How do we...

• ...improve the way health care providers present information to patients?
• ...understand the links between motivation, stress, and health?
• ...promote empirically informed bioethics policies and practices?

The Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine brings together behavioral scientists and clinicians, from a wide array of fields in social science and medicine, to research health behavior and decision making, with the goal of improving health care policy and practice.

Center Highlights

• Research News: Diabetes Disagreements

  Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD, is the senior author on a study led by Donna M. Zulman, MD, that reveals about a third of doctors and their patients with diabetes do not agree on which of the patient's health conditions is most important...
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  More Research News Brian Zikmund-Fisher Diabetes Doctor-patient communication Prioritization of health concerns

• Decision of the Month: I Saw It on a Billboard

  What is the impact of medical advertising that is directly targeted at patients? What information do consumers of medical products and therapies need in order to make informed decisions about their health?

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  More Decisions of the Month Reshma Jagsi Doctor-patient communication Bioethics

• Press Coverage: Decision Aids for Health and Finance

  Angela Fagerlin, PhD, talked with Financial Planning about how research on decision aids in healthcare might be used to help financial planners convey complex information to their clients. She discussed specifics: use of absolute vs relative ...
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  More Press Coverage Angela Fagerlin Decision aids Risk communication graphics Risk communication Numeracy

• Research News: The Cost of Cancer Treatments

  The vast majority of oncologists (84%) say that they consider costs to the patient when recommending cancer treatments. But fewer than half of oncologists frequently discuss cost issues with their patients. These are some of the results ...
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  More Research News Peter Ubel Cancer - other Doctor-patient communication Healthcare rationing Healthcare policy

• Research News: New Bioethics Book by Scott Kim

  Oxford University Press has published Evaluation of Capacity to Consent to Treatment and Research, by CBDSM's Scott Kim, MD, PhD. The book is part of the series Best Practices in Forensic Mental Health Assessment. For further information a...
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  More Research News Scott Kim Research ethics Impaired decision making

• Press Coverage: At-Risk Women Unlikely to Take Tamoxifen

  CBDSM's Angela Fagerlin, PhD, is the lead author on a study showing that women at high risk for breast cancer are unlikely to choose the drug tamoxifen, even if they are well informed about its benefits. Dr. Fagerlin's research has received ...
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  More Press Coverage Brian Zikmund-Fisher Peter Ubel Dylan Smith @user.full_name Angela Fagerlin Decision aids Risk communication Cancer - breast