presenting these awards at the scientific conference this fall on September 16, 2021.  A luncheon will be served immediately following the awards recognition ceremony and will give conference attendees the opportunity to personally congratulate and interact with our award winners!

Finally, I wanted to comment on how impressed I have been with our committee and task force members.  I am not able to recognize everyone here, instead have focused on some illustrative examples.  All of our committee and task force members have been unwavering in their dedication and commitment to promoting our societal mission and pursuing multiple new and exciting initiatives this past year.  Kudos to each and every one of you for your service!  Despite the many challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, you continued to attend meetings (many, many….oh so many Zoom meetings!) and to produce new behavioral medicine education content, accredit training programs, promote behavioral sleep medicine science and clinical practice, etc.  Your work on behalf of the society is greatly appreciated!  Also, I wanted to give a special thank you to Kathryn Hansen, our Executive Director, for coordinating all of those Zoom meetings and helping to ensure the business of the society continued to run smoothly despite the ‘pandemic’ chaos of the past year.

Hope to see you in Nashville this fall!

Christina

PS - If you are not currently a member of a committee, I hope you will consider joining one in the future.  It is a great way to serve the society and field of behavioral sleep medicine.  It is also fun and provides opportunities to work closely with your fellow behavioral sleep medicine colleagues.

President's Blog - JuLY 2018

Dear SBSM Members,

I am honored to be the president of the SBSM during this exciting year that began with the recent SBSM conference in Baltimore.  Over 110 attendees had an opportunity to hear about new research and meet some of our outstanding colleagues.  Awards were presented to individuals representing a wide array of achievements and service to the society.  The Peter Hauri Distinguished Career Achievement Award was given to Michael Perlis for his long and varied research career and his dedication to promoting BSM.  Sheila Garland was the recipient of the Spielman Early Distinguished Career Award.  The Award for Student Dissertation and Thesis went to Spencer Dawson.  Jason Ong received the Presidential Service Award and recognition was given to Michael Schmitz, Richard Blackburn, and Kelly Baron for their service on the board.  Certificates of appreciation were given to the outgoing committee chairs: Suzanne Bertisch, Kristi Puiksma, Stacey Simon and Donald Townsend.  Overall, the conference and reception were a great success and received rave reviews for the science, camaraderie and outstanding food and drinks!

The next opportunity for networking and education will be at the SBSM Fall Conference in Birmingham, AL on September 15 and 16.  This conference provides CEs and is an excellent review for those preparing for the exam. 

Registration for the first BSM exam was very strong.  This new credential is a very important accomplishment for our society and ongoing support will assure its continued success.

As the SBSM moves forward, it will be important to have a strong infrastructure to support the many aspects of our society.  To that end, my goals for the coming year are to:

• Strengthen and expand the infrastructure of our society.  Committees will be asked to identify, develop and implement a new initiative that will assist them with their primary mandate and support our strategic goals. 
• Work with the new Board of Behavioral Sleep Medicine to assure its financial viability
• Promote science through our new Science Advisory Committee
• Develop a strong identity
• Explore and develop mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations

To meet these objectives, I welcome your input and support during this exciting time.

With warm regards,
Donna Arand PhD
SBSM President

President's Blog - June 2018

Dear SBSM Members,

It has been my honor to serve as your president. This is my last blog and I want to start by saying thank you. First, thank you to all of the SBSM members. We now have a membership base of nearly 300 members who are active in clinical services, education, and science. Thank you for making BSM a vibrant and growing field! Next, I want to thank the SBSM leaders, including the Board of Directors and all of the committees. Thank you for generously volunteering your time to promote key agenda items and to develop new programs that will enhance our membership and elevate our field.

