Expert consulting • Framework development • Standards and evaluation
We’ve been involved with digital health for over a decade, assisting with development of research and evaluation standards, creating checklists and taxonomies, providing perspectives on device regulation, and inventing frameworks for understanding how video games can be used therapeutically.
Selected projects
Commercial video games as therapy (CGTx): Video games can have significant and unexpected benefits for mental health. We suggest a framework to understand and evaluate CGTx and report on several studies that show how commercial games can be useful as therapeutic or preventive interventions. Dr. Colder Carras also acts as an expert consultant in this area for Capvision and GLG.
Global preparedness against COVID-19: We must leverage the power of digital health: As part of a team of international experts, we helped identify many opportunities to use digital health for health promotion, intervention and treatment, especially in lower- and middle-income countries.
Hacking video games and social media for public health: Digital games and social media can be a fun, relaxing pause from daily life or a way to let off steam, but can also lead to frustration, conflict, or feeling out of control. Watch to find out more about research into the use of games and social media for health promotion and disease prevention, as well as the latest thinking on problematic technology use.
Pokémon GO!—Pandemic or Prescription? How can successful commercial franchises build on their gaming appeal to promote healthy behaviors? This quick read brings together specialists in digital health and behavior change to challenge how we think about video games and health.
Veterans’ Use of Video Games. Veterans have high rates of PTSD, depression, and suicide, and have a hard time getting mental health care. This study examined a potentially untapped resource for veterans: commercial video games. This joint project between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health explored how veterans use the benefits of gaming, like social interaction and intense engagement, to promote mental health recovery.