Behavioral and Community Health Professor Cheryl Knott will bring her deep expertise developing behavioral intervention programs to prevent cancer to her new role as editor-in-chief of the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine.
The journal, which is published by the Society of Behavioral Medicine, aims to translate behavioral science findings into concrete improvements in patient outcomes. As editor-in-chief, Knott plans to further that goal in two specific ways.
First, Knott plans to expand the readership of TBM to the neighboring fields of preventive medicine, psychology, and public health. She also intends to market the journal to legislators, whom she hopes will use the research to inform their policymaking.
Building on her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Knott says she’ll work to increase the representation of minority communities on the TBM journal’s editorial board and team. She will also implement a new requirement for papers submitted to the journal: in addition to stating the paper’s take-aways for practice, policy and research, authors will have to include a take-away for DEI.
The editor-in-chief position is just one of the many hats Knott wears. She is also co-leader of the Population Science Program and associate director of the Community Outreach and Engagement at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and founding director of the Community Health Awareness, Messages, and Prevention (CHAMP) research lab. The CHAMP lab focuses on behavioral interventions aimed at cancer control and eliminating cancer disparities.