People

Director

Belinda Borrelli (she/her), PhD

Professor, Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research
Boston University, Henry M Goldman school of Dental Medicine
Belinda Borrelli | Profiles RNS
Visiting Professor, The University of Manchester, UK
ARC Program Director: Mobile and Electronic Health
BU Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research

Dr. Belinda Borrelli, PhD is Professor and Director of The Center for Behavioral Science Research at Boston University, in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. She is also the PI and Director of BU’s Mobile and Electronic Health-ARC. In 2013, she was invited to be a Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester, UK., and continues in that role. She was formally a Professor at Brown University, in both the School of Public Health and the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and since transitioning to BU, maintains an adjunct Professorship at Brown. Dr. Borrelli received her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and completed her residency and fellowship training in Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at Brown University. She proceeded through the academic ranks at Brown University and became Full Professor there in 2009.

Dr. Borrelli is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in motivating behavior change, with over 170 peer-reviewed publications. She has held over 25+ NIH grant awards as PI and Co-I, and numerous grant awards from other agencies and foundations. Prof. Borrelli’s research has focused on developing and testing treatments to motivate health behavior change across a wide variety of areas (smoking and vaping cessation, secondhand smoke reduction, improving oral health and dietary behaviors, promoting adherence to medications and treatment regimens for chronic diseases including sleep apnea, cystic fibrosis, and asthma). She specializes in integrating theory-based treatments into public health contexts, and targeting underserved populations such as those with low income, inner city youth and adults, Latinos, people with mobility impairments, medically ill populations, older adults, and Native-Americans. Dr. Borrelli is also developing and testing mobile health platforms to initiate and sustain health behavior change (text messaging, mobile apps, Virtual Reality).

Dr. Borrelli has served on grant review panels in the US, Europe, and the UK and is a Fellow of the American College of Reviewers. She served as an advisor to multiple NIH institutes on treatment fidelity (NIDCR, NHLBI, NIA), has published several invited articles on best practice guidelines that have over 4,200 citations, and was invited to the National Academy of Science and Engineering to speak on the topic. She provided expert testimony to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on motivating health behavior change. She is Chair of an NIH/NIA Data Safety and Monitoring Board. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, The Society of Behavioral Medicine, and The Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco. Dr. Borrelli is a member of several journal editorial boards. She has been Associate Editor or Senior Associate Editor at leading journals in psychology (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology) and the most cited journal in addiction science (Addiction). She Co-Edited a special issue of Health Psychology on mHealth and eHealth interventions. She is currently Associate Editor of “American Psychologist,” the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association. She has taught Motivational Interviewing to health care practitioners in the US and abroad, and has given over 100 invited talks nationally and internationally. She was named “TEDMED Research Scholar” in 2015. In 2017, she received BU’s Research Collaborator of the Year award, from the Office of Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research & The Evans Center. She served as primary mentor to over 40 interns, post-docs, and NIH K award recipients.

CBSR Lab Members

Romano Endrighi, PhD

Research Scientist

Romano received a B.Sc., in Psychology from the University of Westminster (London, UK) and a M.Sc., in Health Psychology from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Romano then completed a non-clinical Ph.D., fellowship funded by the British Heart Foundation and received his Ph.D., in Psychobiology and Psychophysiology from University College London in 2012 under the mentorship of Professors Andrew Steptoe and Mark Hamer. Prior to joining the CBSR team, Romano completed post-doctoral training in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (“America’s Medical School”) and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine in Bethesda (MD). Romano’s research topics include stress and health, nicotine addiction, oral health, and health behaviors, and the research methodology he applies includes lab-based, controlled studies, epidemiological datasets, clinical trials, and community-based interventions.

Nick Hart (he/him), BA

Research Administrative Assistant

Nick graduated in 2021 with a BA in psychology and a minor in education from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research interests include the influence of social and environmental factors on youth development and mental health. He is primarily interested in studying these relationships to inform more effective and personalized prevention and intervention strategies, ultimately to advance health equity. Nick is a Research Administrative Assistant in the Center for Behavioral Science Research.

VapeChat Study

Dan Weinstein (he/him), MS

Project Manager

Dan graduated in 2012 with a BA in psychology from Binghamton University. He later obtained an MS from Goldsmiths, University of London’s Music, Mind, & Brain program in 2014, where he studied the social bonding aspect of group music performance. His research interests include the psychology of music and gaming, as well as user experience research. Dan is a Project Manager in the Center for Behavioral Science research, using mixed methods to develop digital interventions, and developing, testing, and deploying the VapeChat study for the prevention and cessation of vaping in teens. 

Kat Koval (she/her), BS

Senior Research Assistant

Kat graduated in 2019 with a BS in Psychology at West Virginia University, minoring in Women’s & Gender Studies. Her research interests include cognitive bias modification, anxiety, depression, and addiction. She is primarily interested in working with under-served populations, specifically LGBT+ individuals.  Kat is a Senior Research Assistant on the VapeChat study for the prevention and cessation of vaping in teens. 

Nikki Ling (she/her), BS

Research Assistant

Nikki graduated from Tufts University in 2023 with a B.S. in Biopsychology and minors in Child Study & Human Development and Economics. Her research interests include studying the mechanisms and evidence-based treatments for internalizing disorders, particularly anxiety and depression. She is also interested in the development and implementation of interventions. Nikki is a Research Assistant on the VapeChat study for the prevention and cessation of vaping in teens. 

VR Study

Hannah Park (she/they), BA

Senior Research Assistant

Hannah, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, completed her Bachelor’s in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. Her research interests include intergenerational trauma and physical and mental health equity for underserved populations. Hannah is a Senior Research Assistant on the VR study to motivate smoking cessation in dental patients. 

Maddie Goodman (she/her), BA

Research Assistant

Maddie graduated from Bucknell University in 2023 with a BA in Sociology and minor in Education Policy. Her interests include neuropsychological and psycho-educational assessments and adolescent development and neurodiversity. Maddie is a Research Assistant on the VR study to motivate smoking cessation in dental patients. 

CBSR Faculty Affiliates

Boston University:

CBSR Faculty Affiliates at Other USA Universities:

CBSR International Affiliates: