New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research

The Behavioral Science and Technology Core (BSTC) of the New York Center for Diabetes Translation Research will provide consultative services and technical support to high-quality translational intervention research that targets diabetes-related health behaviors, using rigorous methods that are informed by multi-stakeholder input and collaboration. BSTC includes faculty expertise in clinical diabetes and landmark clinical diabetes intervention trials, leveraging a strong link to the NIDDK-funded Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Center. An additional novel BSTC service builds on strengths of our first funding period to promote the use of cutting-edge technologies to measure behavior as it occurs in real-time and in the context of a naturalistic environment, and to deliver mobile health (mHealth) applications and just-in-time interventions. The BSTC brings together a rich set of resources to support translational investigators working to overcome obstacles to widespread dissemination and implementation of evidence-based strategies that target clinical management and/or behavior and lifestyle change to improve diabetes outcomes in real-world health care and community settings. BSTC specific aims are: 1) To support and promote diabetes translation research, grounded in state-of-the-art behavioral science and clinical diabetes, tailored to maximize impact on diabetes-related health outcomes. Consultation services support use of cutting-edge behavioral science and clinical diabetes knowledge to refine hypotheses about mechanisms and moderators of intervention effects and guide evaluation plans. 2) To facilitate stakeholder informed translational research methods for practical impact. Consultation services address community-based participant research and engagement methods, providing access to an innovative and highly experienced Diabetes Accelerator, a diabetes translation research focused stakeholder group from various backgrounds. 3) To consult on and provide access to innovative mobile health technologies to deliver interventions, tailoring interventions to the needs of individuals at particular moments in time, and measure outcomes. Consultation services address: selecting appropriate technologies, incorporating them into tailored interventions, and using these to reach individuals living with or who have a greater likelihood for the development of diabetes in their natural environments. 4) To facilitate application of rigorous evaluation methods that can advance behavioral science and evidence-based practice. Consultation services address: selecting outcome measures with sound measurement properties, implementing quality control and fidelity assessments, applying advanced statistical, qualitative and mixed- methods in comprehensive assessments of program effectiveness [e.g., reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance (RE-AIM)].