May 28, 2021
Dear ACBS,
It’s been quite a journey for all of us over the past year and a half, as we continue to struggle with the global pandemic. I am mindful that for some of our members, especially those in low- and middle-income countries, vaccines are scarce and their roll-out is slow. For those members in more privileged places, very slowly, restrictions have begun to lift, and some are making the first tentative moves towards being together again. Many of us have struggled with grief and loss; I am grateful for the things and people that the pandemic has not taken away. My wish for all of us is that we have patience as we find our way, and that we hang onto our sense of beauty and our capacity for joy along with sorrow. For, as Khalil Gibran reminds us,
Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,”
and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come,
and when one sits alone with you at your board,
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
As always, I am grateful for our community of scientists, practitioners, people with lived experience, coaches, teachers, students, and fellow travelers. So many of you have shown your generosity of spirit in supporting each other, organizing events large and small, and continuing your work despite many challenges. I wanted to take a moment to highlight two individuals in ACBS that I admire deeply, each for different reasons, who have made enormous contributions to our community. I had the pleasure of spending time with both to talk about things that they care about, and that are incredible achievements for our ACBS family.
First, I’m delighted to introduce one of our newest ACBS Board Members. Sindhu BS, a clinician who works in Bangalore, India, and is one of the kindest and hardest working colleagues I know. She and a few colleagues organized the first online conference hosted by the ACBS India chapter in concert with the Developing Nations Committee, ACBS Emerging Voices, on 20th & 21st February of this year. The conference featured speakers and attendees from around the world and received broad acclaim from its attendees. It was an honor to speak at this incredible event, and I had a great time getting to know Sindhu in our interview about the conference here.
Next, I had the distinct pleasure of chatting with none other than Steve Hayes about the Final Report of the ACBS Task Force on the Strategies and Tactics of Contextual Behavioral Science Research. This Task Force was convened by Louise Hayes in 2018 during her time as ACBS President and has continued ever since. This monumental Final Report details the desired trajectory of contextual behavioral science research over the next 10-20 years, and also describes how far we have come in our work. This paper has been published in JCBS, and there will also be a panel discussion at our upcoming World Conference, including, among others, Anne Marie Albano and Vikram Patel. To hear from Steve himself, you can check out our interview here.
What’s Up with the Board?
We on the Board have continued to work hard on behalf of our membership. For more information about what’s going on this month, see the ACBS Monthly Newsletter here.
Here are some highlights on projects and initiatives that we’ve worked on in the beginning of this year:
• This year, the Board has been working actively to make ACBS a more welcoming, diverse, and equitable organization for all. To this end, we have sent out a Request for Proposals for consultants to help us do a deep dive into our policies and procedures to help us move in this direction. We are currently speaking with them to determine our options and opportunities.
• Our Science Pillar strategic group has been doing incredible things – most recently launching the Early Career Mentorship Program. Find out more here.
• In addition to the mentorship program, the Science Pillar is about to launch a wholly innovative endeavor to strengthen the scientific foundations of ACBS. Want to hear more? Look out for the next installment of Sounding Board!
• We continue to work with with the Conference Strategy Committee and our two conference Chairs, Maria Karekla and Rhonda Merwin, putting together a fantastic virtual World Conference this June! Our conference theme is Broadening Our Vision: Using CBS to Nurture a Just and Sustainable World. For more information about the 2021 Virtual World Conference, see here.
We look forward to seeing you all at our ACBS Virtual World Conference happening this month!
With kindness,
Lisa Coyne, President, ACBS Board of Directors