Director's Message
Thank you for visiting the Center for Behavior & Health (CBH). Our mission is to reduce health-damaging behaviors, support positive management of illness and foster implementation of evidence-based health promotion.
Director, Center for Behavior & Health
We are a multispecialty community of scientists, clinicians and community stakeholders dedicated to improving health and quality of life through proven behavioral science. Through research, practice and policy activities, CBH’s members leverage behavior’s pivotal role in preserving and restoring health. Some of us conduct basic biobehavioral research to understand how psychosocial and environmental influences “get under the skin” to heighten the risk or worsen the outcome of illness. Others develop and evaluate behavioral interventions to prevent disease or psychosocial treatments to help patients manage illness and preserve a good quality of life. Still others focus on translating and customizing evidence-based practices so that they will be taken up by institutions, sustained and made accessible to all.
Many of our interventions incorporate novel technologies and sensors that enable us to increase treatment access, reduce burden and deliver interventions remotely when they are most needed. Increasingly, CBH investigators incorporate multiphase optimization strategies (MOST), drawn from engineering, to design treatments that are maximally efficient, achieving the greatest health benefit for the population at the least resource consumption. Our longstanding commitment to team science leads us to pursue research that dares to transcend disciplinary boundaries and bridge the gap between academic, care delivery and community settings. CBH strives to create a welcoming environment for optimal faculty investigations, student engagement and staff growth, with an emphasis on strong teamwork, effective communication and revolutionary inquiry.
The Research section of this website features examples of CBH investigators’ research in three domains:
- Health behavior change
- Psychosocial and contextual influences on illness and quality of life
- Implementation of evidence-based and tailored health practices
The Education section links to our graduate and postdoctoral training programs.
Thank you for your interest in our work. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact us via Laura Scanlan.