Behavioral Medicine is the interdisciplinary field concerned with the development and integration of behavioral, psychosocial, and biomedical science knowledge and techniques relevant to the understanding of health and illness, and the application of this knowledge and these techniques to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. As such, behavioral medicine constitutes a core discipline for general internal medicine. Hopkins GIM is home to one of the nation’s oldest training grants in behavioral and preventive medicine, Research Training Program in Behavioral Aspects of Heart and Vascular Diseases, sponsored by the NHLBI and directed by Dr. David Levine. 

Information about the faculty working in this research area and their projects is provided below.

Lawrence Appel, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and International Health
Director, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Prevention of blood pressure-related cardiovascular and kidney diseases through pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches, often nutrition-based
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

Mary Catherine Beach, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine and Health, Behavior and Society
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Physician-patient relationship and communication
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

Diane M. Becker, MPH, ScD
Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Management
Director, Center for Family Studies in Cardiovascular Disease
Research Interests: Genetic epidemiology, health disparities, primary prevention, behavioral sciences, research design
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

Frederick L. Brancati, MD, MHS, FACP
Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology
Samsung Professor of Medicine
Joint Appointments in Nursing & Oncology
Associate Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
Director, Hopkins-UMB Diabetes Prevention & Control Core
Executive Medical Director, Business Development & Strategic Alliances
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Behavioral aspects of Type 2 diabetes
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

Rochelle Brown, MD, MS
Instructor in Medicine
Research interests: Obesity

Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH, FACP
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Behavior and Society
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research  
Director, Center to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities
Research Interests: Physician-patient communication, race and gender in patient care
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

Daniel Ford, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management
Vice Dean for Clinical Investigation, School of Medicine
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Non-pharmacologic treatment of depression
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

Felicia Hill-Briggs, PhD, ABPP
Associate Professor of Medicine
Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Research psychology, psychometrics, patient problem-solving and
self-management
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

David M. Levine, MD, ScD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing
Director, Research Training Program in Behavioral Aspects of Heart and Vascular Diseases
Research Interests: Community-based prevention of cardiovascular disease, behavioral aspects of prevention
To see publication abstracts: PUBMED

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