About Us
Despite heavy investment in behavioral cardiovascular disease research, disparities persist. It still takes more than a decade to go from discovery to practice and many posit it is even longer for historically marginalized populations.
Im_Sci lab works with policy-makers, healthcare systems, researchers, and patients to implement and sustain evidence-based practices at the intersection of mental and cardiovascular health.
Our mission is to confront disparities head-on, using implementation science, human-centered design, and behavioral science.
Our qualitative team identifies contextual factors, barriers and facilitators to implementing and sustaining behavioral cardiovascular interventions.
Our design team uses cutting edge user-centered design principles to create clinician- and patient-facing digital behavioral health interventions.
Our evaluation team works at understanding the mechanisms by which interventions do or do not work in healthcare, community, and policy settings.
What is Implementation Science?
The study of methods to promote the integration of research findings and evidence into healthcare policy and routine practice.
What is the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health (CBCH)?
The Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health (CBCH) is a leader in cutting-edge behavioral medicine research, comprised of an interdisciplinary team of scientists dedicated to understanding how and why behaviors, psychological factors, and societal forces influence hypertension and cardiovascular disease. CBCH is committed to bringing research and technology together to implement change in the front lines of patient care.
Our Mission
Our vision is a world where who you are and where you come from do not determine the quality of care you receive.
Our mission is to use implementation science to bridge the chasm between evidence and practice, particularly in disadvantaged populations.
Our Goals
Our goals are:
(1) To involve patients, providers and healthcare systems in the design, implementation, and dissemination of behavioral health interventions
(2) To create sustained behavioral change and improvements in chronic health outcomes
(3) To create theory-informed, scalable digital health interventions that target the intersection of mental and cardiovascular health
Our Services
Are you looking to address gaps in care within your community or healthcare system but are not sure where to start?
Our Center brings together interdisciplinary experts in qualitative research methods, implementation science, marketing/user-centered design, behavioral science and advanced statistics. Our services include:
Qualitative Research Support
- Design interview guides
- Analyze qualitative data
- Conduct focus groups, interviews, and other qualitative studies
- Lead qualitative methods workshops
Identifying Implementation science Theories, Models, and Frameworks (TMF)
- Efficacy/Pilot/Feasibility Studies
- Hybrid I, II, III effectiveness implementation studies
- Sustainability studies
Implementation Strategy Development and Design
- Theory informed intervention development
- User-centered design
Evaluation
- Study Design (e.g., cluster randomized control trials, stepped-wedge designs)
- Cost effectiveness analyses (i.e., from the perspective of healthcare systems and payors)
- Operationalizing multi-level (patient, provider, and healthcare system) data collection