Welcome

The Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH), led by Director Stephen T. Higgins, PhD, is an interdisciplinary research center committed to investigating relationships between personal behavior patterns (i.e., lifestyle) and risk for chronic disease and premature death. Our work has historically focused on health disparities for the most vulnerable populations, particularly among the socioeconomically disadvantaged where these risk factors are overrepresented.

 

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Located in Burlington, VT at the University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine, VCBH researchers have a specific focus on understanding mechanisms underpinning risk and developing effective interventions and policies to promote healthy behavior. A common thread across VCBH research projects is the application of knowledge from the disciplines of behavioral economics and behavioral pharmacology to increase understanding of vulnerability to unhealthy behavior and the use of incentives and other behavioral and pharmacological interventions to support healthy behavior change interventions and policies.

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Upcoming VCBH Events

Monthly Lecture Series:

November 20:
Joseph McClernon, PhD
Duke University

December 18:
Hugh Garavan, PhD
University of Vermont

Visit the Center on Rural Addiction

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VCBH Career Opportunities

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Click here for more information.

VCBH News

  • BBC Podcast, Health Check, Discusses Vaccine Incentives With Director Stephen Higgins
    VCBH Director Stephen T. Higgins spoke with Health Check’s Claudia Hammond about the evidence supporting the use of incentives for vaccination adherence in this brief 5-minute podcast.
  • Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Finds Improvement for Those Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder When Contingency Management Used
    A systematic review and meta-analysis of “Contingency Management for Patients Receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder” and accompanying podcast appear today in JAMA Psychiatry. Led by the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH) at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, the podcast features VCBH Director Stephen T. Higgins, PhD discussing the examination, completed by first author Hypatia Bolívar, PhD and the VCBH team, of the utility of the behavioral intervention contingency management (CM) for addressing key clinical problems common among patients enrolled in MOUD.
  • Co-locating Contraceptive Services with Opioid Treatment Programs Offers Cost-Effective Approach to Preventing Unintended Pregnancy
    The trial, led by Sarah Heil, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, tested a novel two-component intervention informed by behavioral economics that combined contraceptive services co-located with an opioid treatment program with financial incentives for attending follow-up visits in an effort to increase initiation and continuation of prescription contraceptive use
  • Phil Ades, MD Receives Distinguished Mentor Award
    On Friday, June 11, 2021, Phil Ades, MD, associate director of VCBH and director of cardiac rehabilitation in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the UVM Medical Center, received the UVM Larner College of Medicine's Department of Medicine’s Distinguished Mentor Award.
  • More States Looking at COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Programs
    As the US begins to see demand for COVID-19 vaccines plateau, some states have started implementing incentive programs to encourage residents to get one of the three vaccines available: Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson. Recently announced incentive programs are supported by numerous research studies that support the efficacy of incentivizing vaccine adherence.