Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
SAHM Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide a forum for members with common interests to network and explore specific topic areas in clinical care, research and public health, as well as to enable the exchange of ideas and the development of collaborative clinical or research projects.
How To Join A SIG
- Login using your user ID and password
- Once logged in, visit Edit your Profile and click the Interest Areas tab.
- Join a SIG by checking the box next to the corresponding name. Click Next at the bottom of the screen to advance to the end of your profile and save your changes.
- Note: It may take up to 30 minutes for your changes to sync for any listserve subscriptions.
List Of Currently Active SIGS:
ADHD
Description forthcoming
SIG Leaders: Jay Soileau, MD, FSAHM and Mark Thomas, MD, FSAHM
Adolescent Healthcare and the Resident Learner
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Paritosh Kaul, MD, FSAHM
Adolescent Nursing
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Sarah A. Stoddard, PhD, RN
Adolescents with HIV/AIDS
The HIV Special Interest Group (SIG) provides an opportunity for researchers and health care providers working with HIV-infected and at-risk adolescents and young adults to network and share experiences. Information regarding regional, national, and international activities impacting the care of these populations will be discussed in this forum, as well as issues related to collaborative research, health policy, ethics, and advocacy.
SIG Leaders: Samantha Hill, Uri Belkind, MD, MS and Yzette Lanier, PhD
Advocacy
Description forthcoming
SIG Leaders: Laura Grubb, MD and Jennifer Morone
Avoiding Burnout and Finding Wellness
This SIG is directed to clinicians and health care professionals who are interested in exploring their own wellness in highly demanding fields. We will explore ‘natural pathways’ to professional fatigue and burnout, summarizing recent research in the field of stress/burnout/wellness while highlighting work that demonstrates the physiologic impact of chronic stress and the benefits of stress-reduction practices such as mindfulness. By using the power of modern neuroscience and informed by contemplative wisdom, we will also explore common themes/influences of how we lose and find our way in today’s professional life. Participants should attend this session with a commitment to rejuvenating and promoting their own wellness.
SIG Leaders: Shelley Aggarwal, MD, Meera Beharry, MD and Richard MacKenzie, MD
Bone Health
Bone health is an important consideration for all adolescents with there is a growing body of research to direct clinical practice. The Bone Health SIG will update clinicians and researchers as to the critical nature of bone mass accrual during adolescence, how to optimize this accrual, and how to minimize factors which may impair it.
SIG Leader: Sarah Pitts, MD
Chronic Illness and Transition
The mission of the Chronic Illness and Transition SIG is to provide a structure for Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine members to play an active role in the advancement of research, practice, and policy related to AYAs with chronic health conditions and their health care transitions. We aim to do this via promoting awareness, networking, collaboration, and dissemination of best practices.
SIG Leader: Lisa K. Tuchman, MD, MPH
Climate & Adolescent Health SIG
The Climate & Adolescent Health SIG is for SAHM members interested in the intersection of the climate crisis and adolescent health. Focus areas include research, health professional education, advocacy and clinical efforts.
SIG Leaders: Dr. Eve Shapiro & Dr. Joanna Brown
College Health
Many Adolescent and Young Adult health professionals care for young persons in the college health setting. The College Health Special Interest Group of SAHM provides a forum for these members to share ideas about the special health needs of college students and the delivery of health care and health education to this group of young adults.
SIG Leaders: James Farrow, MD, MAT and Mark Pfitzner, MD
Contraception
The Contraception Special Interest Group (SIG) is an interactive session which will provide a forum for providers to discuss contraceptive options available for teens. We will cover methods of birth control, indications for use and how to provide adolescents with appropriate preconception counseling. Participants are encouraged to bring challenging contraceptive cases and questions for discussion. We also review the most up to date literature on contraception for adolescents.
