The graduate program in Biobehavioral Health (BBH) is an innovative, interdisciplinary graduate program within the College of Health and Human Development. The focus of the program is on the intersection of biological, psychological, behavioral, social, environmental, and cultural influences on health and disease throughout the lifespan. It is the fundamental principle of our department that an integrative approach to health research and health care holds the greatest potential to advance health. The program is designed to cultivate competence in basic, mechanistic, and applied research that addresses fundamental issues in health and prevention throughout the lifespan; we also provide training in the role of diversity and ethics in research, statistical and procedural research methods, and in university teaching. Graduates are prepared for research, teaching, or policy roles in academia (universities and medical schools), health care settings, private and public research laboratories, and government agencies.
There are special resources available to students in BBH that provide valuable training and support. Several are housed in BBH, including the Biomarker Core Lab and a specialized metabolic kitchen. BBH is also home to the Global Health Minor, which provides training in how to think critically about current public health challenges around the world. Furthermore, BBH is linked with many well-funded centers in the College, including the Prevention Research Center, the Methodology Center, the Center for Healthy Aging, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, the Social Science Research Institute, and the Social, Life, and Engineering Imaging Center. State-of-the art library, teaching, and computing resources are provided by the College and University.