This has been a very active year for the SBSM. This month, we are launching a new board certification that will provide recognition and standardization for those who deliver BSM clinical services. This is an important accomplishment, as it addresses the main priority of our society based on membership feedback and serves as a catalyst for other SBSM activities in accreditation, education, and regulation. In April, we approved the first accredited international BSM training program in Taiwan, directed by Dr. Chien-Ming Yang. This highlights the global impact of BSM and the role that the SBSM plays in the regulation and training of BSM practitioners around the world. I hope this will encourage our international colleagues to consider pursuing accreditation for their BSM training programs.  We have also formed a science advisory committee, chaired by Dr. Natasha Williams. This committee will help to elevate the science of BSM.  In addition, this committee will work with the education committee to plan the scientific sessions for the Fall conference in Alabama. Finally, we have developed a concept map that will provide guidance for SBSM leaders to formulate a strategic plan for the future.

I hope you will plan to attend the SBSM conference and Bootzin Reception on June 2 in Baltimore. It will be a great time to network with BSM colleagues, participate in the datablitz and poster session, and honor the SBSM reward recipients.  See you there!

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - May 2018

Dear SBSM Members,

Our organization is busy with projects this spring. In this month’s blog, I want to provide an update on the concept map project. As you will recall, this project is meant to get a bird’s eye view of the “State of BSM.” After receiving input from the SBSM board, committees, and past leaders, we now have a beta version that is ready to be unveiled.

Please click here to see the new BSM concept map.

I want to invite all members to submit suggestions and comments to make this concept map current and representative. Please submit your feedback through the SBSM website or send them to Kathryn Hansen at kathryn@behavioralsleep.org

We are now less than 6 weeks away from the 2018 Bootzin Reception! As a reminder, the reception will be held on June 2, 2018 at the Marriott Baltimore Inner Harbor. This is a time to celebrate our accomplishments and recognize our members for their outstanding work. For those who are involved in BSM training programs, please help us recognize your graduates by sending their names to Kathryn Hansen at kathryn@behavioralsleep.org by Wednesday May 17. I hope you will make plans to attend!

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - APRIL 2018

Dear SBSM Members,

The last month has been very active for our society.  With the help of the executive committee and the Board of Directors, we have made significant progress in meeting our goal of offering the BSM certification exam this this summer. We have formed an implementation work group, led by Dr. Mike Schmitz, to oversee the process and we are planning to hold a BSM exam information session as part of the SBSM conference and reception in Baltimore. Please see the BSM Certification Update by Mike Schmitz for more details and updates.

I also want to provide an update on the BSM concept map project, which I discussed in the November Newsletter. As a reminder, the concept map is a “meta-level” depiction of the activities, services, and products which fall under BSM. Based on input from the Board and Committees, we have a draft of the BSM concept map that will soon be posted on the SBSM website. We would like all members to review and provide input so that the concept map will truly reflect the current state of BSM. We will make an announcement when this is ready, so please check it out!

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - MARCH 2018

Dear SBSM members,

We have been receiving many inquiries about the BSM exam and certification so I want to use this month’s blog to provide a status update.

There are many components to establishing a new board certification and the SBSM is working hard on all fronts.  The credentialing committee, led by Don Townsend, has developed items for the examination which is ready to be rolled out this summer.  This is the most straightforward task and the committee has done an excellent job getting the exam ready.

In addition to the exam, we also need to work with a group who can administer the exam and to establish an independent board that can review applications and oversee the certification process.  Compared to the exam development, these are more complicated matters because it involves legal issues and significant financial investments.

The SBSM Board of Directors sent out a Request for Proposals (RFP) and is currently reviewing the responses to the RFP.  We are making good progress in these areas and we are prepared to make some final decisions soon.

I know that many SBSM members and other folks in the sleep community have been waiting patiently for the exam and the new BSM certification to be available.  I want to assure all of you that this is the main priority for the SBSM Board. We are well-positioned to offer the exam in June and we expect to make announcements about specific timeframes in the next few weeks.

To facilitate communications, we will set aside a specific section of the newsletter to provide updates to the credentialing process.  We also have a dedicated section on the SBSM website, which will provide answers to FAQs and make it easier to find information about the application process. 

