Intervention Development and Implementation.

Catalog description

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: doctoral-level course work in research methods and health behavior theory; permission of instructor. The goal of this course is to provide students with knowledge and applied skills in the development and implementation of behavioral interventions to promote health and prevent disease. Students will receive training in evidence-based behavioral medicine approaches and best practice methods for effectively promoting behavior change in individuals and families. The course takes a sequential and hands-on approach in which students will learn about each step of the intervention development and implementation process and will gain experience applying what they learn to the development of their own intervention. Relevant methodological issues will be covered, with an emphasis on design and methods for randomized controlled trials testing individual-level behavioral interventions across settings. Students will learn to think critically about how to balance theory, empirically supported strategies and pragmatic considerations in the development and execution of intervention trials, with an emphasis on achieving maximum impact in their work. Course objectives will be achieved through lectures, experiential in-class activities, informal Q&A with PIs about their experiences developing and implementing intervention trials, student presentations, classroom discussion and written assignments that map on to key sections of a grant proposal.