ICBM 2025

CONGRESS PROGRAM

Pre-Congress Workshops

Enhance Your Skills and Knowledge

ICBM 2025 Pre-Congress Workshops


ICBM 2025: Share Your Expertise!

We are excited to announce the Call for Workshops for the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine (ICBM 2025). We invite you to propose workshops that will engage participants in hands-on, task-based activities designed to educate and inspire. Workshops should be designed to be interactive, focusing on skills- or knowledge-based learning rather than solely presenting research information.

Pre-Congress Workshops submission is NOW OPEN.

Explore our lineup of specialized workshops designed to offer in-depth training, skills enhancement, and knowledge exchange opportunities before the main congress sessions begin.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Workshops are invited within the Congress theme and are intended to be interactive. They should be designed to be a skills- or knowledge-based learning event, and include a practical task-based element. The emphasis is on educating the attendees and not necessarily on providing research information. 

Time limit: Half-day workshops are allotted a time window of three (3) hours; full-day workshops a total of six (6) hours including coffee breaks. 

Proposals for workshops should include: 

  •  The names and affiliations of those leading and facilitating the workshop (maximum 4) 
  • The abstract and additional details should not exceed 400 words and should use the following headings: 
        1. Purpose: a statement of the problem or goal to be addressed 
        2. Objectives: up to four objectives, summarising what you expect the workshop to achieve 
        3. Rationale: a rationale for addressing this issue at this Congress 
        4. Activities: an indication of the activities that will be undertaken during the workshop  

  • Description of the intended participants
  • The maximum number of participants for the workshop 
WORKSHOPS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Duration:
Please share your preference for a half- or full-day workshop:

  • Half-day workshops: 3 hours (including coffee breaks). Please share your preference for morning or afternoon.
  • Full-day workshops: 6 hours (including coffee breaks).

Proposal Requirements:
Please include the following in your workshop proposal:

  1. Title of the workshop
  2. Facilitators: The names and affiliations of those leading and facilitating the workshop (maximum 4). Please indicate the country of each workshop facilitator, and the relevant expertise in this area.
  3. Abstract and Details: (Not to exceed 400 words) using the following headings:
    • Importance: A statement of the importance of the problem or skills to be addressed in the workshop.
    • Objectives: Up to four objectives, summarizing what you expect participants to learn in the workshop.
    • Relevance to the Conference theme.
    • Activities: A listing of the activities in which participants will engage during the workshop.
    • Participants: Description of the intended participants and the preferred number of workshop attendees.

Workshop proposals are due: January 5, 2025.
Decisions on the workshops will be made in early 2025.

We look forward to receiving your innovative and interactive workshop proposals!

SYMPOSIA SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
  • All abstracts must be submitted through the ICBM 2025 Online Portal.
  • Abstracts must be submitted and presented in English.
  • Length: 400 words, not including title, authors, and affiliations
  • The symposium format is for presenting related papers on a single topic. 
  • Symposia are 90 minutes in duration. 
  • Symposia include the chair and four presenters or the chair, a discussant and three presenters. 
  • The chair is the lead person for the symposium submission and notifies the presenters once the symposium has been submitted. This is when the presenters can individually submit their abstracts to the symposium. 
  • The symposium abstract should contain the objective(s) of the symposium and a concise description of each presentation in narrative form. 
  • Empirically-based symposia presentations are preferred and include either new research data or integration of research conducted over an extended period of time. Under some circumstances, one or two symposia may be accepted that contain overviews of scientific training, health policy, or issues at the interface between science and professional practice. 
  • Standard abbreviations may be used undefined, but non-standard abbreviations must be defined. Arabic numerals should be used for numbers except when beginning a sentence. 
  • No changes can be made to abstracts once the abstract submission deadline has passed.
  • Presenting authors of accepted abstracts must be registered and paid participants. Registration must be received by the Secretariat by the Early Registration Deadline to ensure inclusion of the abstract in the meeting publications and in order to be scheduled for presentation.
  • The submitting author is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content of the abstract before submission.
  • It is the submitting author’s responsibility to notify all co-authors of the final decision.

Track Categories

SPHERE 1 - HEALTH PROCESSES
1. LIFE COURSE ISSUES

1a. Aging, health and age-related diseases 

  • Physical, emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of aging among middle-aged and older adults 
  • Factors related to successful aging or age-related disabilities (such as resilience or cognitive decline) 
  • Chronic disease management and palliative care in older adults 
  • Interventions to support older adults or their caregivers 

1b. Child, adolescent and family health 

  • Factors related to physical, emotional, and behavioral development through infancy, childhood and adolescence 
  • Interventions to enhance reproductive health, the management of childhood illnesses, family adjustment to illness, or family caregiver well being 
  • Sex and sexual health 

1c. Occupational health 

  • Work and organizational factors related to health and illness outcomes 
  • Interventions to enhance occupational health and wellness 
2. PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

2a. Prevention 

  • Theoretical models of prevention   
  • Measurement and methodological issues related to prevention 
  • Prevention strategies to improve health behaviors and lifestyles (addictive behaviors; nutrition, obesity and health; physical activity and related outcomes) 
  • Use of telemedicine, web-based strategies, email, mobile phones, mobile applications, or text messaging in prevention strategies 

2b. Systems and network approaches to improve health 

  • Systems approaches to health improvement/public health, in areas such as obesity, physical activity, mental health 
  • Social network interventions including peer and whole network approaches 
  • Complex systems methods applied to health 

