Patrick Tang, MPH

Every year, Peers for Progress looks to the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine as an opportunity to learn from experts, share research findings from our network, and get inspired to take action. The conference caters to a wide range of interests, and yet attendees could spend the entire conference focusing on a narrow topic area. For example, I was particularly excited to see the number of presentations on technology-enhanced peer support and health coaching.

On our part, Peers for Progress investigators organized two symposia on peer support. The first symposium, Inside the Black Box: Deconstructing Social and Peer Support, took a deep dive into the mechanisms of effective interventions and offered practical recommendations to improve peer support programs. The second symposium, Peer Support: Channels of Dissemination, featured three model programs that have the potential to expand and sustain peer support for whole populations.

You can download our presentation slides below in case you weren’t able to attend our symposia or missed something during the presentations. Thanks to everyone that joined our discussions! We look forward to SBM next year in San Diego.

Inside the Black Box: Deconstructing Social and Peer Support

Chair:

Introductory Slides
Edwin B. Fisher, PhD
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Presenters:

Peer Advisors Improved Physical Activity Despite Pain
Monika A. Safford, MD
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Preventive Medicine
Birmingham, AL

Differentiating the Role of Social Support on Diabetes Outcomes Among a Cross-Site Sample of Adults
Sarah D. Kowitt, MPH
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Community Based Peer Support in Breastfeeding Interventions: Examining Engagement Strategies
Nivedita Bhushan, MA
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Discussant:

Michele Heisler, MD MPA
University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI

Peer Support: Channels of Dissemination

Chair:

Andrea Cherrington, MD MPH
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL

Presenters:

Type 2 Together: Rolling Out Group Peer Support Based Upon RAPSID- Randomised Controlled Trial of Peer Support in Type 2 Diabetes
David Simmons, FRACP FRCP MD
Western Sydney University
Campbelltown, Australia

Dissemination Model for Promotores de Salud in Primary Care Reaching Populations of Patients with Chronic Disease
Edwin B. Fisher, PhD
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

High Tech/Soft Touch: Using eHealth to Disseminate Lay Health Coaching
Patrick Y. Tang, MPH
Peers for Progress
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Discussant:

Steven Peskin, MD MBA FACP
Horizon-BCBSNJ
Belle Mead, NJ