An official website of the United States governmentMaximizing the Impact of Mind and Body Interventions: Strategic Use of Intervention Adaptation
The virtual workshop will take place on July 23 and 24, 2026, from 1-5 p.m. each day.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and other National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes and Centers regularly receive grant applications proposing to adapt interventions with physical and/or psychological therapeutic inputs (often called mind and body interventions) to improve fit for different populations, settings, and health conditions. This raises critical questions about when adaptation can be used strategically to maximize health impact, and when it may introduce unnecessary complexity with limited translational return. Indeed, widespread debate exists on the benefits, unintended consequences, and timing for adapting interventions. The purpose of this virtual 2-day workshop is to explore unresolved issues related to why adaptations of mind and body interventions may be warranted to improve fit for specific contexts, when they are most appropriate across the translational pipeline, and how adaptations can be conducted in ways that maximize rigor, implementability, and real-world impact. The overarching goal of the workshop is to advance our understanding of approaches to support the translation of evidence-based interventions into practice to improve population health and well-being. Although the workshop is focused on mind and body interventions, it will feature perspectives from different fields.
Draft Agenda
(All times are Eastern Time)
Workshop Day 1
1:00 p.m. | Opening Remarks
- David Shurtleff, Ph.D., NCCIH
- Jane Simoni, Ph.D., Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
1:15 p.m. | Overview of the NCCIH Research Framework and Workshop Key Questions
- Jennifer Baumgartner, Ph.D., NCCIH
1:25 p.m. | Setting the Stage: Defining Key Terms and Introduction to the Science of Adapting Evidence-Based Interventions
- David Chambers, D.Phil., National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Moderator: Wynne Norton, Ph.D. (NCI)
1:50 p.m. | Opening Keynote: Adapting Evidence-Based Interventions for Implementation
- Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, Ph.D., Stanford University
- Moderator: Melissa Riddle, Ph.D., National Institute on Aging
2:35 p.m. | Break
2:50 p.m. | Panel: Considerations for Mind and Body Intervention Dose and Core Components
- Sarah Birken, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Diana Burgess, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
- Tamar Mendelson, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
- Moderator: Wendy Weber, N.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., NCCIH
3:35 p.m. | Debate To Address Key Question 1: Why might you need to adapt mind and body interventions instead of using evidence-based interventions as they were developed?
- Julie Wetherell, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
- Anna Lau, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
- Moderator: Jennifer Alvidrez, Ph.D., Office of Disease Prevention (ODP)
4:20 p.m. | Moderated Discussion With Panel and Audience on Key Question 1
- Moderator: Jennifer Alvidrez, Ph.D., ODP
4:40 p.m. | Day 1 Closing Remarks and Description of Day 2
- Lanay Mudd, Ph.D., NCCIH
5:00 p.m. | Adjourn
Workshop Day 2
1:00 p.m. | Welcome and Overview of Workshop Day 2
- Jennifer Baumgartner, Ph.D., NCCIH
1:10 p.m. | Panel To Address Key Question 2: When should adaptations of mind and body interventions be made during the translational pipeline of research?
- Judith Moskowitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., Northwestern University
- Roni Evans, Ph.D., D.C., University of Minnesota
- Brittany Cooper, Ph.D., Washington State University
- Moderator: Amy Goldstein, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
1:55 p.m. | Moderated Discussion With Panel and Audience on Key Question 2
- Moderator: Amy Goldstein, Ph.D., NIDA
2:15 p.m. | Session on Approaches To Address Key Question 3: How do you conduct adaptations of mind and body interventions rigorously?
- Mindfulness-Based Programs: The Why, When, and How Model of Intervention Adaptation, Eric Loucks, Ph.D., Brown University
- Applying the ADAPT-ITT Model to Adapting Mind and Body Interventions, Gina Wingood, Sc.D., M.P.H., Columbia University
- Methods To Document Adaptations Before and During Implementation, Borsika Rabin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Pharm.D., University of California, San Diego
3:00 p.m. | Moderated Discussion With Panel and Audience on Key Question 3
- Moderator: Wynne Norton, Ph.D. (NCI)
3:20 p.m. | Break
3:35 p.m. | Closing Keynote: Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE): Treatment Adaptation Across the Translational Pipeline To Address the Opioid Crisis
- Eric Garland, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
- Moderator: Eric Loucks, Ph.D., Brown University
4:20 p.m. | Putting It All Together and Next Steps
- Jennifer Baumgartner, Ph.D., NCCIH
4:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks
5:00 p.m. | Adjourn
How To Watch
This event will be livestreamed. The link will be shared with registrants when it is available. An archive of the video will be posted on this page after the event.
Registration
Register on Eventbrite to attend online or in person. Registrants will receive more information when available.
Reasonable Accommodation
Individuals who need reasonable accommodations (e.g., sign language interpretation) to participate in this event should contact the NCCIH Clearinghouse at info@nccih.nih.gov or 1-888-644-6226 by Thursday, July 9, 2026.
Media
Members of the media interested in covering any NCCIH events or research areas, please contact the NIH press office at or NIHPress@nih.gov or 301-496-5787.