Jonathan B. Bricker, PhD
Professor, Cancer Prevention Program
Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutch
Dr. Jonathan Bricker develops and tests innovative ways to help people change behaviors that affect health, such as smoking, diet, and physical activity. He’s particularly interested in the delivery of interventions via high-reach technologies including chatbots, smartphone apps, websites, and telehealth. His team conducts randomized clinical trials that compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT, with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking cessation and weight loss. ACT encourages people to notice and accept their urges to smoke with the understanding that those urges will subside.
Other Appointments & Affiliations
Affiliate Professor, University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesAffiliate Professor
University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Education
University of Washington, 2003, PhD (Clinical Psychology)
University of Washington, 1999, MS (Clinical Psychology)
University of California, 1997, BA (Psychology & English)
Research Interests
Dr. Bricker’s research focuses on the development and testing of innovative interventions for health behavior change. With over $35 million in NIH research funding, he and his team are conducting randomized clinical trials of acceptance and commitment therapy interventions for smoking cessation and weight loss. Technology-based platforms of intervention delivery include chatbots, smartphone apps, websites, and telehealth.
Current Studies
2025-2030
Project Title: Providing nicotine replacement therapy to enhance the efficacy of a smoking cessation smartphone app for Hispanic adults
Source of support: NIH/NCI
Grant type: R01CA298383
Role: Principal Investigator
Goal: To test the efficacy for providing nicotine replacement therapy to augment the efficacy of the iCanQuit smartphone app tailored to Hispanic adults.
2024-2029
Project Title: Project 1: Navigation and artificial intelligence technology for Indigenous virtual education on smoking cessation
Source of support: NIH/NIMHD
Grant type: U19MD020533
Role: Project Principal Investigator
Goal: To test the efficacy a large language model chatbot for commercial cigarette smoking cessation tailored to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
2023-2028
Project Title: Digital smoking cessation intervention for nationally-recruited American Indians and Alaska Natives: A full-scale randomized controlled trial
Source of support: NIH/NCI
Grant type: R01CA284687-01A1
Role: Principal Investigator
Goal: To test the efficacy for commercial cigarette smoking cessation of a smartphone app tailored to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
2021-2026
Project Title: Comparative Effectiveness of Mobile Health Smoking Cessation Approaches Among Underserved Patients in Primary Care
Source of support: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
Grant type: Dissemination and Implementation Research Grant
Role: Site Principal Investigator (PI: Jesse Dallery, PhD)
Goal: To test the efficacy for cigarette smoking cessation of the iCanQuit smartphone app combined with contingency management among underserved patients in primary care.
2020-2026
Title: Telephone Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Weight Loss
Source of support: NIH/NIDDK
Grant type: R01 DK 124114
Role: Principal Investigator
Goal: To test the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy telehealth coaching for weight loss.
2020-2026
Title: Quit2Heal: Rigorous Randomized Trial of a Smartphone Application to Help Cancer Patients Stop Smoking
Source of support: NIH/NIDDK
Grant Type: R01 CA 253975
Role: PI
Goal: To test the efficacy for cigarette smoking cessation of a smartphone app for cancer patients.
2020-2026
Title: Full Scale Randomized Trial of an Innovative Conversational Agent for Smoking Cessation
Source of Support: NIH/NCI
Grant Type: R01 CA 247156
Role: Principal Investigator
Goal: To test the efficacy of an AI-based conversational chatbot for cigarette smoking cessation.
"If you want to be in the service of the public and in the service of preventing cancer, you have to be able to reach millions of people at low cost with effective treatment."
— Dr. Jonathan Bricker