John D. Otis, Ph.D.

Welcome to San Francisco and the 44th Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. I would like to thank ABCT President Dr. Frank Andrasik and the entire ABCT Board for inviting me to serve as the 2010 Program Chair. Serving as Program Chair has been an incredible opportunity and has given me an appreciation for the behind-the-scenes efforts that occur each year to make the ABCT convention an intellectually stimulating and enjoyable event for over 5,000 members. It has been an honor to work for all of you.

The theme of the 44th Annual Convention, "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Unifying Diverse Disciplines With a Common Thread," is intended to emphasize the relevance of cognitive-behavioral theories across varied topics and disorders and across diverse health- and mental-health-related professions and disciplines. While there are many specialties within the fields of physical and mental health, our shared understanding of the importance of applying evidence-based cognitive behavioral practices is a common thread that joins us together.

Clearly, this is a message that resonated strongly with ABCT members. We received 1,965 submissions this year, many of which were in areas that had been underrepresented in the past. The 2010 ABCT program schedule is packed with diverse offerings in every time slot, so it is recommended that members use the ABCT Itinerary Planner, located on the ABCT website (www.abct.org/conv2010), to plan their daily schedule online and in advance of the conference so that they can take full advantage of this year's exciting and innovative presentations and addresses.

In keeping with this year's conference theme, Dr. Edna Foa, recipient of last year's ABCT Lifetime Achievement Award, and one of Time Magazine's 2010 World's Most Influential People, will deliver her Invited Address, "Disseminating Evidence-Based Treatments Within Systems and Across Countries: Lessons Learned From Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD." Dr. Foa will discuss the urgent need to disseminate evidence-based treatments around the world, factors that hinder successful dissemination, and ways to overcome them.

Dr. Albert Bandura, a pioneer in social cognitive theory, social learning theory, self-efficacy, and one of the most influential psychologists of our time, will present our second Invited Address, "On Alleviating Urgent Global Problems by Psychosocial Means." Dr. Bandura will elucidate how to translate theory into everyday practice and how to construct theoretical, translational, and social diffusion models to affect society-wide changes.

In his Invited Address, "Alternative Strategies for Changing Multiple Behaviors," Dr. James Prochaska, a pioneer in behavior change for health promotion, will discuss how proactively delivering tailored interventions to populations at home can result in changes in multiple health behaviors simultaneously. This innovative approach has the potential to produce comprehensive impacts while reducing costs and demands on participants and providers.

Helen Mayberg, M.D., will bring our conference to the cutting edge of cognitive neuroscience with her Invited Address, "Paths to Recovery: Targeting Dysfunctional Limbic-Cortical Circuits in Depression." Her presentation will address distinct brain changes associated with different antidepressant treatments, and she will review the potential future clinical applications of functional imaging (fMRI) to optimize diagnosis and treatment.

On Saturday, Dr. Frank Andrasik will deliver his Presidential Address, "Behavioral Medicine: Expanding our Reach." Dr. Andrasik will discuss the origins of behavioral medicine, new directions for intervention, and methods for enhancing dissemination efforts. The 2010 ABCT conference also features new presentations in the areas of behavioral medicine/health psychology, severe mental illness, couples treatment, presentations on the NIH Loan Repayment Program, advice for early-career professionals, as well as advice from experts on recent changes in the NIH grant application process.

This year, the Clinical Grand Rounds will feature Dr. Shelia Eyberg, the developer of Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), who will perform a live demonstration of PCIT. Dr. Judith Beck will demonstrate how to use a case conceptualization diagram in her presentation, "Case Conceptualization of Core Schemas Using Cognitive Therapy." In addition, Drs. Edna Foa and Patty Resick will perform live demonstrations of prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy for PTSD on the same individual. For those ABCT members seeking more intensive training, we have an incredible and diverse lineup of 25 Workshops, 8 Institutes, and 8 Master Clinician Seminars throughout the conference. Please be sure to reserve your place now as these seats will definitely fill up early.

I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the 2010 Program Committee who spent hours reviewing applications and helping to shape this year's conference. We had many new faces on the committee this year and I hope they will continue to be interested in participating. To the "Super Reviewers," including Drs. Grant, Rosenthal, Bell, Schare, Sexton-Radek, Hofmann, Del Vecchio, Gallagher, Albano, and Lawrence-thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty.

I would like to thank the Convention and Education Planning Committee Chairs for developing an exceptional program, including Patricia Averill (Institutes), Scott Compton (AMASS), Sandra Pimentel (Continuing Education), Jillian Shipherd (Workshops), and Bruce Zahn (Master Clinician Seminars). I would like to express my thanks to last year's Program Chair, Dr. Lata McGinn, for her guidance and support. I would like to express special thanks to Mary Ellen Brown, Director of Education and Meeting Services, for her patience, humor, and knowledge-Mary Ellen truly oversees the entire ABCT convention. I would like to thank Christina Porter, our ScholarOne representative (the website where you entered your submissions for this conference), for her professionalism and outstanding service. I would also like to thank my ABCT Program Chair Assistant, Kristen Sanderson, for her assistance in helping me to organize this year's conference. And I would like to thank my wife, Dr. Donna Pincus, for all of her support throughout my term as Program Chair.

What an incredible location for our 44th Annual Convention-San Francisco! We are excited to have the Hilton San Francisco Union Square as our conference site. The hotel is located in the heart of the city, within walking distance to many of San Francisco's famous neighborhoods, such as Chinatown, Nob Hill, the cable cars, shopping, dining, theatre, and nightlife. The hotel even has a spa and an outdoor pool for between-presentation rejuvenation. Our Local Arrangements Chair, Dr. Allison Harvey, has creative entertainment options waiting for you at the booth this year, so please stop by and see her and her team when creating your plans for extracurricular activities while in San Francisco. While this is a city with a great deal to offer, this is not the year to miss the ABCT Saturday-night dance party!

Once again, it has been a pleasure to serve as Program Chair. See you at the conference!