Teaching

Social Brain: Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

How does our brain make sense of the self and others? What processes are in place when we relate to, influence, and are influenced by others? And how does studying the brain help understand the nature of human mind and behavior? Our goal in this course is to understand and critically examine theories of social cognitive and affective neuroscience to explore the malleability and mechanisms of the social mind. Specific topics include theories of the self, intergroup/interpersonal relationships, social emotions, and persuasion. We will also examine the recent development of intervention strategies designed to help improve health and well-being, including mindfulness, compassion, and purpose in life.

Make Science Useful: Implementation Science and Program Evaluation

People can always choose to become healthier, but they often don’t. This speaks to some of the core challenges in the field of implementation science. How can we increase the chances of people adopting an intervention program? How do we create long-term adherence beyond the initial intervention period? How do we evaluate the effectiveness of such strategies? Our goal in this course is to understand and critically examine various health intervention strategies to promote the uptake and adherence of research findings in intervention science. Taking an iterative approach, we will draw from interdisciplinary findings and create research programs that flexibly evolve with the needs of the public. We will systemically evaluate the effectiveness of each approach and refine the program to improve its likelihood of achieving the intended outcomes.