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Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Behavioral and Social Sciences

Studying health behaviors and their social contexts — from nicotine and alcohol use to exercise, nutrition and sexual activity.

Behavioral and Social Sciences

Studying health behaviors and their social contexts — from nicotine and alcohol use to exercise, nutrition and sexual activity.

In the Department of  Behavioral and Social Sciences, we work to understand the behavioral and social determinants of public health problems and create and evaluate behavioral interventions with measurable impact on population health. Our work puts particular emphasis on improving the social contexts related to public health and on marginalized and vulnerable populations, both domestically and globally.

Explore Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown

Discover the programs and people that make up the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University

Fields of Research

Our research delves into behaviors that most impact population health.
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Academics

Graduate educational programs in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) train the next generation of public health scholars and practitioners.
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Faculty

Our faculty have expertise in psychology, human development and family studies, social work, sociology, anthropology, medicine, maternal child health, nutrition, global health and more.
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Affiliated Centers and Institutes

Innovative research centers conduct behavioral and social sciences studies from alcohol use and dependence and nicotine and tobacco use to nutrition and physical activity and mindfulness

Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies

Dedicated to advancing research and training that improves the well-being of people and communities impacted by substance use and addiction.
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Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity

Improving and advancing health equity through interdisciplinary and community-engaged research, education and advocacy.
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Center for Global Public Health

The CGPH’s mission is to apply interdisciplinary perspectives to research and training to improve the health of populations in developing countries.
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Mindfulness Center at Brown

Dedicated to rigorous research and student-centered education, the Mindfulness Center offers programs that improve individual lives and organizational effectiveness.
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Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine

Discovering and Improving Health Promotion and Disease Management through the Integration of Social, Behavioral, and Biomedical Sciences.
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January 8, 2025 News from SPH

Brown researchers awarded $3.8 million grant to study links between alcohol, gut health and HIV

The research, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, aims to uncover how alcohol and HIV disrupt gut bacteria and contribute to chronic health issues like heart disease.

Degree Programs

Brown’s Behavioral and Social Sciences programs offers programs that prepare students for careers in research or public health which require knowledge of advanced methods.

Doctoral Program

Our Ph.D. students learn to employ behavioral and social science theory and methods to understand and address contemporary health problems.
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MPH Concentration

Explore rigorous, research-intensive behavioral health concentrations for MPH candidates at the School of Public Health.
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Recent BSS News and announcements

See all BSS news and announcements
News from Brown

New opioid testing techniques could lead to better therapies

June 16, 2025
Brown University engineers partnered with public health experts to create new diagnostic techniques that could help to deliver better, patient-centered care to adults and newborns alike.
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News from CHPHE

Doctoral Student Publishes Innovative Research on Online Recruitment and Data Integrity in Public Health Nutrition Study

May 5, 2025
Doctoral student Emily Elenio is tackling one of the biggest challenges in digital public health research today: securing the integrity of online survey data. In her innovative work on the "What’s On Your Plate" study, she sets new standards for recruiting under-resourced populations while defending against bots and fraudulent responses.
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News from SPH

Student Spotlight: Garrett Stang

April 22, 2025
For sexual and gender minorities, stress and stigma can undermine conventional tobacco cessation efforts. Brown SPH doctoral student Garrett Stang is examining smoking behaviors within these communities to inform more effective, evidence-based strategies for quitting.
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