Overview
This webinar panel will highlight three NIH-funded researchers who are advancing social and behavioral science through exciting innovations in data collection with a focus on rigor and real-world applicability.
Elizabeth Pyatak, Ph.D., associate professor, occupational therapist, and diabetes care and education specialist at University of Southern California, will present on research which combines ecological momentary assessment with continuous glucose monitoring to examine the relationship between blood sugar levels and diabetes-related distress in adults with Type 1 diabetes using real-world, high-frequency data.
Peter James, Sc.D., M.H.S., associate professor at University of California, Davis, researches how spatial factors, such as access to nature and the built environment, affect health behaviors, mental health, aging, and chronic disease. He will present on recent advancements in measurement, including a comparison of novel mobility-based estimates from GPS to standard residence-based measures of exposure to green space.
Alison Hamilton, Ph.D., research career scientist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is a psychological and medical anthropologist and a health services researcher with expertise in implementation science, women’s health, mental health, and community health science. She will discuss innovations in rapid qualitative methods for rigorous real-world implementation science that often aims to optimize processes and outcomes.
This is the first of three webinars in the 2026 NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Festival Webinar Series.
2026 NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Festival Webinar Series
The 2026 NIH BSSR Festival Webinar Series is organized by OBSSR and the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Coordinating Committee.
The three-part webinar series highlights the latest NIH-funded BSSR and its impact on human health. Panelists will present on exciting research results, emerging areas of inquiry, and recent innovations in BSSR methods, digital health and technologies, and basic BSSR.
Additional panels on emerging findings in digital health and recent discoveries in basic BSSR will be held later in the summer and fall.
Reasonable Accommodation
Closed captioning will be provided. If you need additional accommodations, please contact Mark Dennis at [email protected] at least 5 days before the event.
Additional Information
This webinar is free and open to the public. A live Q&A session will follow the presentations.
