Health Behavior Research Center

Advancing Research Through Technology

The Health Behavior Research Center (HBRC) is a National Institutes of Health-funded center within the Department of Psychiatry. We investigate how technology can improve the accessibility of psychological treatment, primarily through Interactive Voice Response (IVR).To enable greater participation of patients in their medical care, HBRC is actively collaborating on a number of projects with other departments in the UVM College of Medicine, the UVM Department of Psychology, and with medical practices at The University of Vermont Medical Center and in the community.

PHOnE Study

The Phone Health Outreach aNd Education (PHOnE) Study, sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and led by Gail L Rose, Ph.D., aims to determine if we can enhance your provider visit by identifying patients ahead of time who might want information, evaluation, referral or treatment for various health-related concerns. Learn more >>

IVR Technology

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a computer-based telephone system that allows subjects to respond to questions asked by a recorded voice. The subject inputs numeric answers using the telephone touch pad, which are stored and can then be used to generate graphs and charts for research or analyses.

Confidentiality

Protecting patient/participant privacy is very important to the Health Behavior Research Center. Confidentiality of data is assured by using ID numbers instead of names, and all records are stored in locked cabinets and secure computer files. The results of our studies may eventually be published, but any publication will include only summary information. No individual data will be reported.