Video/Online Games for Health: 12 Research Teams from Across US to Receive Major Grants

More than two million dollars in grants will be awarded to 12 research teams to help strengthen the evidence base that supports the development and use of digital interactive games to improve players health behaviors and outcomes. The grantees will be announced during a live, phone-based news event (with full Q&A) at 1:30 PM EDT/10:30 AM PDT Thursday, May 29.

This is the first round of grants to be awarded from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its Health Games Research national program, based at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Funded studies explore topics ranging from how motion-based games may help stroke patients progress faster in physical therapy to how people in substance abuse treatment can practice skills and behaviors in the virtual world to prevent real-world relapses.

News event speakers will be Debra Lieberman, PhD, communication researcher, Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research, University of California at Santa Barbara; and Chinwe Onyekere, program officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundations Pioneer Portfolio.

TO PARTICIPATE: Join this live, phone-based news conference (with full, two-way Q&A) at 1:30 PM EDT/10:30 AM PDT on May 29 by calling 800.860.2442. Ask for the health games grants news event.

CANT PARTICIPATE? A streaming audio replay of this news event will be available as of 6:00 PM EDT on May 29 at healthgamesresearch.org.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org/pioneer.

The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is one of 10 universities in the University of California system, and is one of only 62 research-intensive institutions elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities. For more information, visit www.ucsb.edu.

The Health Games Research national program office at UCSB conducts and supports research to enhance the quality and impact of interactive games used to improve health. For more information, visit www.healthgamesresearch.org or contact the program at healthgamesresearch@isber.ucsb.edu.