SIG Leader: Shamieka Dixon, MD
Early Career Professionals
The Early Career Professionals Special Interest Group (SIG) is open to all SAHM members who have finished their professional training in the last 5 years. The SIG’s focus is on issues relevant to the transition from training to independent practice in a variety of settings. Activities of the SIG will include 1) networking to connect and engage early career professionals within SAHM, 2) support and resources for adjustment to post-training responsibilities, 3) clinical resources for early career professionals including difficult case discussions, 4) financial planning resources for early career professionals to feel financially secure, to include the ability to continue membership in SAHM and attendance at the SAHM Annual Meeting post-training, 5) leadership training that can be used within SAHM, practice, hospital, and/or academic settings,6) guidance for early career transitions between clinical settings, and 7) planning for the future needs of adolescent health professionals.
SIG Leader: Ellen Selkie, MD, MPH
Eating Disorders
The Eating Disorders SIG is an active and engaged community of health care providers, researchers, and advocates who are involved with care, support, and advocacy for youth and young adults who have eating disorders. The ED SIG is a forum where we can discuss clinical care recommendations and explore current controversies, and network to share resources, research findings, educational opportunities, and advocacy needs. We look forward to your participation!
SIG Leader: Cynthia Kapphahn, MD, MPH
Electronic Health Records
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Kirsten Hawkins, MD, MPH
Ethical & Legal
The Ethics and Legal Issues SIG provides a discussion space for sharing experiences and perspectives on some of the complex ethical and legal issues related to the health of adolescents and their families. The format is a case-based discussion, facilitated by SIG leaders. Participants are encouraged to bring their own cases and experiences.
SIG Leaders:
Abigail English, JD, Mary A. Ott MD MA and Sharon Enujioke, MD MPH
Family Medicine
The Family Medicine SIG regroups anyone who identifies with family medicine and has a special interest in adolescent health. This may include practicing physicians, residents, medical students or allies who apply the principles of family medicine while interacting with both adolescents and emerging adults. We discuss issues related to care, education and research related to individuals between the ages of 14 to 25. The topics may include continuity of care, continuing professional development, residency and post residency curriculum development and collaborative research. We are a diverse and welcoming group who are open to anyone willing to advance the care of youth within primary care in both ambulatory and hospital settings.
SIG Leader: Pierre-Paul Telier, MD, FSAHM
Global Adolescent Health SIG
The Global Adolescent Health SIG is a community of health care providers, researchers, scientists who are involved with the care, support, and advocacy for adolescents globally. The Global Adolescent Health SIG provides an opportunity for members to discuss current global priorities, health policies, program development, research findings, educational opportunities, and advocacy needs. In addition, the SIG will support networking and mentorship opportunities particularly for youth, trainees, early career professionals, and professionals new to global health. Global Adolescent Health is inclusive of local community health efforts, immigrant health, international health, and multinational health. A long-term goal for the SIG and its membership is to mobilize policy makers and governments to promote global adolescent health equity.
SIG Leader: Jason Nagata, MD and Sophie Remoue Gonzales, MD
International Adolescent Health Week (IAHW)
The purpose of the International Adolescent Health Week (IAHW) SIG is to provide a structure for the development and promotion of an annual observance celebrated globally to raise the profile and promote the health and well-being of all adolescents. The International Adolescent Health Week (IAHW) would build on the foundation laid by the Global Teen Health Week, imagined and created by a SAHM member. The SIG will use the expertise of its multi-disciplinary and international members to: identify yearly themes; work with local youth partners; identify existing evidence-based, culturally diverse and multi-lingual resources and/or create others as necessary; and encourage global participation in the IAHW. The inaugural Teen Health Week was celebrated in Pennsylvania in 2016, and globally for the first time in 2018, as a result of rich collaboration between youth and adults in the public and private sectors, in healthcare settings and in communities, schools and families. The IAHW SIG will work towards strengthening collaborations and partnerships in order to expand Teen Health Week to reach adolescents globally.
SIG Leader: Nahed Jaber, MD, Chinwendu (Wendy) Wokoma and Preeti Galagali, MD
Internists in Adolescent Medicine
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Jennifer H. Chuang, MD
Juvenile Justice
The juvenile justice special interest group is composed of providers interested in the health and well-being of youth encountering the juvenile justice system. SIG members support quality medical and mental health care in juvenile justice, advocacy efforts supporting detention alternatives and high quality research in the juvenile justice system. Our SIG meets annually at SAHM.
