Communication Researcher at UC Santa Barbara and Interactive Media Research & Design Consultant
Santa Barbara, California Area
Communication Researcher at UC Santa Barbara and Interactive Media Research & Design Consultant
Santa Barbara, California Area
Background in academe and industry with a focus on developing interactive entertainment and video games for learning and health behavior change. Experienced research director, educator, university instructor, writer, and media research & design consultant. Widely published in the areas of serious games, behavioral health, and communication research.
Research and instructional design of interactive media and games -- for health, leisure-time learning; K-12 education, and family entertainment.
(Computer Games industry)
2007 — Present (2 years)
Health Games Research is a national program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio and located at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The program funds and supports research to improve the design and effectiveness of interactive games intended to improve people's health behaviors and health outcomes. The program also provides information and resources about health games and convenes meetings that bring together researchers, medical experts, game publishers, community leaders, and other decision-makers involved in creating, funding, buying, recommending, or implementing health games. To learn more, and to see the Call for Proposals for research funding, visit http://www.healthgamesresearch.org
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
2001 — Present (8 years)
I'm a communication researcher at UC Santa Barbara's Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (ISBER), where I direct research projects investigating processes of learning and health behavior change with video games, the web, and other interactive media. I also teach in the university's Department of Communication. My courses include Health Communication, Interactive Media Theory and Design, Media and Children, Persuasion, Interviewing Theory and Practice, and Research Methods.
(E-Learning industry)
1974 — Present (35 years)
I work for media and technology companies, education agencies, and health organizations to help research, design, and evaluate interactive products for learning, skill development, and behavior change. I have consulted on the development of interactive media for leisure-time learning and entertainment, children's learning, consumer health, and disease management. I enjoy bridging academe and industry, applying theory and research evidence to the design of interactive products that are engaging, fun, age-appropriate, and educationally effective.
(Computer Games industry)
1993 — 1999 (6 years)
I contributed to the design of health video games for the Nintendo platform and directed user studies and NIH-funded clinical trials testing the games' effectiveness. We developed behavior-change video games about smoking prevention, diabetes, asthma, and other health topics, and research found that the games were very effective at improving players' health behaviors and health outcomes. For example, our diabetes self-management video game reduced diabetic players' urgent care and emergency visits by 77 percent.
(Hospital & Health Care industry)
1988 — 1991 (3 years)
I directed a team that developed components of an electronic medical record system, to provide health information, symptom analysis, and triage to patients at home via an online network.
(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)
1986 — 1988 (2 years)
I taught courses and conducted research on the psychology and design of interactive media.
Ph.D. , Communication Research , 1982 — 1986
Ed.M. , Media and Learning , 1973 — 1974
B.A. , Psychology , 1969 — 1973