Information

Related Research Units

Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Research

Research Overview

Lab Web Site: Digital Wellness Lab

Dr. Rich aims to use interdisciplinary science to promote healthy child development by guiding their mindful use of media. He provides the latest scientific evidence, resources and tools to educate and guide child health practitioners and parents so they understand the positive and negative effects of the media children use and how they use them. He educates worldwide on how the use of media can affect a child’s development, health, and behavior. In 2002, he founded the Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH), an interdisciplinary center of excellence in research, clinical interventions, and education on the effects of media on the physical, mental, and social health of children, adolescents, and young adults. It was relaunched as the Digital Wellness Lab in 2021. It's dedicated to rigorously studying the effects of media on children’s development, implementing the findings to reduce risk and optimize health, and synergizing with young people’s technology engagement to promote present and future well-being. For more information, see the website.

Having come to medicine after a 12-year career as a filmmaker in Hollywood and Japan, Dr. Rich employs media as a tool for understanding and actively promoting child health. With support from Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Dr. Rich wrote and co-produced Relieve the Squeeze, a short film starring Danny DeVito and Nia Long, which educates adults and empowers children with asthma to take control of their disease. In 1998, the Society for Adolescent Medicine honored Dr. Rich with their New Investigator Award for the creation of Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment (VIA), a research method where adolescent and young adult patients create video narratives to describe their illness experience to their clinicians. Following the 20-year run of VIA, Dr. Rich developed and implemented the next iteration of VIA, Children’s at Home, a closed, secure, clinically moderated social network that allows patients who share a condition to build community by sharing their video narratives. Funded by Hasbro, Dr. Rich is currently working on a longitudinal study looking at how children’s traditional play and digital play may influence developmental outcomes using a smartphone-based methodology called Measuring Childhood Play Experiences.

Research Background

Dr. Rich received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his MPH degree from Harvard School of Public Health. He completed an internship, residency, and fellowship at Children's Hospital Boston. Dr. Rich is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Adolescent Medicine and is board certified in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

 

Education

Undergraduate School

Pomona College
1977 Claremont CA

Medical School

Harvard Medical School
1991 Boston MA

Internship

Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital
1992 Boston MA

Residency

Pediatrics Boston Children's Hospital
1994 Boston MA

Fellowship

Adolescent Medicine Boston Children's Hospital
1996 Boston MA

Graduate School

MPH Harvard School of Public Health
1997 Boston MA

Media

Parentcast Podcast

Dr. Michael Rich is featured: Is my child spending too much time online?

Boston 25

Dr. Michael Rich shares practical strategies for raising kind, smart, healthy kids in digital age.

