Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences

The mission of the Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS) is to enhance health and wellbeing through innovative, cross-disciplinary research that improves healthcare efficiency, quality, accessibility, and advances in medical science.

There is a critical need for multi-disciplinary approaches to identifying and solving problems in healthcare. Through initiatives supported by the CHBS, Bryant is removing traditional intellectual, physical, and geographic boundaries to enable innovation and collaboration that will prepare researchers, practitioners, and leaders to find solutions for some of the most difficult problems facing healthcare.

CHBS’ Goal: Foundations for Success

Innovative solutions in health and healthcare are only sustainable if the next generation of healthcare workers are trained to understand the entire ecosystem. A primary goal of the Center is to ensure that students working with faculty mentors understand the global challenges present in our current healthcare systems as they work on their independent projects in their chosen area of study.

Building on Bryant’s unique integration of the health and behavioral sciences with business, the Center prioritizes supporting interdisciplinary research in the areas of health and behavioral sciences to develop a highly skilled workforce uniquely prepared to address complex challenges in healthcare.

Student researchers and graduates emerge with a skillset required of practitioners, employees, and scholars that enables them to successfully navigate the interconnected nature of human health and wellness. And the faculty working on research projects are given the support to continue to drive advances.

What We Do

Here are a few of the ways we support this research, as well as a sampling of placement outcomes of our graduates, who have been accepted to prestigious graduate schools and hired by top companies and organizations.

Bryant features a supportive community of faculty and students who perform innovative research.

Many faculty members at Bryant perform research in various disciplines intersecting with health and healthcare. The CHBS announced the appointment of 15 Faculty Fellows from seven departments, representing the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, the College of Business, and the College of Arts and Sciences. The Faculty Fellows conduct research, collaborate on new program development, and offer opportunities and mentorship for student research projects.

Recent Faculty Fellows research projects include:

“Tackling antibiotic resistance using synthesized antimicrobials,” by Chris Reid, Ph.D., Professor of Science and Technology
“Understanding the circuitry of the brain in Drosophila in order to better understand addiction,” by Kristin Scaplen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology
“The role of hox genes in development using zebra fish as a model system,” by Steven Weicksel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Science and Technology
“Identifying Opportunities to Manage and Reduce Healthcare Costs: Logistics and Supply Chain Management,” by Michael Gravier, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing
“Risk Perceptions and Vaccines,” by Julie Volkman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication
“Conceptions of Health and Healing among African Immigrants,” by Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English and Cultural Studies
“The Psychological Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic With a Focus on Brazil, India, and The United States,” by Suhong Li, Ph.D., Professor of Information Systems and Analytics
“Covid-19 Mask Wearing Tweet Exploration in the United States,” by Suhong Li, Ph.D.

The RI-INBRE Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program, organized jointly by RI NSF EPSCoR/RI C-AIM and RI-INBRE, offers paid research positions for undergraduates to work on original research projects, culminating with the annual SURF conference.

The CHBS Faculty Fellows conduct research and collaborate on new program development, and they also provide opportunities and mentorship for student research projects. Below is the list of appointed Faculty Fellows:

Faculty Fellows

Andrea Boggio, Ph.D., Professor of Legal Studies
Allison Butler, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
Rick Gorvett, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Mathematics
Michael Gravier, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing/Supply Chain Management
Heather Lacey, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
Suhong Li, Ph.D., Professor and Department Chair, Information Systems and Analytics
Christopher Morse, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Communication
Stephanie Mott, Ph.D., Professor of Science and Technology
Alex Perullo, Ph.D., Professor of English & Cultural Studies
Chris Reid, Ph.D., Professor of Science & Technology
Kristin Scaplen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology
Julie Volkman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication
Steven Weicksel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Science & Technology

Building upon Bryant’s longstanding commitment to student success in the STEM disciplines and passion for teaching, Bryant University has been awarded a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program. The grant will support Bryant’s new STEM Scholars program, which funds scholarships and programming to remove barriers to success in STEM education for academically talented students with demonstrated financial need, particularly women, minorities, and low-income students. Key faculty from the Mathematics Department and Kirsten Hokeness, Ph.D., Director of the Bryant University Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chair of the Department of Science and Technology, serve as principal investigators for the grant. Read more in our article on the award and program.

Bryant University alumni gain acceptance into some of the most rigorous and prestigious graduate schools worldwide and are hired by leading companies and organizations. Below is a sampling of where our recent graduates who have studied in our Biology, Pre-Medical or Health Professions, Psychology, or Communication programs have been placed:

Medical School: University of Birmingham, UK; UMass Medical School; Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences; St. George’s School of Medicine
Dental School: University of Texas, Temple University
Physician Assistant Programs: Bryant University, Yale University, Tufts University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, High Point University, Johnson and Wales University
Accelerated BSN/NP Programs: New York University, Case Western Reserve University, University of New England, MGH Institute of Health Professions
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD): Lipscomb University, University of Rhode Island
Doctorate of Physical Therapy: Belmont University
Doctorate of Optometry: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Veterinary School: Royal Veterinary College of London, University of Edinburgh
Ph.D. Programs: Northeastern University, Syracuse University, University of Toledo, Tufts University, University of Pittsburgh, Rice University, Kent State University, University of Iowa, Purdue University, Georgetown University, University of Connecticut
Master’s Programs: Clarkson University, University of Pennsylvania, William James College, Northeastern University, Notre Dame University, Boston University, Boston College, Brandeis University, Xavier University, George Washington University, Purdue University
Companies and Organizations: Ipsos MORI Global Research & Consulting, PUMA, Google, Cigna, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical, Environmental Defense Fund, Smith Psychotherapy, Air Force Medical Service, Insight Global, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Gartner, New England Sports Network, Parexel, MarketOne International