If you have other questions, please feel free to direct them to kathryn@behavioralsleep.org and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - FebRUARY 2018

Dear SBSM Members,

As we bear down in the middle of winter, I want to use this month’s blog to encourage members to think about summer and the upcoming SBSM meeting at SLEEP 2018 in Baltimore. We have many members who are making important contributions in the field and we want to be able to recognize you at the Bootzin reception that is part of the SBSM meeting in June.  As a reminder, there are three awards:

• Peter Hauri Career Distinguished Achievement Award
• Arthur Spielman Early Career Distinguished Achievement Award
• Student Dissertation and Thesis Award

Please consider submitting a nomination to recognize a colleague for their contributions to BSM.  For more information about eligibility for each award and the schedule of programs, please click https://behavioralsleep.org/index.php/2018-awards.

Nominations are due by 11:59 pm eastern time on March 4, 2018 and should be submitted to Kathryn Hansen in the SBSM Offices at kathryn@behavioralsleep.org.

Also, remember that you must be an SBSM member to be eligible to receive an award.  So if you have not renewed your member, please remember to do so soon!  Or, if you know of a colleague who you would like to nominate but is not yet an SBSM member, please encourage them to join!

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - JANUARY 2018

Dear SBSM Members,

Happy New Year!  As we ring in the new year, this is a good time to look forward to upcoming events in 2018.

We invite you to attend the SBSM Awards and Recognition reception at SLEEP 2018 in Baltimore on June 2, 2018. We will be expanding our educational offerings this year to include additional virtual journal club webinars, Practice and Consultation webinars, the 2018 Fall Course in Birmingham, AL, and the educational offering in Baltimore, plus we plan to offer additional CE credits this year. 

Also, please consider nominating a colleague or student for one of our awards.  We want to make sure to recognize our outstanding colleagues for their contributions to field.  Please follow this link for instructions on how to apply for an award - https://behavioralsleep.org/index.php/2018-awards.

I want to encourage our members to consider getting involved in a committee or leadership position in the SBSM.  There are many exciting developments in our society and we need your help to shape the future of the SBSM.  Please follow this link for a list of BOD positions that are open and instructions for applying -  https://behavioralsleep.org/index.php/2-sleep/141-call-for-board-of-director-nominations-2018. 

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - December 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

Holiday greetings! 2017 is winding down and it’s been a very busy year for the SBSM. The society now has over 260 members, 12 accredited BSM training programs, a practice and consultation webinar, a bi-monthly virtual journal club, and an active social media presence.  We have a monthly newsletter, The Sleep Talker, which provides announcements about SBSM events and featured members (check out this month’s featured members). Behind the scenes, work is continuing on the BSM exam and the formation of a new scientific advisory committee. Collectively, we have brought greater value to our membership.

These activities would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of our committees. I want to thank each of our committee members for their service to the SBSM.  At the same time, we would not be successful without the participation of our members. I want to say a big thank you to all of our members for your engagement and involvement in SBSM activities over the past year. 

As we move into 2018, we will continue to enhance the value of being an SBSM member. The education committee is making plans to expand the educational offerings that precede the SBSM reception at SLEEP 2018 in Baltimore.  Our 2018 Fall Course will move to Birmingham, AL. 

Here are a few other highlight in the coming months:

1. The membership committee is developing a challenge for members to renew their membership and bring others on-board.  Look for details to be announced soon!

2. The credentialing committee is building a database of potential items for the new BSM exam. SBSM members who passed the previous CBSM exam should have received an email from Dr. Don Townsend, chair of the credentialing committee, inviting you to submit items. Please take the time to provide input to the exam.  This will help to ensure that the exam reflects the best practices of BSM.

3. The Board of Directors has been working on the first draft of the BSM concept map. This concept map will serve as a “State of the SBSM” which members can use to identify research gaps in BSM, to develop a description of BSM clinical services, and to recruit BSM students. In early 2018, we will be posting a draft of the concept map for SBSM members to provide their input and suggestions. Look for this to come out soon!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.

With warm regards,
Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - November 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

I want to give you updates on two projects that the SBSM leadership is working on.  First, we are still on track to meet our goal of offering the BSM exam in 2018. The credentialing committee is working hard to construct an examination that is valid, fair, and meets the standards for practicing BSM. We are also soliciting proposals for a testing agency to oversee the examination. 

