Behavioral Medicine Program

Welcome to the Behavioral Medicine Program, situated in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University. Behavioral medicine is a multidisciplinary approach to understanding, preventing, and treating disease. The approach emphasizes the conjoint influences of psychological, sociocultural, behavioral and biological factors on health. Researchers with backgrounds in clinical psychology, kinesiology, nutrition, public health, nursing and medicine contribute to the fund of knowledge in Behavioral Medicine. Many of these disciplines are represented in our section. Behavioral Medicine faculty specialize in the development and implementation of behavioral interventions to promote health.

Our program is home to the laboratories of four nationally recognized research scientists:

Bonnie Spring

Dr. Spring is a full Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine, Director of Behavioral Medicine, and Co-Program Leader in Cancer Prevention. Dr. Spring's research aims towards understanding mechanisms that maintain unhealthy behaviors in order to translate that knowledge into the development of effective interventions that promote sustained healthful change. Most of her group's ongoing work concerns multiple health risk behaviors multiple risk behaviors (cigarette smoking; poor quality diet and obesity, physical inactivity, stress and depression), behavioral interventions, and e-technology. To learn more about Dr. Spring’s research programs and clinical trials, visit the Spring Lab.

Lynette L. Craft, PhD

Dr. Craft is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. A Kinesiologist by training, Dr. Craft’s research focuses on the relationships between physical activity, mental, and physical health. Specifically, she examines the use of exercise as an adjunct treatment for clinical depression, as well as the role of physical activity in chronic disease prevention.

David C. Mohr, PhD

Dr. Mohr is a full Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. His research focuses on the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions. This program has two foci. One area examines the use of tele-mental health interventions to extend care to populations with barriers to care, to reduce attrition, and to integrate care into the lives of patients. The second area focuses the relationship between psychosocial factors and interventions (stress/stress management, depression/CBT for depression, etc.) and medical or biological factors, including neuroimaging, neuroendocrine and immune outcomes.

Brian Hitsman, PhD

Dr. Hitsman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine. His research focuses on: 1) evaluating combination psychological and pharmacological treatments for cigarette smoking; 2) characterizing smoker-related factors that influence smokers’ adherence to treatment and likelihood of quitting; and 3) developing an understanding though human laboratory research of the core psychological and neurobiological factors that convey risk for smoking persistence. The primary end-point of his research is to decrease risk of tobacco attributable disease through long-term smoking cessation.