Research Centers - University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

The Biobehavioral Research Center:
Care to Change the World with Nursing Research from Biochemistry to Populations
Psychosocial factors, particularly behavior, can enhance or compromise health. Our understanding,
aided by technology and by conceptual advances in the behavioral, biological, and medical sciences, of
the interactions between brain function and behavior are grounded in neurobiology, neuroscience, and
neuro-endocrinology, and range from molecular mechanisms to psychological systems as an alternative
to the traditional biomedical model. As an “outcomes model,” biobehavior research emphasizes patient
outcomes rather than disease pathologies and the concept of health must integrate mortality with
multiple dimensions of life quality such as physical and mental symptoms of behavioral and social
functioning.
At the core of our research are three underlying assumptions: that biological, behavioral, and social
factors such as genetic endowment, cognitive and emotional interpretations of experience, physical
environment, social relationships, and socioeconomic status interact through multiple feedback
mechanisms to influence individual health over time; that health is not defined solely in biological
terms but also in terms of psychological and social function; and the relevance of any given event or
intervention must be examined in this context to understand the health status of individuals and
populations. These assumptions guide our Center’s research enterprise.
BARBARA MEDOFF-COOPER, HOM ’92, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN
Center Director and the Ruth M. Colket Professor in Pediatric Nursing
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