We are delighted to announce the publication in February 2018 of a special issue of Behaviour Research and Therapy entitled “An experimental medicine approach to behavior change: The NIH Science Of Behavior Change (SOBC).”

In this special issue, we introduce exciting work currently underway within the SOBC Research Network, supported by the NIH Common Fund. Papers included in this issue describe the SOBC mission and the work of its research teams. Some manuscripts provide contextual frameworks for these efforts, including a historical perspective from the NIH. Other papers describe study protocols and initial results for constituent projects, demonstrating how the experimental medicine approach can be applied to a wide range of questions in the behavior change field. The overarching goal of SOBC is to transform behavior change science by bringing a mechanism-focused approach to intervention development. These contributions demonstrate how systematic and rigorous methods that span basic and applied research can be implemented to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Nielsen L, Riddle M, King JW, et al. The NIH Science of Behavior Change Program: Transforming the science through a focus on mechanisms of change. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2018;101:3-11.