Introduction to the Scientific Core

These are exciting times for the field of technology and behavioral health. New technologies are emerging rapidly, enabling tremendous advances in accessing and assessing individuals and their health behavior. Even “old” mediums such as the Internet and mobile-phones are being harnessed in new ways, delivering state-of-the-art behavioral interventions across a range of settings. This excitement also stems from the opportunity to ask new empirical questions about technology-based interventions. What are optimal methods to develop and evaluate new technology-based interventions? How can emerging technologies be combined with efficacious behavioral health interventions to produce the greatest effects? How can we identify the mechanisms of behavior change from technology-based interventions across diverse populations, settings, and problems? Which data analysis methods will allow us to synthesize results across studies, and to best isolate key mechanisms of behavior change?

The Scientific Core of the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health is designed to serve as a resource to help guide researchers, policy-makers, and others in answering these and related questions. We have assembled a world-class, interdisciplinary team of experts in behavior therapies development, health economics, assessment, analysis, emerging technologies, and engineering. Since the launch of the Center, we have developed an integrated battery of questionnaires to assess mechanisms of behavior change. We have also started to learn from and collaborate with our expert interdisciplinary group in seminars, presentations, discussion forums, and new collaborative projects. The Science Core has also assembled expert team working groups focused on (1) “behavior therapies development and mechanisms of behavior change,” and (2) “emerging technologies”. These teams have been asked to establish theoretical and methodological frameworks for many of the questions listed above, so stay tuned for some answers.

Although the Science Core is here to answer new questions and make new discoveries, our overriding mission is to improve the lives of those suffering from substance use disorders and related problems. This is why we do the science.

Jesse Dallery, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Florida