Winner Testimonials
Thanks to this collaboration, I learned the value of designing interventions that are both evidence-based and contextually adaptable. The experience also strengthened my confidence in presenting research to international audiences and incorporating constructive feedback to improve research quality.
2025 HBIC Award Winner Henrietta Ampofo, PhD
Sponsored by the International Behavioural Trials Network (IBTN) and the Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network (CBITN)
Thanks to opportunities to learn about participatory research methods, this collaboration helped broaden my methodological perspective. This experience also reinforced for me the value of sustained, in-person collaboration, leading to new ideas and collaborations that likely would not have emerged.
2025 HBIC Award Winner Carah Holesovsky Porter, PhD(c)
Sponsored by the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM)
Receiving the HBIC award gave me a significant amount of confidence as I made the transition from doctoral to postdoctoral researcher. Finding a mentor who has had similar career experiences has been invaluable in encouraging me to be courageous with my research. The supportive mentoring [I received] has also helped me reflect on the kind of mentor and supervisor I want to be.
2025 HBIC Award Winner Amelia Winter, PhD
Sponsored by the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM)
The learnings acquired thanks to this international collaboration have changed the trajectory of my intended program of research in my career. They have taught me the essential nature of understanding the scope of the literature and involving patients as partners in empirical discovery.
2025 HBIC Award Winner Frances Cooke, PhD
Sponsored by the Society for Health Psychology (SfHP)
In 2023, the HBIC award allowed me to travel to Ireland to learn from leading experts in co-creation methods at the Health Behaviour Change Research Group led by Professor Molly Byrne. I learned so much from this experience that shaped my PhD research at that time and provided me with skills that I still use to this day when I am creating and testing novel behavioural interventions. I am forever appreciative of the opportunity and learning that the HBIC award allowed me to experience!
2023 HBIC Award Winner Alysha Deslippe, PhD
Sponsored by the International Behavioural Trials Network (IBTN), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s SPOR Chair, and the Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network (CBITN)
When I received the HBIC award, it was an important encouragement early in my career and really strengthened my motivation to continue in research. I’m now pursuing a PhD focused on the psychosocial and behavioral determinants of cognitive decline among older adults. The HBIC award definitely helped boost my confidence and opened new perspectives for collaboration and academic growth. I’m very grateful for that opportunity.
2021 HBIC Award Winner Arwa Ben Salah, MD, MPH
Sponsored by the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (formerly the American Psychosomatic Society)
I can’t recommend the HBIC award enough! Through this funding, I acquired new skills in neurological recording and formed lasting collaborations that have resulted in publications and new grant opportunities. I also loved having the opportunity to stay in a different country and experience another university and lab.
2023 HBIC Award Winner Elizabeth Schneider, PhD
Sponsored by the German Society for Behavioral Medicine (DGVM)
The HBIC award allowed me to develop a collaboration with scholars in Brighton, UK. With support of this award, I visited their laboratories and we developed and piloted a novel psychological stress task that incorporated interoceptive manipulations. This award was crucial to starting this collaboration that continues to this day. My research program is now firmly situated at the crossroads or stress neurobiology and interoception, with thanks to this award. The knowledge and skills obtained with support of the award will inform future grants. The award was incredibly helpful at opening new collaborative and scientific avenues during my graduate training, and it continues to positively affect my work to this day.
2019 HBIC Award Winner Thomas Kraynak, PhD
Sponsored by the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (formerly the American Psychosomatic Society)
The HBIC award helped me bridge my interests in culture and social systems to brain function through collaborations with colleagues and students. It also helped me get to know another NIH data set (ABCD data) which has since opened up more projects for me and my students.
2022 HBIC Award Winner Melissa Flores, PhD
Sponsored by the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (formerly the American Psychosomatic Society)
During my HBIC-sponsored research visit to Baylor University, I had the privilege of working with my international mentor and colleagues on a collaborative project. Our manuscript was accepted for publication and our work was also presented at the 82nd Society of Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine Conference in Seattle, highlighting the productivity and impact of this six-week collaboration. My experience at Baylor University was both highly rewarding and played an important role in my development as a researcher. Working with my international mentor provided a great opportunity to strengthen my skills in data analysis, academic writing, and collaborative research. The HBIC award significantly contributed to both my personal and professional growth.
2024 HBIC Award Winner Ailbhe Dempsey, PhD(c)
Sponsored by the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (formerly the American Psychosomatic Society)