About Us

The Behavioral Health and Wellness Program (BHWP) is part of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and located at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. In 2006, Chad Morris, PhD, established BHWP to address the overwhelming need for tobacco cessation treatment for persons with behavioral health conditions.

Since that time, we have become a multi-disciplinary center of excellence for public policy, research, training, and clinical care. While we continue to specialize in tobacco cessation treatment, training, and technical assistance, we have expanded our focus to include education and training that supports overall health and wellness across the lifespan. We work with communities, healthcare facilities, and public health and governmental agencies to promote health and wellness in priority populations. We also offer training and consultation to healthcare providers, administrators, and peer advocates.

We are a well-balanced and diverse team of health behavior change experts. It has come to light in recent years that many chronic diseases are related to poor health behaviors and that high rates of death could be alleviated by changes in these behaviors. This is one of the foundations of our program. We believe that wellness includes the concept of positive health behavior change – by positively influencing behaviors we can produce a more effective and comprehensive health solution. Our wellness philosophy views wellness from a “whole-person” perspective. By addressing the unique roles of each level of wellness on individuals’ overall well-being and by using motivational behavior change strategies, we are able to achieve sustainable and lasting goals.

We use these philosophies to inspire the way we work with people, communities, and organizations. To date, we have worked in over 30 states to foster sustainable wellness initiatives. Our experience working with different regions has made us particularly adept at meeting each region’s unique needs as well as the needs of specific populations. We continue to adapt and evolve with each new project, and every organization we work with can expect a tailored approach to their specific needs.