Andrea Graham Named Director of Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies
August 11, 2026
By Graham Miller
Andrea Graham, PhD, associate professor of Medical Social Sciences, has been named the director of the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies (CBITs). Graham, an internationally recognized digital health researcher aims to continue the center’s long-standing mission to advance digital mental health.
As a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, Graham closely followed CBITs' pioneering work in digital mental health, applying many of the center's innovations in her own research. When an opportunity arose to join the center as a faculty member in 2018, Graham saw a chance to contribute to a vision she had long admired.
"CBITs has been the epicenter of groundbreaking research that impacted my work long before I ever joined," Graham said. "The opportunity to lead the center and steer the future of digital health research is incredibly exciting."
The opportunity to lead the center and steer the future of digital health research is incredibly exciting.”
Since joining Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and CBITs in 2018, Graham has expanded the center's research scope beyond depression and anxiety to address broader behavioral health challenges, including disordered eating behaviors, obesity, and weight-related chronic diseases such as diabetes. She currently serves as principal investigator on three federally funded R01 grants and has led additional NIH and foundation funded projects.
In 2022, Graham was appointed co-director of CBITs by Mohr to ensure sustained growth for the center. Graham led the creation of a center communications strategy and partnership pathway initiative, expanding the potential for collaborations with industry and external organizations. Additionally, she helped launch several educational and professional development initiatives, including the CBITs “Future of” Webinar Series, the CBITs Rising Star Award, and the Design for Digital Health Reading Course.
As co-director, Graham also led CBITs' integration into the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), positioning the center within a broader interdisciplinary academic home whose mission is to improve healthcare for all people. For Graham, digital health technologies represent a critical strategy for addressing longstanding challenges in care access.
"Andrea's vision for CBITs is grounded in a fundamental public health goal: ensuring that effective behavioral health care is accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live or their ability to access traditional services," said Ron Ackermann, MD, MPH, director of IPHAM. "Her leadership reflects a commitment to leveraging science and technology to close gaps in care and improve health outcomes at the population level."
Graham succeeds David C. Mohr, PhD, who founded and established CBITs as a global leader in digital mental health research.
"As I step down as director of CBITs, I could not be more pleased to welcome Andrea Graham as our next director,” Mohr said. “Having worked with Andrea over the years, I have seen firsthand her commitment and dedication to the design of digital health technologies that are grounded in the voices of the people they serve, rigorous evaluation, and implementation to improve lives at scale. She deeply values the multidisciplinary collaboration that has been the core of our Center and has shown leadership that prioritizes the support of our exceptional faculty and staff as they continue to advance research in digital health."
I have seen firsthand [Andrea's] commitment and dedication to the design of digital health technologies that are grounded in the voices of the people they serve...”
"I am also confident that under Andrea's leadership, CBITs will continue to grow as a vital resource, not only for Northwestern, but for the broader community of researchers, implementers, and people with lived experience. Andrea brings both the vision and the collaborative spirit to build on the Center's strong foundation and lead CBITs into a thriving and impactful future."
As director, Graham plans to grow collaborations across Northwestern's schools and centers, expanding consultation and training opportunities. It is her priority that CBITs remains at the forefront of research on digital intervention design, optimization, and implementation in the face of a dynamic research landscape.
"CBITs has always been defined by its commitment to innovation, collaboration, and impact," Graham said. "My goal is to support our faculty, staff, and trainees as they pursue ambitious science that improves lives at scale. We have an extraordinary opportunity to shape the future of digital behavioral health by developing new solutions, advancing research methods, training the next generation of scientists, and ensuring that effective interventions reach the communities that need them most."