The Center has six major programs that address patient-centered decision making in chronic disease.

Blue Box

The Blue Boxes are biomedical measurement devices designed to capture customized personal data through non-invasive monitoring, perform web-based analysis and interpretation of the data, and provide guided intervention when individuals exceed their own normal range. Center researchers have developed prototype Blue Boxes for congestive heart failure, diabetes, and asthma, and Blue Boxes are in development for other chronic diseases as well. Read more.

Info-Gap Theory

Directed by Yakov Ben-Haim, PhD, and Dr. Dacso, the Info-Gap Decision Theory Project is investigating a novel approach to decision analysis in clinical practice. Info-gap decision theory is designed to help patients and physicians transform population-based data into personally relevant treatment answers. Read more.

Community-Based Research

A major focus of the Center is on improving access to personally relevant healthcare in underserved communities, both rural and urban. Two partner communities in the United States are Marion County, Texas and Pecan Park, Houston. International partners include Tomsk, Russia and Cote d'Ivoire, where the Center is a founding partner in the Center for Research and Demonstration for Health Improvement in Africa. Read more.

Time After Time: A Serious Health Game for Patients with Prostate Cancer

Time After Time is an interactive, web-based game that allows men who have been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer to "try out" different treatment scenarios--at home and with their families. The game is designed to help patients think through their treatment options and make informed decisions in concert with their physicians. Read more.

Personalized Medicine

Directed by Amalia Issa, PhD, MPH, this program promotes informed health care decision-making by advancing knowledge of the effectiveness of pharmaceutical products, services, and policies, with a particular focus on personalized medicine technologies. The goal of the rapidly evolving field of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine is to tailor treatments to patients based on their unique genetic make-up, preferences and responses to treatment. Read more.

Evidence and Clinical Decision Making Symposia

The Evidence Symposium is an ongoing series of seminars dedicated to understanding the role of evidence in health, health care, and individual autonomy. Read more.