Springer to publish new journal of Society of Behavioral Medicine

Debut issue to focus on information technology and evidence implementation

Starting in 2011, Springer will publish Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research (TBM), a journal of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. The journal will debut with a special section, "Information Technology and Evidence Implementation."

Translational Behavioral Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed journal that offers continuous, online-first publication. Its aim is to engage, inform, and catalyze dialogue among the research, practice and policy communities about behavioral medicine. It will feature original empirical studies, case studies, systematic reviews, practice tools and essays on practice and public health policies. Editor-in-chief Bonnie Spring, PhD, of Northwestern University, Chicago, USA, is supported by an expert advisory and editorial board.

Karen Emmons, PhD, President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, said, "The launch of our new journal, Translational Behavioral Medicine, will provide a key opportunity for us to showcase the impact of behavioral medicine research. TBM's vision is to lead the translation of behavioral science findings to improve patient and population outcomes. We are delighted to continue working with Springer, which already publishes our journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine."

Bradford Hesse, PhD, Co-Editor of the special debut issue, said, "The science of translational behavioral medicine can, and must, be brought to bear on the discussions surrounding the implementation of health information technologies to improve outcomes for patients and their families. This first issue of TBM is very timely, as there is a lot of discussion nationally about orienting the multibillion dollar investments being made by the government toward creating 'meaningful use' of health information technology. 'Meaningful use,' as it has come be to defined, puts the target not on technology but on behavior: the behavior of clinicians in adhering to best practice, the behavior of patients making life-altering decisions, and the behavior of teams oriented toward supporting better patient outcomes over the life span."