On 24 August a unique behaviour change event, organised by Marie Angelopoulos (Researcher, IBM Yorktown) took place at IBM Research in New York. The event provided an opportunity for staff across IBM to come together and discuss the pressing issues in behaviour change. 

The day kicked off with a talk by Professor Susan Michie (HBCP Principal Investigator) in which she outlined key challenges facing behaviour change research, and current initiatives to meet these challenges. Next, Ching-Hua Chen (IBM Research), and the IBM Computational Health Behaviour and Decision Science team reviewed their recent activities with Susan. This was followed by a round table discussion attended by members of the IBM Watson Health team. The group discussed the range of existing data sources and tools supporting behaviour change, and considered areas where there might be opportunities for innovation.

There was a lively Q and A about the HBCP, with Pol Mac Aonghusa (IBM Researcher and HBCP Co-I) and Susan Michie taking questions from the audience. Pol Mac Aonghusa said:

‘The event brought together key stakeholders from across IBM interested in the science of behaviour change. Prof. Michie’s expertise and practical approach during the seminar and workshops were hugely helpful in understanding challenges and opportunities for collaboration in human behaviour change research’. 

The day ended with a dinner in Manhattan where the group where able to continue their discussion in a less formal setting. Daniel Kahneman (Nobel Laureate 2002) attended as a guest of honour.

Click here to download the slides from Susan's presentation - Susan’s presentation (pdf)

7 September 2017