SIG Leaders: Rebecca M. Beyda, MD, MS and Ann L. Sattler, MD, MAT
LGBTQIA Adolescent Health
The LGBTQIA SIG provides members the opportunity to network with other health care professionals interested in the health and well-being of LGBTQIA Youth. The SIG will inform members of the latest clinical practices, research findings, health policies and psychosocial/political challenges affecting this vulnerable population; and will also serve as a forum to advocate for LGBTQIA youth.
SIG Leaders: Kacie Kidd, MD, MS
Male Adolescent and Young Adult Health
The male health special interest group provides a forum for health care professionals who have an interest in the health care needs of adolescent and young adult males. The SIG provides opportunities for members to network, exchange best practices, and discuss topics facing adolescent and young adult males. The SIG gives an opportunity for participants to share ideas on how to improve the health care of young men across the globe.
SIG Leaders: Gabriela Vargas and Noah Weatherton
Mental Health
The Mental Health Special Interest Group believes that mental health is a vital component of adolescent health. With suicide as one of the top international causes of adolescent mortality, and rates of depression and anxiety only increasing, the need for adolescent health professionals to address and be knowledgeable about adolescent mental health concerns is extremely important. Our group is composed of interdisciplinary members including providers trained in medicine and nursing, clinical behavioral health, and all individuals interested in adolescent mental health research and advocacy. Our goal will be to meet regularly at SAHM to discuss relevant mental health topics as well as needs for further training, research, and advocacy. Our activities will include sharing information about clinical practices, sprouting collaborations, and informing future SAHM program planning such as working together on future workshops.
SIG Leader: Ana Radovic, MD
Military Adolescent Health Professionals
The Military Adolescent Health Professionals SIG provides members the opportunity to network and exchange best practices with health care professionals interested in the Military Health System (MHS) and the care of military and military dependent youth. The United States Military has a long and storied history in Adolescent Medicine and within SAHM. This SIG welcomes all SAHM members, including clinicians, researchers, and civilian partners who are interested in the MHS population or opportunities for collaboration to ensure optimal care of military beneficiaries (e.g., over 2 million youth). The SIG will inform members of the latest clinical practices, research collaborations and findings, health policies, opportunities for advocacy, and challenges affecting this vulnerable population.
SIG Leader: David A. Klein, MD, MPH
Multicultural/Multiethnic
Description forthcoming
SIG Leaders: Lisa Barkley, MD and Kelly M. Bethea, MD, FSAHM
Nursing Research
The Nursing Research Special Interest Group (SIG) provides an opportunity for nurse scientists, emerging nurse researchers, and clinicians working with adolescents to discuss current trends in research by nurses or affecting nursing research or practice, network with other nurse scientists, and share adolescent research experiences. Research regarding regional, national, and international activities impacting the nursing care of adolescents will be discussed in this forum.
SIG Leaders: Diane Santa Maria DrPH, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC and Holly Fontenot PhD, RN, WHNP-BC
Nutrition
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Nichole Mihalopoulos, MD, MPH
Peace, Armed Conflict and Adolescents
The Peace, Armed Conflict and Adolescents SIG serves as a forum for discussion and exploration of the effects of armed conflict on young people, the effects of military involvement, and the potential role of physicians and other healthcare professionals in opposing the use of armed force to address political, cultural and economic conflicts.