2c.  Behavior change and interventions 

  • Theoretical models of health behavior change and adherence 
  • Development and testing of health behavior change interventions 
  • Mechanisms of health behavior change interventions 
  • Measurement and methodological issues related to health behavior change 
  • Intervention strategies to change one or multiple health behaviors and lifestyles (addictive behaviors; nutrition, obesity and health; physical activity and related outcomes) 
  • Intervention strategies designed to facilitate or improve adherence 
  • Use of telemedicine, web-based strategies, email, mobile phones, mobile applications, or text messaging to promote health or to manage illness 
  3. EDUCATION, COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

3a. Education and training in behavioral medicine 

  • Core courses and training for (medical) students and professionals in BM 
  • The learning environment—professionals’ modeling of behaviors and attitudes that students experience 
  • Evidence-based competence development 

3b. Health education, promotion, communication, and decision-making 

  • Perceptions, decision-making, and patient-clinician communication related to health risks, genetic information, or other health issues 
  • Development and testing of health communication and education materials and decision aids 
  • Interventions to improve individual or community health by increasing knowledge or influencing attitudes   

3c. Health systems, policy, advocacy, dissemination and implementation 

  • Models and interventions to promote effective healthcare laws, standards, systems and regulations 
  • Models and interventions to disseminate, implement, and strengthen capacity for evidence-based behavioral medicine in public health, clinical practice, and community settings 
  • Health services utilization 
  4. HEALTH EQUITY

4a. Inequalities (health related, socio-economics, including sexual  and/or ethics minorities) 

  • Factors linking culture, migration, minority status and social determinants with health and illness 
  • Health risks associated with population movements, such as psychological disorders, reproductive health problems, newborn mortality, substance use or nutrition disorders 
  • Factors linking racial, ethnic, gender or sexual minority status with health and illness across the lifespan 
  • Inequities and inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes 
  • Interventions to reduce inequities and inequalities or to enhance health among minority individuals, families and communities 

4b. Involving patients, public, policy and practice 

  • Methods, research designs and methodological issues 
  • Strategies for involving patients, public, policy and practice 
  • Implementation science 

4c.  Other 

  • Additional submissions and topics not directly fitting within the categories described above  
SPHERE 2 - ILLNESS PROCESSES
6. MECHANISMS

6a. Biological mechanisms 

  • Psychoneuroimmunology 
  • Psychobiological aspects of health and illness, psychoneuroimmunology, endocrinology, cardiovascular psychophysiology and neurophysiology 
  • Interventions that target psychophysiology and biobehavioral mechanisms of health and illness 
  • Genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in cognitive ability, personality, and psychopathology 

6b. Nocebo and placebo 

  • Mechanisms of nocebo and placebo responses 
  • Measurement or methodological issues related to nocebo and placebo responses 
  • Interventions related to nocebo and placebo responses 
7. NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND SYNDROMES

7a. Cardiovascular and pulmonary health and disorders, and critical care medicine 

  • Biobehavioral factors related to cardiovascular, pulmonary health and disorders and critical care medicine 
  • Interventions to enhance the prevention, treatment or management of cardiovascular, pulmonary disorders and acute critical care conditions 
  • Examples include hypertension, coronary artery disease, endocarditis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, sleep apnea, critical care conditions (e.g., stroke, TBI) 

7b. Diabetes 

  • Factors related to the development or management of diabetes mellitus, including Type 1, Type 2, or gestational diabetes 
  • Interventions to enhance diabetes prevention, treatment, management, or quality of life 

7c. Chronic and persistent symptoms 

  • Pain 
  • Factors related to disorders  or symptoms that have more than one cause or that have no known or detectable organic basis 
  • Interventions to enhance symptom management or quality of life for patients with such disorders 
  • Examples include irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or non-specific abdominal pain 
 8. CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL
  • Factors related to cancer prevention such as tobacco control, nutrition, physical activity, sun protection, HPV vaccination, and adherence to cancer screening guidelines 
  • Factors related to cancer management during treatment, survivorship and end of life 
  • Interventions to enhance cancer prevention and control, such as strategies to improve lifestyle behaviors, symptom management, or quality of life 
  • Biobehavioral factors related to cancer initiation and progression 
  • Caregiver-specific interventions 
10. INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Infectious diseases, viruses including COVID-19, tropical medicine, HIV/ AIDS 

  • Physical, emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of diseases that occur in the Tropics and/or diseases that are caused by pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites); examples include malaria, dengue, measles, chicken pox, HPV, Zika, and hepatitis B 
  • Physical, emotional, behavioral, and social aspects of HIV among individuals, couples and communities 
  • Interventions to reduce primary or secondary HIV risk, increase adherence and engagement in HIV care, or improve quality of life 
  • Interventions to prevent or control tropical and infectious disease 
  • Long COVID 
  • Longitudinal studies covid 
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
WORKSHOP DETAILS

TBC

Workshop Details

Workshop Schedule

Workshop Title

Workshop description here. Explore our lineup of specialized workshops designed to offer in-depth training, skills enhancement, and knowledge exchange opportunities before the main congress sessions begin.

Workshop Title

Workshop description here. Explore our lineup of specialized workshops designed to offer in-depth training, skills enhancement, and knowledge exchange opportunities before the main congress sessions begin.

Workshop Title

Workshop description here. Explore our lineup of specialized workshops designed to offer in-depth training, skills enhancement, and knowledge exchange opportunities before the main congress sessions begin.