Research Groups

Our informal groups of researchers at CBDSM are open to the public.

Patient Decision Making

The Patient Decision Making Group (PDMG) meets weekly throughout the year to explore topics related to understanding and improving patient decision making about medical issues. In particular, this group pursues research that examines design issues regarding aids for medical decision making and fosters interdisciplinary collaborations and grant proposals among researchers interested in supporting patient involvement in medical care. Recent brainstorming sessions have dealt with topics as diverse as

  • patient preferences for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease
  • graphical approaches for communicating risk and treatment choices for adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer
  • presenting information on elective cesareans to pregnant women
  • discrepancies in decisions made for oneself versus for others regarding immunization for influenza epidemics
  • how variations in patient numeracy should influence the design of decision support materials
  • end-of-life decision making for stroke patients

For further information or to be put on the email list for this research group, contact
Nicole Exe, MPH, Research Associate
nexe [at] med [dot] umich [dot] edu

Bioethics/CBDSM Seminar

The Bioethics/CBDSM Seminar is open to the public, meeting on the first Wednesdays and third Thursdays of each month during the academic year, 3:30-4:45 pm, 7C09 North Ingalls Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor campus. This informal, lively Seminar series provides a forum for research at the intersection of medicine and the social sciences, especially ethics, decision making, risk communication, health education and policy, and behavioral medicine. Consider presenting at a Seminar if you want to

  • do a trial-run of a conference presentation for colleagues who will give you helpful comments. 
  • brainstorm a new research idea and find collaborators.
  • introduce your research to the community of scholars in CBDSM and the Bioethics Program.


       For further information, email
       Karis Crawford, PhD, Center Manager
       karis [at] med [dot] umich [dot] edu