People of mPulse: Eden Brownell, Lead Behavioral Strategist

Meet Eden Brownell, mPulse Mobile’s Lead Behavioral Strategist and resident expert in behavioral science, user design, and public health! As a major contributor to the science behind the engagement programs crafted at mPulse, her efforts help healthcare organizations adjust their initiatives to meet the health needs, boost the confidence levels, and address cultural sensitivities in meaningful ways for their members- essentially reimagining health engagement for the modern age. Eden finds fascination in the intricacies of human behaviors and enjoys “geeking out” (as she loves to put it) on research projects that contribute to the design of our solutions.

“I Love Studying People”

Eden’s journey into this world of behavioral science and healthcare communications started at Saint Michael’s college where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology. “I love studying people…at first thought I wanted to be a child therapist and work in more of a one-on-one setting,” Eden explained. “I did that for about a year and a half and realized I was too close…but I still wanted to work in healthcare and helping people.” That’s when she discovered public health and subsequently went on to get her master’s degree in Public Health focused in Community Health from Boston University. And Eden is already making a stamp on the healthcare world. She has been awarded an Innovators of Healthcare award by UnitedHealthcare in recognition of her contributions towards a program incorporating social determinants of health data into clinician workflow processes to improve care management and enhance plan members’ health. She is also a collaborator on a Boston Medical Health Equity Accelerator pilot program initiative that aims to improve communication with expectant mothers, uncover care barriers and improve health outcomes for both the mother and child in at-risk populations and underserved communities. The program focuses on supporting prenatal patients through their journeys through the provision of general pregnancy education, preeclampsia support, substance use reduction and cessation, housing instability and mental health management. She has been bringing that expertise and experience to mPulse and our solutions as well over the last few years. As our resident behavioral science expert, Eden is a central figure in the creation of, and educating on the strategy behind our programs. Because she has a vast skill set in Content Design, Applied Behavioral Science, Human-Centered Design, Data Analysis, and Social Innovation, she’s an integral member of the team that crafts the outreach and messaging in all the solutions deployed by mPulse Mobile. She also is an esteemed voice for us in the industry on education within the realm of behavioral science and engagement strategy. She, along with Greg Gould, her counterpart Engagement Strategist at mPulse, have been conducting a 5-part webinar series focusing on behavioral science in healthcare. Essentially, they are advocating for healthcare companies to take an outward look at how other industries and major corporations leverage behavioral science to motivate, inspire and drive action in their consumers, fuel behavior change. Then they teach these organizations how to take that and apply it to their own engagement efforts. She was also recently featured on the popular HIT Like A Girl Podcast, A community committed to elevating Women in Healthcare & Health IT, to discuss her contributions to reimagining health engagement for the modern age.

Making a Difference through Science

In her tenure with mPulse, Eden has made significant contributions to mPulse’s Engagement Strategy team through the initiation of mProv Studio: a weekly, interactive design brainstorming studio that offers the team the opportunity to informally brainstorm ways to innovate solutions and make them exciting and engaging. The studio sessions offer the Engagement Strategy team the opportunity to learn more about behavioral science theories and behavior change principles, address integral aspects of the user experience and learning experience design. Additional collaborations are held to expound upon new content and product design ideas to support content development, streaming activities and the delivery of solutions tailored to the daily challenges within the healthcare industry. Currently, Eden is knee-deep in diabetes research in support of the development of an mPulse Mobile training course in Comprehensive Diabetes Care that will utilize behavioral techniques to help diabetics to optimize their health. The 6-month Diabetes Management program consists of a series of interactive initiatives designed to aid member diabetic patients in: Learning to manage their condition; Examining their personal health beliefs; Increasing their self-efficacy; Setting personal goals and improving their day-to-day diabetes management habits. This is all wrapped up in a solution that includes SMS messaging and versatile multi-media learning experiences to utilize the best that each modality has to offer. This program will empower members to actively participate in their health betterment by learning and practicing the skills of active diabetes management.

Goats, Bulldogs, & Eden

Clearly Eden is incredibly busy as an ambassador, thought leader, and behavioral science expert for mPulse, but she still makes time for personal endeavors. She recently became a certified Yoga Instructor under the International Yoga Alliance and branched out into the exciting world of Goat Yoga! She is a dog-mom to Cooper & Magnolia, her two French Bulldogs, as well as being an avid thriller fiction reader and an aspiring Charcuterie Board designer. The views from her beautiful home office in Boston, Massachusetts are the envy of many members of the mPulse team who are all grateful for her valued contributions and enduring optimism.