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.

 

VCBH logo

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.

Stay Connected with VCBH

Join our mailing list to get the latest
on news and events.

Follow us on our social media channels

Twitter icon circle Facebook icon circle LinkedIn icon YouTube Icon

Upcoming VCBH Events


Our Annual Conference is on October 3-4
     View the brochure


Monthly Lecture Series:


November 20: 
Joseph McClernon, PhD

December 18: 
Hugh Garavan, PhD

Visit the Center on Rural Addiction

CORA_transparents

 


VCBH Career Opportunities

Postdoctoral Research Fellowships. Click here for more information.

VCBH News

  • Sigmon Featured on Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business List
    University of Vermont Associate Professor of Psychiatry Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., has been selected by Fast Company for its 11th annual list of the Most Creative People in Business, which honors an influential and diverse group of leaders from a vast range of global industries including tech, design, entertainment, healthcare, media, government, nonprofit, sports, food, and more.
  • VT Substance Use Prevention Studies Use Novel Approach to Keep Young People Engaged
    Ensuring the effectiveness of policies and media campaigns targeting young people is critical to achieving substance use prevention, but state surveillance systems are often not nimble enough to capture quickly changing substance use trends. New findings from UVM researchers and colleagues highlight how a uniquely flexible survey instrument and use of incentives help capture relevant data and keep young Vermonters engaged.
  • Getting Used to Our “New Normal”
    UVM Vermont Center on Behavior & Health faculty members Allison N. Kurti, Ph.D., and Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., discuss how to manage the natural urge to socialize, how to understand our reactions and feelings, and how to establish new, healthy routines to help us cope with our “new normal” and help keep our communities safe.
  • VCBH Fellow Joins the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Munroe-Meyer Institute
    Catalina Rey, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow, will join the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Munroe-Meyer Institute as an assistant professor.
  • VCBH Fellow Selected as Instructor at the University of Illinois-Springfield
    Hypatia (Tia) Bolívar, Ph.D., a TCORS postdoctoral fellow, will join the University of Illinois-Springfield as a psychology instructor.