SIG Leaders: Diana Birch, MD, FSAHM, Curren Warf, MD, MSed, FSAHM and Evelyn Eisenstein, MD, FSAHM
Power of One
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Paul Benson, MD, MPH, Holly Gooding, MD, MS, Lorna Gordon, MD
Private Practitioners in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine
Description forthcoming
SIG Leader: Mark H. Thomas, MD, FSAHM
Quality Improvement
Quality Improvement (QI) methods and approaches promote the rigorous study of care provision to ensure that we meet the high standards our patients deserve. Providing the best possible care for adolescents and young adults requires measurement. The QI SIG aims to brings together both leaders and learners among the SAHM community to discuss QI projects which improve adolescent health. Our goals are to provide pathways for those with an interest in QI to learn more about the field, support creation of scholarly work in the area of change science and create a network of adolescent focused QI leaders to discuss projects and opportunities. We hope to consider areas open to cross-institution collaboration, share best practices, and support one another in work which impacts outcomes for adolescents and young adults.
SIG Leader: Joshua Borus, MD, Rachel Goldstein, MD
Research Networking
The Research Networking SIG welcomes researchers at any level who seek to foster potential collaborations, share resources, and advice for maintaining funding, and applying a variety of advanced methods to adolescent health research. Previous sessions have focused on small groups with experts on specific methodologies, brief advice on forming writing groups, and discussions about challenges around maintaining wellness and fortitude with the ups and downs of research life.
SIG Leaders: Kristen Kaseeska, MPH, Ana Radovic, MD and Sharon Smith, PhD, RN, FNP-BC
Runaway and Homeless Youth
Description forthcoming
SIG Leaders: Seth Ammerman, MD, FSAHM and Meera S. Beharry, MD
School-Based Health Care
Description forthcoming
SIG Leaders: Steve W. North, MD, MPH and Ryan Pasternak, MD, MPH
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Description forthcoming
SIG Leaders: Claudia Borzutzky, MD and Debra Braun-Courville, MD
Social Work
Social workers provide various services in adolescent health and medicine clinics including case management and direct counseling. We welcome social workers and all others interested in the collaboration of social worker with other disciplines. We will give a brief presentation and then determine what issues need to be addressed from the audience.
SIG Leaders: Ilse Braun, LCSW and James Hall, PhD, LCSW
Spirituality
The Spirituality SIG has been meeting at every SAHM Annual Meeting since 1998. Please join us as we continue our ongoing discussion on the place of spirituality in the lives of adolescents, as a key component of adolescent healthcare, and in our own lives working with adolescents. This year’s discussion will focus on Adolescent Suicide, Loss, and Spiritual Healing Strategies, starting from the perspective of the recent “epidemic” of youth suicides within Native American communities.
SIG Leader: Richard Wahl, MD, FSAHM
Sports Medicine
In this Sports SIG there will be a coordination of sports educational programming at SAHM with interested participants. All are welcome to this sports SIG, including new SAHM members and those more experienced. We will review the preparticipation examination (PPE) and cardiac PPE screening and how best to do this in a busy practice setting. A lively case based interchange with participants is encouraged especially among nutritionists, psychologists and those who take care of athletes! Our continuing goal is to establish a global network of health care practitioners who can serve as a resource for SAHM members who want to learn more sports medicine, how to incorporate it into their practice, and how to keep current on the diagnosis and rehabilitation of sports injuries. Another goal is to foster opportunities to collaborate on multicenter research projects, developing educational materials, and/or potential position statements for SAHM related to sports health.
SIG Leader: Cora Breuner, MD, MPH
Student/Trainee
The Student/Trainee SIG welcomes students and trainees of all levels, professions, and disciplines who have an interest in adolescent health and wellbeing. The focus of this SIG will be career development and transitioning between various stages of training. The Student/Trainee SIG aims to provide an opportunity for members to engage in networking, both to connect with their peers in a social setting and to gain support from those who may relate to their experiences and/or challenges. Additionally, the SIG hopes to facilitate mentorship between new trainees and those further along in their training, with an emphasis on program selection, finding a job, and overcoming hurdles which may arise in education, research, advocacy, or patient care.
