The Center for Behavioral Health and Technology

03/17/2026

We are pleased to share a new collaborative publication from our team in Internet Interventions.

In this study, we examined whether stepped human support influenced engagement with and outcomes from our internet-delivered insomnia intervention for older adults (SHUTi-OASIS). Findings suggest that most older participants engaged with the program as instructed without the need for human support, and outcomes were comparable between those who received stepped support and those who did not—highlighting the potential of highly engaging digital interventions to address older adults’ healthcare needs.

Read the article here:

02/19/2026

🎉 Huge congratulations to Kara Wiseman, PhD, MPH, on being featured again in the Medicine in Motion series! Your insightful research and dedication are making a real impact in the field, from elevating important public health conversations to advancing behavioral science. It’s inspiring to see your work celebrated and shared — well deserved! 👏📣

My research is focused on the development and evaluation of scalable health behavior change interventions, primarily focused on smoking cessation and alcohol use. — Kara Wiseman, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences   To watch more Research in Motion videos in this ...

02/12/2026

Congrats Kara!! Kara Wiseman, PhD, MPH, Wins Society of Behavioral Medicine’s 2026 Leading the Narrative Award
Medicine in Motion

Kara Wiseman, PhD, MPH, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, wrote an article last year for the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) about the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on alcohol as a risk factor for cancer. The article received significant attention and views...

02/05/2026

Kelly Shaffer, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences, in Medicine in Motion News as part of the Research in Motion series. Research in Motion: https://news.med.virginia.edu/research/research-in-motion-kelly-shaffer-phd/?j=4490088&sfmc_sub=7197111&l=35_HTML&u=68374285&mid=100026982&jb=1005

At our center, we develop internet-delivered mental health programs designed to bring evidence-based care to scale. Dr. Shaffer’s work focuses on supporting cancer survivors and family caregivers, addressing critical areas including sleep, stress, and sexual health to improve quality of life during and beyond cancer treatment.

We are proud to highlight this impactful work and its contribution to advancing accessible, real-world mental health care.

Watch the full Research in Motion video and explore the series through the School of Medicine.

In our center, we build internet delivered programs that bring mental health to scale, and my work in particular focuses on helping cancer survivors and family caregivers with things like sleep, stress, and sexual health. — Kelly Shaffer, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sc...

12/02/2025

Congratulations to Meghan Mattos, PhD, and Wen You, PhD, on receiving a 2025 UVA Brain Institute Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant! Their project — “Enhancing Participation and Retention in Dementia Research: Reducing Fatigue and Promoting Cognitive Autonomy” — tackles a critical challenge in AD prevention studies by using machine learning to better understand mental fatigue and support long‑term engagement in research. Their work exemplifies thoughtful, human‑centered neuroscience research. Looking forward to seeing how their findings advance dementia research and improve participant experience. https://braininstitute.virginia.edu/news/2025-transformative-neuroscience-pilot-grant-awards
braininstitute.virginia.edubraininstitute.virginia.edu

2025 Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant Awards | Brain Institute
The Brain Institute is pleased to announce the 2025 Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant awardees. (79 kB)

The Brain Institute is pleased to announce the 2025 Transformative Neuroscience Pilot Grant awardees.

12/01/2025

A huge thank you to Dr. Andrew Berry for being our November Seminar Series speaker.

Dr. Berry, from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, shared an inspiring talk on designing technology-enabled services for people living with multiple chronic conditions. His work focuses on making health care more responsive to what patients and families value most, and his presentation sparked wonderful conversation and reflection.

We’re grateful for his time, expertise, and passion for improving patient-centered care. Thank you, Dr. Berry, for an excellent session.

10/17/2025

Thank you to Dr. Joanna Arch, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, for her insightful talk on applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support adults facing cancer. Her REVITALIZE and Valued Living studies highlight how behavioral science can meaningfully improve quality of life for those coping with serious illness.

10/16/2025

Join Us Tomorrow!

We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Joanna Arch, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, as our guest speaker tomorrow, Friday, October 17 at 10am.