I want to assure SBSM members that The BSM exam and certification remains a top priority for the Board of Directors and the committees involved in this process. We will continue to provide updates on this process through the Sleep Talker Newsletter.  If you have questions, please feel free to contact Kathryn Hansen or email me directly.      

The second update is on the BSM Concept Map, which is a project that I mentioned in the July blog.  As a reminder, the purpose of the project is to provide a “30,000 foot view” of the activities, services, and products which fall under Behavioral Sleep Medicine.  Once the BSM concept map is developed, it can then be used as a tool for the SBSM and its members for strategic planning and communications with the public. For example, SBSM leaders can use the concept map to identify particular areas that could benefit from resource allocation to stimulate activity (e.g., call for grant applications). SBSM researchers can use the concept map to identify research gaps which could be useful in grant applications. SBSM clinicians can use the concept map to develop a description of clinical services to communicate with providers who are not familiar with BSM services. SBSM educators can use the concept map to teach students or set up specific training programs. 

The Board of Directors and each of the committees are currently working on putting together a first draft of the concept map.  Once this draft is complete, we will post it on the SBSM website for members to review and provide feedback.  We will also invite key stakeholder groups to provide input. Following this period of commentary, the BOD will take the feedback and make final adjustments. The final concept map will then be posted on the SBSM website for public view.  I also plan to present this Concept Map at our annual meeting in June 2018.

Speaking of annual meetings, SLEEP 2018 will be in Baltimore, MD from June 2-6.  The call for abstracts has come out.  I encourage SBSM members to submit research abstracts, symposium proposals, and postgraduate course proposals.  For more information search http://www.sleepmeeting.org/call-for-presentations.  This month, my challenge to members is to consider this question: What topics would you like to see at SLEEP 2018?  

Instead of a survey, I would like to use social media to stimulate discussions for topic ideas and proposals. Please post your ideas and responses on the SBSM Facebook Page.  If you have not visited our Facebook Page, this would be a great time to visit and “like” our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/behavioralsleep/

I hope this open discussion of ideas will lead to more BSM-related sessions at SLEEP 2018.

With warm regards,

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - OCTOBER 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

I am pleased to report that our fall course was well-attended with 72 participants.  I would like to thank the education committee for their hard work in organizing the course and our sponsors for their support. Special thanks goes to our presenters, Drs. James Wyatt, Sarah Honaker, Valerie Crabtree, Michael Smith, Susan McCurry, and Terri Weaver, who gave excellent talks.  This year, we also organized a dinner which was a great time to interact among colleagues and the presenters. To read more about the conference click here: https://behavioralsleep.org/index.php/2017-fall-course-review.

Next year, we will be moving the course to Birmingham, Alabama on September 15-16, so get ready for some BSM in the south!

As I mentioned in last month’s blog, the SBSM is supporting National Obesity Care Week, which is October 29^th – November 4^th.  We hope to highlight the importance of sleep health in the management of obesity and work with other organizations to promote evidence-based care for individuals with obesity.  We will be distributing information in the coming weeks with more details about how you can support this cause.  You can also check out the website at: http://www.obesitycareweek.org/ 

I hope that supporting National Obesity Care Week is just a start for the SBSM to “get on the map” with other organizations and causes.  With this thought in mind, my challenge to members this month is to respond with your idea (or ideas) for other organizations or societies with whom we can engage.  I would encourage you to think creatively!  If you have a contact with that group, please let me know so we can reach out to them.  I look forward to your responses.

With warm regards,

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - SEPTEMBER 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

September is upon us and it is back-to-school time.  This is a great time to remind SBSM members and their colleague to join us at our annual BSM Course which is held in Minneapolis, MN on September 16 & 17.  This year’s theme is Caring for Patients with Complex Sleep Problems and there will be lectures and case presentations from nationally recognized experts.  This is also a great opportunity to network with other BSM colleagues and to chat informally with the course faculty.  We would like to thank our education supporters who have contributed to putting on this conference:  Allina Health (www.allinahealth.org), Fairview Health Services, (www.fairview.org), Sleep Health Partners, (www.healthpartners.com)  Click here for further details on the BSM Course, Please encourage your colleagues to attend.  I hope to see you there!