Publications

  1. Social adolescents, social media, and social emotional development. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2023 10; 7(10):673-675. View Abstract
  2. Media Influences on Children and Advice for Parents to Reduce Harmful Exposure to Firearm Violence in Media. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2023 12; 70(6):1217-1224. View Abstract
  3. Exploring Use Patterns and Racial and Ethnic Differences in Real Time Affective States During Social Media Use Among a Clinical Sample of Adolescents With Depression: Prospective Cohort Study. JMIR Form Res. 2022 May 12; 6(5):e30900. View Abstract
  4. Indian Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines on Screen Time and Digital Wellness in Infants, Children and Adolescents. Indian Pediatr. 2022 Mar 15; 59(3):235-244. View Abstract
  5. An Internet Quiz Game Intervention for Adolescent Alcohol Drinking: A Clustered RCT. Pediatrics. 2021 12 01; 148(6). View Abstract
  6. Impact of sleep duration, physical activity, and screen time on health-related quality of life in children and adolescents. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2021 May 12; 19(1):145. View Abstract
  7. Can Smartphones Make Smart Kids? Pediatrics. 2020 01; 145(1). View Abstract
  8. Adapting Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Treating Problematic Interactive Media Use. J Psychiatr Pract. 2020 01; 26(1):63-70. View Abstract
  9. A primary care pediatrician's guide to assessing problematic interactive media use. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2019 08; 31(4):435-441. View Abstract
  10. Problematic interactive media use in teens: comorbidities, assessment, and treatment. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2019; 12:447-455. View Abstract
  11. A Preliminary Evaluation of a School-Based Media Education and Reduction Intervention. J Prim Prev. 2018 06; 39(3):229-245. View Abstract
  12. Internet Use, Depression, and Anxiety in a Healthy Adolescent Population: Prospective Cohort Study. JMIR Ment Health. 2018 05 22; 5(2):e44. View Abstract
  13. Children's at Home: Pilot Study Assessing Dedicated Social Media for Parents of Adolescents with Neurofibromatosis Type 1. J Genet Couns. 2018 04; 27(2):505-517. View Abstract
  14. Internet Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2017 Nov; 140(Suppl 2):S81-S85. View Abstract
  15. Multitasking With Television Among Adolescents. J Broadcast Electron Media. 2015; 59(1):130-148. View Abstract
  16. Media use and depression: exposure, household rules, and symptoms among young adolescents in the USA. Int J Public Health. 2015 Feb; 60(2):147-55. View Abstract
  17. Sex-related online behaviors and adolescents' body and sexual self-perceptions. Pediatrics. 2014 Dec; 134(6):1103-10. View Abstract
  18. Exploring the perspectives of obese adolescent girls. Qual Health Res. 2013 Oct; 23(10):1369-76. View Abstract
  19. Characteristics of screen media use associated with higher BMI in young adolescents. Pediatrics. 2013 May; 131(5):935-41. View Abstract
  20. Role of video games in improving health-related outcomes: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2012 Jun; 42(6):630-8. View Abstract
  21. The fault, dear viewer, lies not in the screens, but in ourselves: relationships between screen media and childhood overweight/obesity. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2011 Dec; 58(6):1493-508, xii. View Abstract
  22. A plea for concern regarding violent video games. Mayo Clin Proc. 2011 Aug; 86(8):818-20. View Abstract
  23. Cardiac care for older adults. Time for a new paradigm. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011 May 03; 57(18):1801-10. View Abstract
  24. Device therapy in patients with heart failure and advanced age: too much too late? Int J Cardiol. 2012 Feb 23; 155(1):52-5. View Abstract
  25. Effect of depression on prognosis in heart failure. Heart Fail Clin. 2011 Jan; 7(1):11-21. View Abstract
  26. Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on heart rate variability in depressed patients with coronary heart disease. Psychosom Med. 2010 Oct; 72(8):748-54. View Abstract
  27. Omega-3 augmentation of sertraline in treatment of depression in patients with coronary heart disease: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2009 Oct 21; 302(15):1651-7. View Abstract
  28. E-mail intervention decreases online health risk references among adolescents. J Pediatr. 2009 Jul; 155(1):147. View Abstract
  29. Television viewing in infancy and child cognition at 3 years of age in a US cohort. Pediatrics. 2009 Mar; 123(3):e370-5. View Abstract
  30. Generation to generation: discrimination and harassment experiences of physician mothers and their physician daughters. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2007 Jul-Aug; 16(6):883-94. View Abstract
  31. Can neighborhoods explain racial/ethnic differences in adolescent media use?. Journal of Adolescent Health;2006'38(2):133-134. 2007. View Abstract
  32. Measuring youth media exposure (MYME): A pilot study. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2007; 40(2, Supplement 1):S5-S6. View Abstract
  33. Can neighborhoods explain racial/ethnic differences in adolescent inactivity? Int J Pediatr Obes. 2007; 2(4):202-10. View Abstract
  34. Is Television Healthy? The Medical Perspective. Children and Television: 50 Years of Research. 2007. View Abstract
  35. Pulling the Plug on Entertainment Industry Ratings: In Reply. Pediatrics 2007;119(6):1261. Pediatrics. 2007. View Abstract
  36. Is TV healthy? The medical perspective. Children and television: 50 years of research. Pecora N, Murray J, Wartella E (eds.). 2006; in press(in press). View Abstract
  37. Media and child health: pediatric care and anticipatory guidance for the information age. Pediatr Rev. 2006 Aug; 27(8):289-98. View Abstract
  38. Effects of creating visual illness narratives on quality of life with asthma: a pilot intervention study. J Adolesc Health. 2006 Jun; 38(6):748-52. View Abstract
  39. Effects of creating visual illness narratives on quality of life with asthma: a pilot intervention study. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006; 38(6):748-752. View Abstract
  40. Is television viewing associated with social isolation? Roles of exposure time, viewing context, and violent content. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006 Apr; 160(4):387-92. View Abstract
  41. Policies of Health Organizations and their Effects. Calvert SL, Wilson BJ, editors. Blackwell Handbook of Children, Media and Development. 2006; in press. View Abstract
  42. Isolation of health services research from practice and policy: the example of chronic heart failure management. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006 Mar; 54(3):535-40. View Abstract
  43. Pediatricians leading the way: integrating a career and a family/personal life over the life cycle. Pediatrics. 2006 Feb; 117(2):519-22. View Abstract
  44. Media and Child Health: Anticipatory Guidance for the Information Age. Pediatrics in Review. 2006; 27(8):289-297. View Abstract
