Bonnie Spring, a behavioral scientist known for her research and mentoring, has joined the Florida State University College of Medicine. Her early work on serious mental illness during her graduate studies at Harvard has been cited over 3,000 times. When she encountered limitations due to a lack of objective measurement tools, Spring shifted her focus to health psychology.
Spring’s research addresses risk behaviors like smoking, overeating, poor diet, and physical inactivity—factors linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. She explores ways to encourage people to change these behavior patterns.
“It was having an impact through behavioral interventions that captured my heart, and being able to expand an intervention so it’s large enough to be a public health benefit continues to grip my attention,” Spring said.
Her three decades of research have included both prevention and intervention into health-risk behaviors. She employs methods such as longitudinal modeling and machine learning for predictive analytics.
Spring is especially interested in Multiphase Optimization Strategies (MOST), which applies engineering principles to develop multi-component behavioral interventions. MOST aims for interventions that are effective, affordable, scalable, and efficient.
“Underserved populations rarely have only one behavioral health risk, and effective interventions often have multiple components,” she said. “Being able to holistically address the underlying issues as well as the behaviors tends to lead to better outcomes.”
After spending 19 years at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Spring joined FSU late last year. She now serves as Krafft Professor of Behavioral and Social Medicine and directs the Florida Blue Center for Rural Health Research and Policy within the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine.
“We are fortunate to have attracted such a highly regarded and well-funded researcher as Bonnie Spring,” said Alma Littles, dean of the College of Medicine. “With the college continuing to expand its research opportunities for all students, M.D. and PA as well as Ph.D., her research skill set and demonstrated commitment to mentoring will be an asset to our students, as well as our junior faculty.
“Her knowledge of rural health issues will help her lead the Florida Blue Center for Rural Health Research and Policy to a new level of achievement and likely influence legislation in Florida and across the country.”
The center was created in 2002 through support from the Florida Blue Foundation. Heather Flynn, chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at FSU’s College of Medicine, highlighted Spring’s role in revitalizing the center with digital health innovations.
“Bonnie really brings a multi-faceted and fresh vision for the center and its future that incorporates innovations in digital health research, as well as training the next generation of researchers,” Flynn said. “She has been successful in integrating different digital health tools and technology – such as wearables, apps, and electronic medical records – with telehealth coaching to create successful interventions for people with multiple-risk behaviors.”
Spring began working on rural health after collaborating with Nancy Schoenberg from the University of Kentucky’s College of Medicine. Schoenberg contacted Spring about adapting one of her Chicago-based interventions for rural populations—a collaboration that led them to secure $2.5 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for a clinical trial focused on stress and sleep.
“Rural residents tend to be older, sicker and poorer,” Schoenberg said. “Bonnie has great strength in developing and implementing interventions, and I loved this one. The results were stunning, and the positive effects were sustained. I spent maybe a year and a half or two years adapting it.”
Working in rural Appalachia had a significant impact on Spring’s approach; she described returning “to get back to the basics” based on core values she adopted during college: commitment, community, creativity.
Now at FSU College of Medicine, Spring aims not only to train more students but also engage communities facing healthcare gaps.
“We have the most expensive health care in the world, and we’re living in a delusional bubble,” Spring said. “The demand for health care is always going to outstrip availability. You have to use what resources you have and engage the communities whose needs you’re trying to meet.
“We have to meet people where they are and accept them as they are so they will accept us as partners.”
