ABOUT US
The International Shared Decision Making Society was founded in 2018
in Hamburg, in Germany as a scientific association. Its first general assembly of members was held on July 9, 2019, during the 10th ISDM conference in Québec City (Canada).

OUR MISSION
is to foster person-centred healthcare and shared decision making worldwide.

OUR VISION
is that healthcare decisions are well-informed, and based on collaboration between persons and their health care providers.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY & EXECUTIVE BOARD
Current executive board members (period 07/2022-07/2024):
The general assembly is the assembly of the association‘s members and is conducted annually. Members are invited to join the meeting upon invitation.
Members of the executive board are elected by the general assembly for the duration of two years.

Prof. Kirsten McCaffery
President
Location: Australia
Kirsten McCaffery is a Professor of Behavioural Science and holds a Principal Research Fellowship at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney. She has developed and evaluated patient decision aids across a range of clinical areas and has a special interest in supporting shared decision making in populations with lower health literacy and among those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Prof. Anik Giguère
Vice-President
Location: Canada
Anik Giguère is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Laval University in Québec city. She studies the design and implementation of decision aids and educational programs to enable older adults to make health decisions based on evidence and on their experiences and values.

Prof. Paulina Bravo
Secretary
Location: Chile
Paulina Bravo is an Associate Professor and the Director of Research and Doctoral Studies at the School of Nursing at the Pontificia Universidad Católica, in Santiago, Chile. She leads the Health Participation Research group at her school. Her research focuses on the development and implementation of patient decision aids and patient-centered care interventions.

Prof. Martin Härter
Board Member
Location: Germany
Martin Härter holds a chair at the Department of Medical Psychology of the University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf. He is also scientific director of the Agency for Quality in Medicine in Berlin, Germany. He is an experienced healthcare researcher with specific focus on chronic conditions and mental health, patient-centred care and shared decision making.

Prof. Pola Hahlweg
Treasurer
Location: Germany
Pola Hahlweg is the deputy head of the research group “Patient Centered Care: Evaluation and Implementation” and a clinical psychologist at the Department of Medical Psychology of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany. She does research on patient-centered care and shared decision making, mostly in oncology and in the realm of implementation science.

Prof. Glyn Elwyn
Board Member
Location: United States
Glyn Elwyn holds a chair at the Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He has evaluated interventions to facilitate shared decision making, developed patient-reported and observer-based measures.

Dr Eman Abukmail
ECR Representative
Location: Australia
Eman is a PhD researcher at Bond University (IEBH). Her research focuses on improving the communication of natural history and prognosis of diseases. She is involved in projects where SDM is a potential solution. For example, proper use of healthcare services in LMICs, and prognosis expectations. Her vision is to improve the uptake of SDM and expand its outreach of it to communities with low resources.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
The ISDM Society is committed to increased equity, diversity and inclusion among its members.
We define diversity as differences in race, colour, place of origin, religion, immigrant and resident status, ethnic origin, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age. Our efforts to ensure the inclusion of diverse and underrepresented populations include:
- Outreach to attract members of underrepresented groups
- Encouraging our members to approach people of underrepresented groups and encourage them to apply to become members.

LEGAL STRUCTURE
- The ISDM Society is an international non-for-profit scientific association.
- The society’s legal statute document is available for all here
COI POLICY
- ISDM Society basic COI statement:
- To prevent any conflicts of interest we neither seek nor accept funding from pharmaceutical companies or commercial organisations/enterprises with competing interests in the health decisions of patients or the public.
- Enterprises with competing interests may include for-profit companies/organisations which sell or promote products including, but not limited to: healthcare services, medications, devices or insurance policies.
- ISDM Society board member declaration of interests and process for decision making:
- All Board Members are required to complete personal declaration of interest statements and to disclose all relationships with commercial organisations.
- A Board Member :
- declares the nature and extent of any interest, direct or indirect, which he or she has in a proposed transaction or arrangement with the Society or in any transaction or arrangement entered into by the Society which has not previously been declared; and
- absents himself or herself from any discussions of the Board Member in which it is possible that a conflict of interest will arise between his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the Society and any personal interest (including but not limited to any financial interest).