Bryan Heckman, Chief Science Officer
Bryan is the Founder/Director of the Tobacco Control Innovations Foundation and a well-respected researcher and expert in the areas of Human Behavior and Addiction Psychology. He is an Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, CEO of a digital healthcare company, and Founder/Director of the Tobacco Control Innovations Foundation. He was asked to lead SRNT’s mHealth work group and is establishing guidelines for proper mHealth research conduct. He also has an ongoing longitudinal dataset of all smoking cessation apps available on iOS and Android.
Bryan’s clinical research program uses a biopsychosocial approach to understand and treat addictive behaviors, primarily cigarette smoking/vaping. His expertise spans a wide range of methodologies, including: machine learning, predictive analytics, survey development, meta-analysis, laboratory studies, randomized controlled trials, and population-based surveillance. The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), & American Cancer Society (ACS) have supported his innovations since 2012. He has also been fortunate to secure additional funding to support the creation of nonprofit and startup ventures.
Primary research interests include: 1) identification of biobehavioral mechanisms that maintain dependence; 2) development of relapse prevention interventions; and 3) use of behavioral economics to inform tobacco control policies.
Bryan developed the first just-in-time adaptive intervention that can automatically detect triggers for smoking relapse and respond with real-time treatment delivery. This is accomplished by transforming smartphones into context-aware healthcare delivery systems (e.g., GPS). Clinical trials to establish efficacy, and industry partnerships to optimize functionality and reach, are ongoing.
When stepping away from the computer, Bryan is likely to be with friends/family, traveling, cooking, bouldering, hiking, surfing, kayaking, or enjoying anything else nature oriented.