Research Groups

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

Program in Health Communication and Decision Making (PIHCD) Working Group

The Program in Health Communication and Decision Making (PIHCD) Working Group 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
[email protected]


Bioethics Working Group

The Bioethics Working Group meetings provide a forum for project focused discussions.  The presenter receives feedback on a proposal, a draft of a paper, initial specific aims of a grant, or any other aspects of a project at any stage of development.  The goal is to provide a productive and supportive intellectual milieu for anyone with bioethics-related projects.                                                   

Sessions are usually held 1-2 times a month on Thursdays from 2pm-3pm at the North Campus Research Complex (NCRC), Building 16, Room 467C. 

Upcoming Fall 2012 sessions:

  • Lisa Harris, MD, PhD, Thursday, December 13, 2-3 pm
  • Lauren Smith, MD and Adam Khan, Thursday, December 20, 2-3 pm

If you would like to receive notifications on future meetings or sign up for a future session please contact Kerry Ryan at [email protected].