President's Blog - JULY 2020

Greetings Colleagues,

I feel extremely fortunate to be able to address my colleagues in the SBSM during this tumultuous moment in time that overshadows our standard daily duties. This year, 2020, will be historic, but individually and as a society we have the capacity to alter the tone as it is viewed in the future. The nature of the SBSM and our members has never been to yield to pressure, rather than face challenges with innovative solutions.

This past month has been punctuated by events that have brought to the surface an underlying racial disparity based on centuries of oppression. The SBSM is a community that values diversity in every aspect of our society. As such we stand with our African American members and the broader minority community to condemn racism and intolerance in every form. I encourage each member to find their unique way to support those individuals who are out protesting for justice for all.

The SBSM transformed during this challenging year. We have risen to the challenge of COVID-19 with adaptation and novel solutions. This continues as the Scientific Program Committee finalizes plans to host an entirely inventive and unique conference this fall. Rather than discouragement, the committee looked at the constraints that many of us face and put forth a concept for a unique conference that will pave the way for future innovations as well. Each committee has responded to new challenges with enthusiasm and creativity.

The SBSM has been involved with several projects currently underway and at various levels of completion. The Clinical Practice Committee has recommended that the SBSM endorse several position papers developed by other organizations including the AASM. We have endorsed the AASM recommendation to end Daylight Savings Time. The Board of Directors has responded to the request for comments with commentary on the new position paper on psychological and behavioral treatments for insomnia. A presidential task force is also nearing completion of a response to a recent FDA endorsement of a new digital CBT-I platform. These projects and more are detailed on our website.

We have choices to make during the remainder of the year. We might be fearful regarding recent events and wonder where our country will be by the end of the year. But we also decide how to reframe this year to move forward in creative ways, forever changing the status quo.

Sincerely,

Don Townsend, PhD, DBSM
President, SBSM