SIG Leaders: Jason Nagata, MD, MSc, Maayan Leroy-Melamed, MD, Leslie Rosenthal, MD, Camille Robinson, MD, MPH, Samuel Master, DO, Sona Dave, MD, Sophie Remoue Gonzales, MD
Substance Use and Treatment
The SAHM Substance Use Prevention and Treatment (SUPT) SIG seeks to gather current and future leaders in the field, including clinicians, researchers, and policymakers. Our goal is to offer a forum to share ideas and innovations, review state-of-the-art research, foster mentoring and collaboration, and advance the field of adolescent and young adult addiction prevention and treatment. Special attention is dedicated to understanding the life course trajectory of addiction, including careful consideration of risk and protective factors preceding adolescent substance use, early experimentation with substances, development of substance use disorder, and the downstream harms of adolescent substance use on adult health outcomes.
SIG Leaders: Scott Hadland, MD, MPH, MS and Seth Ammerman
Violence Prevention
The SAHM Violence Prevention SIG aims to understand and address multiple forms of violence including interpersonal violence, sexual violence, bullying, non-suicidal self-injury, and community violence. We review important research, intervention, and policy findings to advance our understanding of risk and protective factors for violent victimization, perpetration, and witnessing. We facilitate dynamic discussion among researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers so that we can work together to tackle this epidemic. We welcome all SAHM members with an interest in understanding and preventing youth violence to join us.
SIG Leaders: Alison Culyba and Nicholas Westers, Psy. D.
Official SIG Policies and Procedures
Establishment of a SIG
A request to create a SIG must be submitted by a group of SAHM members (minimum of five) to SAHM HQ at info@adolescenthealth.org. The group must submit a brief paragraph describing the title and focus of the group. The description should provide sufficient information so that it can be used as the SIG description should the establishment of the SIG be approved. The SAHM Executive Committee will approve requests to establish a SIG. Once established, an invitation to join the newly established SIG will be published in SAHM Matters (SAHM’s quarterly newsletter) and on the SAHM SIG webpage.
Required criteria for a new SIG to be approved:
- SIG application is supported by five or more SAHM members
- Interest area must fit within the mission of SAHM
- Proposed SIG focus does not overlap an area covered by an existing SIG
SIG Membership Criteria: Membership in a SIG is determined by current membership with SAHM and by an interest in the group’s identified topical concern. Groups may not establish exclusionary criteria for membership. SIG membership will be tracked through the SIG’s SAHM database.
Retiring an Existing SIG: A SIG may be removed from the Society’s list of SIGs at the initiation of either the SIG organizer or the Board of Directors. SIGs whose membership fall below the required minimum of five members for a full year will also be retired.
Establishing SIG Leadership: A SIG lead organizer serves as a coordinator of activities and information. The lead organizer is in charge of making a formal request for a scheduled time for the SIG to meet at the Annual Meeting as well as to organize the agenda for the meeting. The organizer will be in charge of ensuring that all activities and discussion stay within the topic area specific to the SIG and within the Mission of the society. SIGs are permitted to have more than one leader however no person may serve as a SIG leader for more than four years consecutively. SIGs are responsible for electing their own leadership. Elections may be held in person during a SIG meeting held at the SAHM Annual Meeting or electronically. An in-person election can be won with a majority vote of those in attendance. An electronic vote requires participation from at least 50% of the SIG membership.
Requests for meeting space at SAHM Annual Meeting: SIGs may request space to meet for a one-hour, non-CME/CE business meeting during the Annual Meeting. A SIG must have a minimum of ten members to be eligible to apply for meeting space. SIGs may also submit proposals for Workshop sessions that include CME/CE. Decisions and scheduling of all Annual Meeting submissions will be made by the Program Committee.
Important note: SAHM does not offer SIG sessions with CME/CE.
Special Interest Group Responsibilities: The Special Interest Group Program is maintained by the Society as a service to its members. Therefore, SIGs are accountable to their membership and to the Society.
Special Interest Group Requirements:
- SAHM requires that SIGs engage only in activities that are compatible with the Society’s mission. Where there is concern about the appropriateness of a Group’s activities, final determination will rest with the Board of Directors.
- No SIG may release any position paper or policy statements on public policy matters in the name of SAHM. A SIG may submit a proposal for a position paper or statement by following the current SAHM position paper and statement proposal guidelines.
Revised 07/07/2023
