You are invited to apply to participate in the Emotional Well-Being (EWB) Research Summit 2025, sponsored by the U-24 EWB M3EWB Network and EMOTECON Network.

Embracing Emotional Well-Being in Research Agendas: Overcoming Tensions and Finding Opportunities to Funding 

Emotional well-being (EWB) is not simply the absence of stress—it plays a dynamic role in shaping human health, particularly in behavioral medicine, and also constitutes a highly worthwhile outcome in and of itself. We know EWB is an emerging and important area of research, but also that it can be challenging to secure direct funding support.

The U24 Network on Emotional Well-Being invites you to explore these issues with us in the Emotional Well-Being Research Summit 2025, sponsored by the NIH U-24 EWB M3EWB and EMOTECON Networks. This Summit aims to foster collaboration, drive innovative discussions, and explore the integration of EWB in research agendas.

There is no cost to attend this workshop, which aims to promote research on emotional well-being. Scholars from all career phases are welcome, but we particularly want to include early career scholars and those who are contemplating focusing on EWB as part of their research.

Summit Overview:
We aim to focus on the difficulties facing researchers who endeavor to focus on EWB rather than or in addition to more typical outcomes such as stress, distress, depression, anxiety, or grief. This summit aims to help us identify and think through the general challenges of highlighting EWB as distinct from these more typical outcomes, prioritizing EWB research questions, obtaining external funding for such research, integrating EWB with more traditional negative outcomes, and maintaining a consistent focus on EWB over time.

The EWB Research Summit is designed as a professional development and learning opportunity.  tailored to those investigating EWB mechanisms underlying mind-body interventions (MBIs). This Summit offers a unique opportunity to receive constructive feedback on your research through our “Data Blitz” format. Presenters will share their early-stage work in a 10-minute presentation, followed by a 10-minute group discussion, allowing for dynamic exchange and feedback.

We will gather a diverse, cross-disciplinary group of researchers to discuss the latest advances in EWB research, identify critical issues, and collaborate on innovative solutions. Topics include emotional well-being within behavioral medicine, as detailed in the 2022 article by Park et al. and related commentaries in Affective Science. For more information on the EMOT-ECON network's focus, refer to Pisu et al.'s 2023 article.

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 (the day before the SBM Annual Meeting)
• Time: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• Location: San Francisco Hilton, Union Square, Room Plaza A
• Refreshments will be provided.

Note: This is not an official Society of Behavioral Medicine event, nor does SBM endorse this function.

Call for Applications:
Please describe how your research aligns with Emotional Well-Being (EWB) and how it advances the science of EWB in behavioral medicine. We are particularly interested in your ideas – challenges and successes – to include a viable EWB focus in your research. If applicable, describe your strategy (or ideas) to incorporate EWB focus into your existing work that may focus on mitigating negative outcomes.

Participant Selection:
The Summit is limited to 30 participants. Priority will be given to early-career scholars and those whose work aligns closely with the objectives of the M3EWB and EMOTECON Networks.

Application Estimated Timeline:

• Open Date: November 1, 2024
• Close Date: December 1, 2024
• Notification by: Early January 2025

We encourage you to apply early for this exceptional opportunity to collaborate and advance emotional well-being science. Limited travel stipends may be available for selected participants.

Application Here

This program is supported by National Institutes of Health grants: U24 AT011310 and U24 AT011281.