The Heller School for Social Policy and ManagementClick to return to this website's homepageReturn to this website's homepageBrandeis University

Aiming to increase recognition of the way behaviors impact health, and to work with systems and organizations to design processes and approaches
that improve the overall health of the population.

Dr. Constance Horgan, IBH DirectorWelcome to the
Institute for Behavioral Health

CONSTANCE M. HORGAN, SC.D.
Director

 Since the Heller School began, both faculty and students have studied mental and substance use disorders.  Formalized in 2003, IBH focuses on the intersection of health, behavior, and systems of care, with an emphasis on their linkages. Its underlying premise is that these systems can be better used to promote healthier lifestyles and assist individuals to engage in behaviors which lead to better health.

Our focus is broadening to include other issues that are affected by behaviors which can be targeted by interventions and have an impact on health and wellness. In addition to studying systems of care, we investigate health outcomes that are associated with behaviors, and also develop and test methods to evaluate the effects of behaviors on health.

We consider a variety of systems of care, including health care delivery, as well as criminal justice, education, social services, housing, military and the workplace.

We hope that you find this site useful as you learn more about our research staff and our activities in behavioral health.

Constance M Horgan elec signature

Spotlight

Peter Kreiner, Ph.D., PI for Prescription Monitoring Program Center of Excellence (COE) at Brandeis' Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, research at the COE was recently noted in a New York Times article.  Read more... http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/01/health/emergency-room-doctors-dental-patients-and-drugs.html?_r=2&ref=catherinesaintlouis

Laura Lorenz, At the 35th AMERSA Annual National Conference, November 3-5, 2011 Laura was the Best Workshop Award Recipient.The workshop was titled: 'Talking with pictures: Concepts and hands-on experience for substance abuse education and research.'

Margot Davis, At the 35th AMERSA Annual National Conference, November 3-5, 2011 Margot was the Best Abstract - Program and Curricula Abstract Award Recipient. The abstract was titled: What is a faith-based substance abuse treatment program?

Constance Horgan, Sc.D., and colleagues survey the state of behavioral health care. Federal parity and health care reform legislation make the investigations particularly timely.... more   

New and Notable

Sharon Reif and co-author Mary Jo Larson, received communications from Stephan Arndt, Ph.D.,Editor, Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.
Their paper "Chronic disease and recent addiction treatment utilization among alcohol and drug dependent adults " http://www.substanceabusepolicy.com/content/6/1/28 is currently the most read paper in the journal.  There have been over 700 downloads from the journal's site since Oct 18th.  The publisher estimates that at least that many again are downloaded from mirror sites, so about 1,400 downloads within 3 weeks.  Congratulations for a very topical paper!

The Prescription Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at the Heller School, Brandeis University, is noted in USA Today editorial about painkiller abuse in America... more


Upcoming Events

Rachel Sayko Adams, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) pre-doctoral trainee, will present, ‘TBI and Substance Misuse and Abuse,' at the 3rd Federal Interagency Conference on Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) in Washington, DC., June 13-15, 2011.

Recent  Publications

  • Strickler G, Reif S, Merrick EL, Horgan C, and Hiatt D. (2012) Substance Abuse Treatment Preferences in an Employed Population. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. 27:2, 117-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2012.666469
  • LaBrie RA, Peller AJ, LaPlante DA, Bernhard B, Harper A, Schrier T, Shaffer HJ. (2012). A Brief Self-Help Toolkit Intervention for Gambling Problems: A Randomized Multisite Trial. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(2), 278-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2012.01157.x
      • Adams RS, Corrigan JD, Larson MJ. (2012): Alcohol Use After Combat-Acquired Traumatic Brain Injury: What We Know and Don't Know,
        Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 12:1, 28-51.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1533256X.2012.647580
      • Merrick EL, Reif S, Hiatt D, Hodgkin D, Horgan CM, Ritter G.  Substance abuse treatment client experience in an employed population: Results of a client survey. Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy 2012; 7(4), 17 Jan. 2012.
      • Lee MT, Garnick DW, O'Brien ML, PanasL, Ritter GA, Acevedo A, et al. (e-pub 2011). Adolescent treatment initiation and engagement in an evidence-based practice initiative. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
      • Garnick DW, Lee MT, O'Brien ML, PanasL, Ritter GA, Acevedo A, et al. (in press 2012). The Washington Circle Engagement Performance Measures' Association with Adolescent Treatment Outcomes. Drug Alcohol Dependence.
      • Schmidt LA, Tam TW, Larson MJ. Sources of Biased Inference in Alcohol and Drug Services Research: An Instrumental Variable Approach. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 2012 Jan;73(1):144-153. www.jsad.com/jsad/link/73/144
      • Merrick EL, Hodgkin D, Horgan CM, Panas L, Soumerai S, Ritter G.  Is antidepressant prescribing variation associated with acute phase treatment adherence? Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (forthcoming)