Dr. Michelle vanDellen studies how the intersection of motivation and relationships shapes health behavior and outcomes. She earned her PhD in Social Psychology from Duke University in 2008. At TSET Health Promotion Research Center in Tulsa, she is a George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair and Professor in the Department of Health Promotion Sciences within the Hudson College of Public Health at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC).
Dr. vanDellen’s NCI-funded research examines social processes involved in smoking behavior and cessation. Her work applies a Transactive Goal Dynamics framework to the study of motivation and self-regulation, embedding health and well-being within social networks of interdependent individuals, and capitalizing on the role of social cognition in motivational processes. Dr. vanDellen’s ongoing research examines dyadic adaptations of behavioral economic interventions among dual-smoker couples (relationships where both members smoke) and identifies potential mechanisms of health behavior change within couples. She has additional expertise in physical activity and exercise, nutrition and eating behavior, and the general pursuit of well-being goals.
Education:
Degree-Granting Institutions
- Duke University, Durham, NC, Social Psychology
Postgraduate Training
- Duke University, Durham, NC, Translational Science
Funding:
2023 – 2028 “Randomized Controlled Trial of Dyadic Financial Incentive Treatment for Dual Smoker Couples: Evaluation of Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Cost Effectiveness.” National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of Health) R01CA276594. Total: $2,920,773. Role: Principal Investigator
2020-2023 “Testing Financial Incentive Interventions in Dyadic-Smoker Couples.” National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of Health) R21CA241570 Total: $381,534. Role: Principal Investigator
Select Publications:
vanDellen, M.R., Wright, J. W. C., Zhao, B., Cullinan, C., Beach, S. R. H., Shen, Y., Haskins, L. B., Schiavone, W. M., & MacKillop, J. M. (2024). Partner-involved financial incentives for smoking cessation in dual smoker couples: A randomized pilot trial. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 26, 229-236.
Delose, J. E. & vanDellen, M. R. (2023). The role of temporal distance on forecasting the difficulty of goal pursuits. The Journal of Social Psychology, 163, 19-38.
Schiavone, W., vanDellen, M. R., Knight, A., & Cullinan, C. (2023). Treat yourself: Both positive and negative affect can provide justifications for self-regulatory indulgence. Self and Identity, 23, 932-949.
Haskins, L. B., Payne, C. A., Schiavone, W. M., Beach, S. R. H., MacKillop, J., & vanDellen, M. R. (2022). Feasibility, tolerability, and potential advantages of a dyadic financial incentive treatment for smoking cessation among dual-smoker couples: A pilot study. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 30, 1001-1007.
Van Lissa*, C. J., Stroebe*, W. S., vanDellen*, M. R., Leander*, N. P et al (2022). Early indicators of COVID-19 infection prevention behaviors: Machine learning identifies psychological and country-level factors. Patterns.
*Shared lead authorship
Haskins, L. B., vanDellen, M. R., Lipkus, I. M., Toll, B. A., & Lewis, M. A. (2021). Assessing multiple features of partner support for smoking cessation in dual-smoker couples. Journal of Health Psychology, 10, 1561-1574.
Kaviani, S. vanDellen, M. R., & Cooper, J. (2019). Daily self-weighing to prevent holiday-associated weight gain in adults. Obesity, 27, 908-916.
vanDellen, M. R. (2019). Health behavior change in transactive systems. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13 (11), e12505.
vanDellen, M. R., Lewis, M. A., Toll, B. A., & Lipkus, I. M. (2019). Do couple-focused cessation messages increase motivation to quit among dual-smoker couples? Journal of Smoking Cessation, 14, 95-103.