I want to provide two important updates to our members.  First, I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has recently approved the formation of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC). The mission of the SAC is to elevate the scientific profile of the SBSM, to encourage scientific activity among its membership, and to communicate scientific standards of behavioral sleep medicine to other organizations and to the public.  If you are interested in serving as a member of the SAC, please send your CV and a statement of interest to.

Second, I want to update our members on my initiative to build relationships with other organizations.  We are partnering with the Obesity Action Coalition www.obesitycareweek.org to support and promote National Obesity Care Week, which is October 29^th – November 4^th. Given that research has demonstrated a relationship between insufficient sleep and obesity, the SBSM can promote the importance of sleep health and sleep behaviors in weight management.  Look for more announcements and information in the weeks to come.

Last month, I issued a “challenge” to engage in a conversation about BSM and hypersomnia.  Here is how our members responded to the challenge.

Nearly 60% of members who responded are currently involved in patient care or research related to hypersomnia, the majority of which are involved in patient care.  These consist of activities such as: assessment to rule out other factors that could contribute to excessive sleepiness (e.g., comorbid psychiatric conditions), behavioral interventions to optimize daytime functioning (e.g., scheduled daytime naps) and nocturnal sleep (e.g., consolidation/regulation schedule), coping with relationship/occupational issues, and providing education about hypersomnia to patients.

Over 90% of members who responded expressed support for the SBSM to provide educational programs on hypersomnia or to engage in collaborations with other organizations that support hypersomnia.  There were many comments and suggestions with regards to what the SBSM can do. The most popular suggestion was to provide education on the delivery and implementation of specific behavioral techniques and appropriate assessment of hypersomnia.  There was also interest in learning about other non-pharmacological approaches (e.g., nutrition, recreational/vocational therapy). Members generally preferred webinars or on-line CE courses, and secondarily, lectures/workshops at conferences.  There were also suggestions for more research and funding collaborations with other organizations, such as the AASM with the possibility of developing and testing integrated clinical care models or practice guidelines.  Finally, there were several comments supporting collaborations with other patient organizations to help BSM clinicians learn directly from individuals with hypersomnia. 

I want to thank those who took the time to respond to this challenge. The results indicate that SBSM members are active in the hypersomnia “space”, a space that has traditionally been reserved for sleep physicians and pharmacological treatments.  Moreover, there was an overwhelming interest in educational programs and building connections with other organizations in this area. I will ask the Board of Directors and our committees to consider these findings as we plan for future programs.  Also, please note that we do have a lecture and case presentation on hypersomnia at this year’s BSM Course – www.behavioralsleep.org.

With warm regards,

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - AUGUST 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

Summer is in full swing!  Before we get to “back-to-school” mode, I would like to provide some updates on SBSM activities this summer.  Summer is in full swing!  Before we get to “back-to-school” mode, I would like to provide some updates on SBSM activities this summer.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is exploring potential opportunities to issue a call for applications focused on treating primary insomnia, which is seen as a key gap in their funding portfolio.  As part of the topic development, a teleconference workshop was recently conducted entitled, “Key Evidence Gaps in Insomnia Research: Can CER Help Answer Questions About Chronic Insomnia? A PCORI Stakeholder Workshop”.  I was invited to participate on the panel as a representative of the SBSM and we had a lively discussion on issues related to conducting comparative effectiveness research in insomnia with Drs. Dan Buysse, Charles Morin, Tom Roth, and Michael Twery.  You can view the archived webinar here: http://www.pcori.org/events/2017/key-evidence-gaps-insomnia-research-can-cer-help-answer-questions-about-chronic-insomnia.

SBSM members who are investigators might want to begin brainstorming ideas or discuss collaborations, should PCORI release a funding announcement in the near future.

The SBSM leadership continues to make progress towards the Certification in Behavioral Sleep Medicine.  We are establishing a credentialing committee to oversee the process and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors.  Dr. Don Townsend has graciously agreed to serve as Chair of this committee and Dr. Kenny Lichstein will serve as the Board Liaison to this committee.  Dr. Mike Schmitz will continue to be involved as the Executive Committee representative to maintain continuity with this process.