Dr. Arch is a leading researcher and clinician whose work has shaped our understanding of anxiety, stress, and emotional distress—particularly among individuals coping with serious illness. Her groundbreaking research has advanced mindfulness- and acceptance-based behavioral therapies, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Tomorrow’s talk will highlight Dr. Arch’s work applying ACT to support adults with cancer, including two major NIH-funded studies:

The REVITALIZE Study, a multi-site randomized controlled trial testing a telehealth ACT-based intervention to reduce fatigue among women with late-stage ovarian cancer (in collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute).

The Valued Living Study, a five-year trial evaluating an online ACT-based program to help metastatic cancer patients manage anxiety and depression and engage in advance care planning.

We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a deeply insightful presentation.
🔗 Zoom link: https://uvahealth-org.zoom.us/j/91707670428?pwd=zdDCG7aeRP5Zt3826gtNiYA8GVzTd8.1

10/06/2025

It's inspiring to see Dr. Ritterband's leadership and the continued impact of CBHT's work in advancing evidence-based digital health solutions.
Looking forward to Digital Health: From the Academic World to the Real World Monday, October 13, 3:30-4:30pm at Kerr Hall 2001.

09/18/2025

We are pleased to share our new publication in Cancer: "Prospective associations between sleep quality and sexual satisfaction in distressed breast cancer survivors: Secondary analysis from the Apps Reaching Cancer Survivors randomized trial."

This study explores the longitudinal relationship between two common but often under-addressed concerns among breast cancer survivors: sleep quality and sexual satisfaction.

Using data from our ARCS trial, we examined trajectories of sleep and sexual satisfaction over a 12-month period. Both domains showed significant improvement over time, particularly among participants with poorer baseline functioning. But while sleep quality and sexual satisfaction were positively associated at baseline, changes in one domain did not predict changes in the other, suggesting independent trajectories.

These findings underscore the importance of assessing both sleep and sexual well-being in survivorship care and suggest that targeted, domain-specific interventions may be necessary to effectively address each concern.
Full text available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cncr.70093

By using a parallel-process latent growth modeling approach in a sample of distressed breast cancer survivors enrolled in a randomized clinical trial, sleep quality and sexual satisfaction were found...

09/16/2025

Thank you to Dr. Doug Billings, President and Senior Research Scientist at ISA Group, for presenting at the CBHT Speaker Series last Friday.

Dr. Billings shared findings from his NIH-funded research on mobile Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management interventions designed for African American women managing daily stress. His presentation highlighted how tailored digital tools, such as reminder systems and positive reinforcement, can improve engagement and support sustained participation in health interventions.

CBHT looks forward to continuing these important conversations through upcoming Speaker Series events.

09/11/2025

Join us for our September CBHT Speaker Series talk is this Friday (9/12) from 9-10am EDT with Dr. Doug Billings. https://med.virginia.edu/bht/https-lists-virginia-edu-sympa-subscribe-cbht-seminar/

Dr. Billings is the President and Senior Research Scientist at ISA Group (https://www.isagroup.com/) which includes a team of researchers who have been building and implementing digital health programs for decades. Dr. Billings is a clinical psychologist focusing on technology solutions to reduce health disparities among African Americans. Dr. Billings has been the Principal Investigator on a number of NIH grants examining the capability of different platforms (e.g., computer-based, tablets) to efficiently and effectively assess, prevent, and treat HIV. In recent years, his work has focused on mobile solutions that can deliver patient-centered outcomes for African Americans who lack access to comprehensive, quality health care services.

Talk Title: We're Not Stalking, We're Just... Deeply Invested? The Data Behind Our Boundary Issues.

Talk Abstract: We developed a mobile Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management intervention for African American women managing daily racial and non-racial stress. This consisted of 11 weekly chapters with 62 videos covering topics from racism as a stressor to coping strategies and relaxation training. Layered on top was a logic-driven text system that continuously monitored video engagement and delivered two message types: reminders ("nudges") and positive reinforcement written in the Host's voice. This presentation will report engagement and completion data examining the effectiveness of this intensive reminder system in promoting sustained participation across the 11-week intervention period.

For over 45 years, ISA has been a leader in advancing health science by creating innovative interventions on multiple digital platforms and testing them in rigorous evaluations. Our work has been published in leading scientific journals, informed significant federal legislation, and our inventive so...