Barrett, Bruce PProfessor
bruce.barrett@fammed.wisc.edu
(608) 263-2220
610 N Whitney Way (Madison), Verona

Education

  • University of Wisconsin–Madison – MD
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison – PhD, Anthropology
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison – MS, Population Health

Bio

Bruce Barrett, MD, PhD (he/him/his) is a family physician, tenured professor, and vice chair for research. His research focuses on the design and interpretation of randomized trials, alternative/complementary/integrative medicine, mind-body interactions, mindfulness meditation, placebo effects, and assessment of patient-oriented outcomes.

Barrett has received funding from NIH, AHRQ, HRSA, PCORI, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at NIH funded Barrett’s K23 and K24 research career awards as well as three R01-funded randomized trials. Two of these trials demonstrated reductions in acute respiratory infection with either mindfulness or exercise training, compared to randomized control (MEPARI and MEPARI-2).

Over the past several years, Barrett has led an interdisciplinary team of physicians, scientists, and mindfulness instructors to develop Mindful Eco-Wellness: Steps to Healthier Living (aka Mindful Climate Action), which is an educational and behavior change program aimed at helping people decrease their carbon footprints while enhancing their personal health and happiness.

Barrett has mentored dozens of early career researchers and is associate director of the UW Primary Care Research Fellowship, which provides post-doctoral research training to physicians and PhD scientists (T32 NRSA award funded by HRSA).

Research Interests

Current Research Projects

  • Mindful Climate Action
  • Health-First Climate Action Research Center
    • Funded by an NIH P20 grant, this center investigates potential health benefits from improved air quality that will result from the energy transition. The project includes faculty from UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, and Medical College of Wisconsin. Barrett serves as deputy director, with Jonathan Patz as PI.
  • Nasal Steroids, Irrigation, Oral Antibiotics, and Subgroup Targeting for Effective Management of Sinusitis.
    • The $23.6 million PCORI-funded NOSES multi-site randomized trial will assess the efficacy of oral antibiotics and steroid nasal sprays in patients with acute sinusitis. Barrett serves as co-investigator and UW site PI.
  • Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS)
    • First developed and validated 1999-2005, this illness-specific quality of life outcomes instrument comes in a variety of lengths and languages and has been used in more than 500 institutions in over 50 countries.
  • Benefit harm trade-off methods to assess sufficiently important difference (SID)
    • Also known as smallest worthwhile effect, SID informs both trial design and medical decision-making. The current goal is to assess SID for acute sinusitis.

Selected completed research projects

  • Health-related research projects in Nicaragua (1984-91) and Guatemala (1992-93)
  • Cross-cultural health care for Hmong patients in Eau Claire (1994-96)
  • Village-based primary health care for ethnic minorities in the Vietnam highlands (1995-97)
  • Qualitative study of complementary and alternative medicine in Madison (1998-99)
  • Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials of echinacea for common cold (1999-2007)
  • PEP randomized controlled trial assessing placebo effects in acute respiratory infection (2004-07)
  • MEPARI & MEPARI-2 randomized controlled trials testing behavioral trainings in mindfulness meditation vs. exercise to prevent acute respiratory infection (2009-18)
  • STAMP comparative effectiveness of mindfulness training vs. cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with chronic back pain who use opioids. Barrett served as dual PI for this $9.4M PCORI-funded multisite trial (2016-2023)
  • EAST-PC multi-site project developing evidence-based decision-support tools for acute cough illness (bronchitis). Barrett served as co-investigator and site lead for this AHRQ-funded project (2018-23)

Publications and Presentations

Selected Publications:

  • Barrett, B. Behavioral Eco-Wellness. Viewpoint editorial. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4536. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114536
  • Barrett B, Walters S, Checovich MM, et al. Mindful Eco-Wellness: Steps Toward Personal and Planetary Health. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health. 2024;13:27536130241235922.
  • Barrett B. Health and Sustainability Co-Benefits of Eating Behaviors: Towards a Science of Dietary Eco-Wellness. Preventive Medicine Reports28, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101878 PMID: 35832638 PMCID: PMC9272027
  • Barrett B, Harden C, Brown R, Coe C, Irwin M. Mindfulness meditation and exercise both improve sleep quality among adults without known sleep problems: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of community dwelling adults. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, May 2020. doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.04.003 PMCID: PMC8157793
  • Barrett B, Torres ER, Meyer J, Barnet J, Brown R. Predictors of sustained adherence to exercise and meditation practice, from MEPARI-2, a randomized controlled trial. Mindfulness. March 28, 2019. PMCID: PMC6959135
  • Barrett B, Hayney MS, Muller D, Rakel D, Brown R, Zgierska AE, Checovich MM, Barlow S, Hayer S, Barnet J, Torres ER, Coe CL. Meditation or exercise for preventing acute respiratory infection (MEPARI-2): A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE 13(6): e0197778. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197778. PMCID: PMC6014660
  • Barrett B, Ricco J, Wallace M, Kiefer D, Rakel D. Communicating statin evidence to support shared decision-making. BMC Family Practice 2016 Apr 6; 17:41. doi: 10.1186/s12875-016-0436-9. PMID: 27048421; PMCID: PMC4822230.
  • Barrett B, Grabow M, Middlecamp C, Mooney M, Checovich MM, Converse AK, Gillespie B and Yates J. Mindful Climate Action: Health and Environmental Co-Benefits from Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Training. Sustainability 2016: 8(10), 1040; doi:10.3390/su8101040 NIHMS: 826863 PMCID: PMC5170843
  • Barrett B, Charles JW, Temte JL. Climate Change, Human Health, and Epidemiological Transition. Preventive Medicine (70) January 2015. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.11.013 PMID: 25434735. PMCID: PMC4367446
  • Barrett B. Sufficiently important difference: Concepts, caveats and clarifications. Medical Decision Making, 2013; 33(6):869-874 PMID: 23482376; PMCID: PMC3653614
  • Barrett B, Hayney MS, Muller D, Rakel D, Ward A, Obasi CN, Brown R, Zhang Z, Zgierska A, Gern J, West R, Ewers T, Barlow S, Gassman M, Coe CL. Meditation or exercise for preventing acute respiratory infection: A randomized controlled trial. Annals of Family Medicine. 2012; 10(4):339-346.  PMCID: PMC3392293
  • Barrett B, Brown R, Rakel D, Rabago D, Marchand L, Scheder J, Mundt M, Thomas G, Barlow S. Placebo effects and the common cold: A randomized controlled trial. Annals of Family Medicine. 2011; 9(4):312-22. PMCID: PMC 31335578

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