On occasion, I would like to use this blog to issue a “challenge” to the SBSM members.  This month, I would like to challenge SBSM members to engage in a conversation about hypersomnia.  Hypersomnia disorders, including narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, have primarily been treated with medications by sleep specialists.  In contrast to insomnia and OSA management, this group of sleep disorders has received only limited attention from BSM clinicians and researchers - mostly, involving scheduled naps and regulating the nighttime sleep schedule.

I would like to challenge SBSM members to provide feedback on BSM and hypersomnia using the survey link below.

With warm regards,

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - JUly 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

I am thrilled to be writing my first President’s Blog! This is an exciting and energetic time for the society. Under the leadership of Dr. Mike Schmitz, we have made great strides in revitalizing the BSM Certification and increasing educational programs. Our reception at SLEEP 2017 was a huge success with over 100 attendees, engaging programs by the education and membership committees, and some of the best food ever! I want to build on the momentum that Dr. Schmitz has created for the society. Over the next year, I will be working with the SBSM leadership on three key initiatives:

The first initiative is to establish our identity and presence. I would like to develop a concept map for BSM, which is a graphical tool used to organize and structure all things related to BSM. This includes papers, grants, training programs, and clinical services that fall under the umbrella of BSM. The concept map will provide a valuable tool that can be used by the SBSM and its members for strategic planning, communicating to the public, or as a reference for research projects. I will provide more details about this project and how members can contribute in the weeks ahead.

The second initiative is to build relationships with other societies and organizations. I believe the SBSM should be a leader in training, promoting, and disseminating CBT-I and other behavioral sleep services. I will seek out opportunities to make our presence felt in the public and look for ways to work with other professional and patient organizations who can serve as partners in carrying out this mission.

The third initiative is to increase revenue and resources so that we can fund more projects. I will be working with the Board of Directors to evaluate our needs and resources in order to devise a financial plan that can support more strategic activities. This will likely be a multi-year process but I want to take the first steps during this coming year so that the SBSM can be in position to grow and serve its members more effectively. In addition to these initiatives, we will continue to work on developing and implementing the BSM Certification.

I am pleased that Dr. Schmitz has agreed to remain actively involved with the process and I am confident that his continued leadership will lead to the availability of the new BSM Certification soon. We are part of a growing society that is ready to make an impact. As your president, my goal is to make the SBSM more relevant, more valued, and more fun! I will keep you informed of our progress on these initiatives through these monthly blogs and other communications. I look forward to serving you this coming year.

With warm regards,

Jason Ong, Ph.D.
SBSM President

President's Blog - JUNE 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

June is a month of transition and coming together for our Society. On June 4th we welcome new leadership including Jason Ong, incoming President, Donna Arand, President Elect, Kenny Lichstein, Director At Large, and Karlyn Vatthauer, Student Member. I wish to thank Michael Scherer, our departing Past President, for his leadership within the SBSM. I would also like to acknowledge Laura Broch and Kevin Smith for their service as they complete terms as co-chairs of the Accreditation Committee.

As our members come together in Boston for SLEEP 2017 I encourage all of you to participate in the SBSM Awards and Recognition Reception. Our gathering presents a unique opportunity to network and build connections between clinicians, researchers, educators and students.

BSM Certification planning and implementation continues with the anticipated launch of the SBSM Credentials Committee in late Summer. I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have volunteered their time and expertise to serve on the committee: Janice Biddle, Kelly Byars, Valerie Crabtree, Christina McCrae, and Don Townsend. Kenny Lichstein will also join the committee serving as board liaison.

Looking to the fall, our Education Committee has put together a great two day BSM Course to be held once again in Minneapolis on September 16-17. This year’s course Caring for Patients with Complex Sleep Problems: Advanced Topics in Behavioral Sleep promises to be another great opportunity for us to come together to learn and build our BSM professional community.

It has been a pleasure to serve as president this past year and witness the passion, creativity, and many contributions of our members. Our commitment to you is that we continue to work to earn your membership by creating an ever richer community of valued resources and relationships.

With Warm Regards,
Michael Schmitz, PsyD, CBSM
SBSM President