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
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VCBH News

Biden-Harris Administration Announce Drug Policy Priorities Including Focus on Contingency Management and Reimbursement

April 5, 2021 by Nicole Twohig

On April 1st, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced the Biden-Harris Administration’s drug policy priorities (PDF) for year one. Priority one is an expansion of access to evidence-based treatment, which includes identifying and addressing “policy barriers related to contingency management interventions (motivational incentives) for stimulant use disorder” as well as exploring “reimbursement for motivational incentives and digital treatment for addiction, especially stimulant use disorder.”

On April 1st, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced the Biden-Harris Administration’s drug policy priorities (PDF) for year one. President Biden made it clear that addressing the overdose and addiction crisis would be a priority for his administration. The seven priorities announced by ONDCP cement this commitment and bring into focus some key developments that have been researched and promoted as efficacious treatment for opioid/substance use disorder by the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH).

Priority one is an expansion of access to evidence-based treatment, which includes identifying and addressing “policy barriers related to contingency management interventions (motivational incentives) for stimulant use disorder” as well as exploring “reimbursement for motivational incentives and digital treatment for addiction, especially stimulant use disorder.”  As noted in a recent article by VCBH, CM, an evidence-based therapy rooted in behavioral economics, provides incentives or rewards for a desired behavior and has been shown to be effective for a broad range of substance use disorders and associated problems. Perhaps most notably, CM, where participants receive vouchers exchangeable for retail items, has been shown to help those addicted to stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine abstain from drug use and remain in treatment starting with seminal clinical trials conducted by Vermont Center on Research and Behavior (VCBH) investigators Drs. Higgins, Heil, Sigmon, and others in the 1990s and systematically replicated nationally and internationally over nearly 30 years.

ONDCP’s statement on drug policies for year one notes, “American researchers, health care systems, and payers need to develop, scale up, and support a broader array of evidence-based treatment and recovery supports, including services such as housing. A lack of adequate support from leadership and for reimbursement can dissuade providers from entering an area of practice.”

We are excited and encouraged to see the Biden Administration including and addressing the barriers to implementing contingency management interventions to address opioid and substance use disorder.