Behavioral science and analytics for injury
reduction
Our mission is to apply behavioral economics and data science to develop and test innovative interventions for reducing the public health burden of injury and improve the outcomes of injuries once they occur.
research areas
We partner with auto insurers to study strategies to reduce distracted driving and developed our own monitoring app to learn more about driver behavior.
Health System
Decision Making
We use medical record data to yield important insights and improve patient health outcomes and change physician behavior.
We use patient-centered data collection through automated texting to improve pain management needs.
Epidemiology and Disparities in Healthcare
We use large administrative datasets to assess epidemiology of injuries and document disparities in care.
Gun Violence
BeSAFIR and collaborators use data from Emergency Departments to understand the epidemiological trends in gun violence.
COVID-19 Monitoring Program Evaluation
We work with clinicians and innovation researchers to analyze COVID-19 health system processes and test strategies to improve patient outcomes.
recent news
Penn Today
Published May 19, 2021
Smartphone Breath Alcohol Testing Devices Vary Widely in Accuracy
BeSAFIR research team found that some smartphone-paired breathalyzers failed to detect levels above the legal limit more than half of the time.
IFL Science!
Published May 12, 2021
Smartphone-Linked Breathalyzers May Not Detect Alcohol Levels Over The Legal Limit
BeSAFIR team tested the validity of six commercial smartphone-paired breathalyzers.
U.S. News
Published March 26, 2021
Most Post-Surgical Opioids Go Unused: Study
A new study found more than 60% of opioid painkillers prescribed to surgical patients after their procedures went unused.
NEJM Catalyst
Published March, 2021
"An Automated Text Messaging Program to Inform Postoperative Opioid Prescribing" was just published in NEJM Catalyst.
New Article in JAMA Open
Published March 25, 2021
Patient-Reported Opioid Consumption and Pain Intensity After Common Orthopedic and Urologic Surgical Procedures With Use of an Automated Text Messaging System.
U.S. News
Published December 10, 2020
329 Americans Are Injured by Guns Every Day: Study
New research sheds more light on how many of those who are injured survive and the circumstances of their shootings.