Welcome
to the Center for Biobehavioral Research

Psychosocial factors, particularly behavior, can enhance or compromise health. Our understanding, aided by technology and by conceptual advances in the behavioral, biological, and medical sciences, of the interactions between brain function and behavior are grounded in neurobiology, neuroscience, and neuro-endocrinology, and range from molecular mechanisms to psychological systems as an alternative to the traditional biomedical model. As an "outcomes model," biobehavior research emphasizes patient outcomes rather than disease pathologies and the concept of health must integrate mortality with multiple dimensions of life quality such as physical and mental symptoms of behavioral and social functioning.

At the core of our research are three underlying assumptions: that biological, behavioral, and social factors such as genetic endowment, cognitive and emotional interpretations of experience, physical environment, social relationships, and socioeconomic status interact through multiple feedback mechanisms to influence individual health over time; that health is not defined solely in biological terms but also in terms of psychological and social function; and the relevance of any given event or intervention must be examined in this context to understand the health status of individuals and populations. These assumptions guide our Center’s research enterprise.

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