Read the full story by Timothy Dean, published by the Geisel School of Medicine.

The Center for Technology and Behavior Health at the Geisel School of Medicine will be awarded a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a study led by Associate Professor of Psychiatry Catherine Stanger, to test the effectiveness of innovative behavioral intervention tools in helping to improve the health of high-risk patients who suffer from Type 1 diabetes—a condition which is difficult and expensive to manage.

The study, which will involve 300 young adults (ages 18 to 25) from across the country, will use novel digital direct-to-patient recruitment methods (including social media), and a smartphone app designed to support self-management of the disease. This will include testing the role of coaching support focused on problem-solving, as well as incentives to help young adults with Type 1 diabetes achieve better health outcomes.

“Type 1 diabetes is a unique health condition that requires the use of technology to manage the disease, so most patients already use electronic tools such as blood glucose testing meters and insulin pumps,” says Stanger, principal investigator of the study.