Amit Baumel’s projects

E-mental health web based recommender and evaluation system

This research project that aims to investigate what design aspects make programs more
engaging and effective in real world use, and to serve as a new resource for knowledge,
experience, and development of digital mental health tools.
The project objectives are: Creating an objective suite of quality measures – developed to
incorporate persuasive design, behavior change, and therapeutic alliance – for the evaluation of
eHealth interventions. Examining these measures validity in predicting which programs
eventually become more successful. Providing stakeholders a step-by-step guidance about the
quality evaluation of e-mental health apps, and how to design successful products. Objectively
rate programs and present our findings in order to help the public make educated decisions
when choosing digital tools.

Website: https://mindtools.io/

Enlight evaluation scales suite is attached
Selected Papers:

Baumel, A., Faber, K., Mathur, N., Kane, J. M., & Muench, F. (2017). Enlight: A comprehensive
quality and therapeutic potential evaluation tool for mobile and web-based eHealth interventions.
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(3), e82.
Baumel, A., & Yom-Tov, E. (2018). Predicting user adherence to behavioral eHealth interventions
in the real world: Examining which aspects of intervention design matter most. Translational
Behavioral Medicine, 8(5), 793-798.
Baumel, A., & Kane, J. M. (2018). Examining predictors of real-world user engagement with self-
guided eHealth interventions: Analysis of mobile apps and websites using a novel dataset. Journal
of Medical Internet Research, 20(12), e11491.

Conceptualizing and investigating new models of mental health care

Our team examines general patterns of eHealth program usage in the real world (i.e. outside of
study settings) and use these understanding to conceptualize new models of care. As part of this
process we currently work on a free to use complete online intake battery for Israelis to use in order
to learn about their mental health condition and what they can do in order to improve it.

Selected Papers:

Baumel, A., & Kane, J. M. (2019). Objective user engagement with mental health apps: Systematic
search and panel-based usage analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(9), e14567.
Baumel, A., Fleming, T., & Schueller, S. M. (2020). Digital Micro Interventions for Behavioral and
Mental Health Gains: Core Components and Conceptualization of Digital Micro Intervention Care.
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(10), e20631.
Baumel, A., & Muench, F. J. (2021). Effort-Optimized Intervention model: Framework for building
and analyzing digital interventions that require minimal effort for health-related gains. Journal of
Medical Internet Research, 23(3), e24905.
Sobolev, M., Vitale, R., Kizer, J., Pollak, J. P., Baumel, A., Estirn, D., & Muench, F. (2021).
Digital marshmallow test (DMT) diagnostic and monitoring mobile health app for Impulsive
Behavior: Development and Validation Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 9(1), e25018
Birnbaum, M. L., Garrett, C., Baumel, A., Germano, N. T., Lee, C., Sosa, D., Ngo, H. Fox, K. H.,
Dixon, N. & Kane, J. M. (2022). Digital strategies to accelerate help-seeking in youth with
psychiatric concerns in New York state. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 1030.
Baumel, A. (2022). Therapeutic activities as a link between program usage and clinical
outcomes in digital mental health interventions: A proposed research framework. Journal of
Technology in Behavioral Science.

Digital parent training aimed at treating child’s disruptive behaviors

The project involves several digital interventions aimed to support parents in the process of overcoming their child’s behavior problems. We investigate both guided and unguided interventions aimed at reaching a large number of families in need in a cost-effective way. The project involves investigating the impact of product design, content tailoring, and different therapeutic processes on clinical outcomes.
We also upgraded a public domain platform that can be used to host and deliver highly sophisticated logic driven intervention by social scientists (without the need in programmers)
Current research webpage: https://dplab.haifa.ac.il/dpg-with-guidance
Platform we upgraded that can be freely used to host and deliver digital interventions:

https://github.com/inonit/serafin/commits/feature/israeli-version

Selected Papers:

Baumel, A., Pawar, A., Kane, J. M., & Corell, C. U. (2016). Digital parent training for children with
disruptive behaviors: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. Journal of Child and Adolescent
Psychopharmacology, 26(8), 740-749.
C13: Baumel, A., Pawar, A., Mathur, N., Kane, J. M., & Corell, C. U. (2017). Technology assisted
parent training programs for children and adolescents with disruptive behaviors: A systematic
review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 78(8), e957-e969.
Baumel, A., Mathur, N., Pawar, A., & Muench, F. (2021). Psychosocial interventions for children
with externalized behavior problems: An updated meta-analysis of moderator effects. Journal of
Child and Family Studies, 30(1), 65-86.

Online emotional support delivered by trained volunteers

Technology could provide scalable methods to train and then engage non-professionals with
those who need emotional support. In this way technology is used to enhance human
supportive contact when needed, rather than replacing or minimizing it. Dr. Baumel studied the
use of technology to screen, train, and engage volunteers to support people with mental illness
using an online platform – 7 Cups of Tea (7Cups). 7Cups trains volunteers (i.e., listeners) to
provide free online emotional support through a chat messaging system and then engages them
with interested users. The project included developing computerized training for volunteers, and
examining program’s effects on both native 7Cups users and patients – who were referred to
use 7Cups as an adjunct to treatment.

Selected Papers:

Baumel, A., Correll, C. U., & Birnbaum, M. (2016). Adaptation of a peer based online emotional
support program as an adjunct to treatment for people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
Internet Interventions, 4, 35-42.
Baumel, A., Tinkelman, A., Mathur, N., & Kane, J. M. (2018). Digital peer-support platform (7Cups)
as an adjunct treatment for women with postpartum depression: Feasibility, acceptability, and
preliminary efficacy study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 6(2), e38.