SC&I Faculty and Doctoral Students Present Research at the Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting
Faculty and Ph.D. students from the Rutgers School of Communication and Information are presenting research at the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s 47th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions from April 22–25, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. The theme of this year’s event is “Integrating Scientific Perspectives to Advance Discovery and Innovation.”
Describing the aim of the annual meeting and scientific sessions, SBM wrote, "Routine integration of behavioral medicine evidence into health policy, health care and public health is crucial to addressing the most pressing and intractable health challenges of our time. Increasing the pace at which we advance discovery and health impact requires inclusion of multiple methods and wide range of perspectives. The meeting will focus on innovative and powerful ways to integrate scientific perspectives and break research silos to develop effective, adaptable, and sustainable health solutions more rapidly."
During the first day, Wednesday, April 22, Poster Session A included work by SC&I faculty members and Ph.D. students.
The poster "Comparing post-test cancer genetic counseling communication and outcomes with and without pre-test counseling" was presented by SC&I doctoral student Liesl Broadbridge. Her co-authors are Paul Duberstein, professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health, and SC&I Distinguished Professor of Communication Kathryn Greene.
SC&I Professor of Communication Itzhak Yanovitzky, Assistant Professor Gretchen Stahlman of the School of Information at Florida State University (formerly an assistant professor at SC&I), and SC&I Associate Professor of Library and Information Science Charles Senteio co-authored "Enhancing actionability of federal and state health data dashboards for supporting evidence-based health policies and practices."
On Thursday, April 23, Poster Session C included "Parental Beliefs and Support for Implementation of School-Based Adolescent Depression Screening" by Yanovitzky and Cynthia Blitz, research professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education.
On Friday, April 24, included in Poster Session E was "Assessing implementation readiness of key stakeholders for universal school-based depression screening" by Rutgers University co-authors Blitz, David Amiel, research analyst at the Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices, and Yanovitzky. This poster won the Outstanding Member Abstract Award from SBM's Child and Family Health Special Interest Group.
Included in Paper Session 17 was "Patterns of patient disclosure decisions during post-test genetic counseling predict avoidant thoughts" by Broadbridge and co-authors Jada Hamilton of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Greene. This paper received the Meritorious Abstract award from the SBM.
For Panel Discussion 17, titled "The Health Decision Making SIG presents: The Difficulty of Communicating Scientific Uncertainty: The Complex Case of Alcohol and Cancer," SC&I incoming Dean William Klein and coauthors contributed "The Difficulty of Communicating Scientific Uncertainty: The Complex Case of Alcohol and Cancer."
About the Society of Behavioral Medicine
The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), according to the website, "brings together clinicians, educators, scientists, and industry leaders to advance the science of behavioral medicine and well-being" and "unites researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to advance healthcare through behavioral science—enhancing patient care, shaping policies, and improving health outcomes."
About SC&I’s Ph.D. Program
SC&I’s Ph.D. Program in Communication, Information, and Media offers interdisciplinary doctoral training for scholarly and professional leadership across communication, information science, and media studies. Within the Communication concentration, doctoral students pursue problem‑oriented, theory‑informed research spanning communication and technology, computational social science, health communication, interpersonal and family communication, language and social interaction, and organizational communication.
Learn more. Visit the Society of Behavioral Medicine conference page for conference details and updates. For the full schedule and listings, see the program schedule.
Learn more about the Rutgers School of Communication and Information.