  45. Brain imaging- An introduction to a new approach to studying media processes and effects. Media Psychology. 2006; 8:1-6. View Abstract
  46. Media and child health: Pediatric care and anticipatory guidance for the information age. Pediatrics in Review 2006;27(8:289-297. 2006. View Abstract
  47. Media and child health: peril or promise. Pediatrics in Review. 2005; in press. View Abstract
  48. Researching human experience: Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment (VIA). Australasian Journal of Information Systems. 2005; 12(2):103-111. View Abstract
  49. Visual narratives of the pediatric illness experience: children communicating with clinicians through video. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2005 Jul; 14(3):571-87, x-xi. View Abstract
  50. Sex screen: the dilemma of media exposure and sexual behavior. Pediatrics. 2005 Jul; 116(1):329-31. View Abstract
  51. Video killed the radio star: the effects of music videos on adolescent health. Adolesc Med Clin. 2005 Jun; 16(2):371-93, ix. View Abstract
  52. Overweight status of adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome: body mass index as mediator of quality of life. Ambul Pediatr. 2005 Mar-Apr; 5(2):107-11. View Abstract
  53. Assessing adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus: a multiple perspective pilot study using visual illness narratives and interviews. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005; 36(71):e9. View Abstract
  54. Center on Media and Child Health: Building an e-resource for researchers and the public. Paper presented at the Special Libraries Association Annual Meeting, June 6-8, Toronto, Ontario. 2005. View Abstract
  55. Achieving independence: The role of parental involvement with adolescents with spina bifida. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005. View Abstract
  56. Achieving independece" The role of parental involement with adolescents with spina bifida. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005. View Abstract
  57. Achieving independence: The role of parental involvement with adolescents with spina bifida. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005; 36(2):129. View Abstract
  58. Visual narratives of the pediatric illness experience: children communication with clinicians through video. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics of North America. 2005; 14:571-587. View Abstract
  59. The effects of electronic media on children ages 0-6: a review of research and funding. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation. 2005. View Abstract
  60. Understanding pediatric inner-city asthma: an explanatory model approach. Journal of Asthma. 2004; 41(2):167-77. View Abstract
  61. Applying visual research: patients teaching physicians about asthma through visual illness narratives. Visual Anthropology Review. 2004; 20(1):17-30. View Abstract
  62. Understanding pediatric inner-city asthma: an explanatory model approach. J Asthma. 2004 Apr; 41(2):167-77. View Abstract
  63. Health literacy via media literacy. American Behavioral Scientist. 2004; 48(2):165-88. View Abstract
  64. Show is tell. Considering counter-narratives: narrating, resisting, making sense. Bamberg M, Andrews M(eds.). 2004; 151-158. View Abstract
  65. Factors affecting change among obese adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2004; 34:112. View Abstract
  66. Heart failure in the elderly. Congest Heart Fail. 2003 Nov-Dec; 9(6):311-21; discussion 309-10; quiz 322-3. View Abstract
  67. Boy, mediated: effects of entertainment media on adolescent male health. Adolesc Med. 2003 Oct; 14(3):691-715, viii. View Abstract
  68. Boy, mediated: effects of media on adolescent male health. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. Rosen DS, Rich M (eds.). 2003; 14(3):691-715. View Abstract
  69. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. The Adolescent Male. 2003; 14(3). View Abstract
  70. Treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis during pregnancy: a report of 7 cases. Clin Infect Dis. 2003 Apr 15; 36(8):996-1003. View Abstract
  71. Fertility concerns and sexual behavior in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome: implications for quality of life. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2003 Feb; 16(1):33-7. View Abstract
  72. Show is tell. Narrative Inquiry. 2003; 12(2):405-12. View Abstract
  73. Visual illness narratives of asthma: explanatory models and health-related behavior. Am J Health Behav. 2002 Nov-Dec; 26(6):442-53. View Abstract
  74. Quality of life in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002 Jun; 156(6):556-60. View Abstract
  75. The prognostic importance of different definitions of worsening renal function in congestive heart failure. J Card Fail. 2002 Jun; 8(3):136-41. View Abstract
  76. Measuring quality of life in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and their families: development and evaluation of a new tool. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2002 Apr; 156(4):384-91. View Abstract
  77. Narrative research with audiovisual data: Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment (VIA) and NVivo. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2002; 5(3):245-61. View Abstract
  78. Obesity in the lives of children and adolescents: inquiry through patient-created visual narratives. Pediatric Research. 2002; 49(4):7A . View Abstract
  79. A consensus statement on Health Care Transitions for Young Adults with special health care needs: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Pediatrics. 2002; 110(6):1304-306. View Abstract
  80. Media violence. Pediatrics. 2001; 108(5):1222-226. View Abstract
  81. Children, adolescents, and television. Pediatrics. 2001; 107(2):423-26. View Abstract
  82. Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Teens: Facts for Teens and their Parents; Raising Children to Resist Violence. American Academy of Pediatrics Patient/Parent Education Brochures. 2001. View Abstract
  83. Sexuality, contraception, and the media. Pediatrics. 2001; 107(1):191-94. View Abstract
  84. Consumerism: its impact on the health of adolescents. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. 2001; 12(3):389-409. View Abstract
  85. Child health in the information age: media education of pediatricians. Pediatrics. 2001 Jan; 107(1):156-62. View Abstract
  86. Video intervention/prevention assessment: a patient-centered methodology for understanding the adolescent illness experience. J Adolesc Health. 2000 Sep; 27(3):155-65. View Abstract
  87. Illness as a social construct: understanding what asthma means to the patient to better treat the disease. Jt Comm J Qual Improv. 2000 May; 26(5):244-53. View Abstract
  88. Setting research directions for media literacy and health education. (conference report) Center for Media Studies, Rutgers University. 2000. View Abstract
  89. Asthma in life context: Video Intervention/Prevention Assessment (VIA) Pediatrics. 2000 Mar; 105(3 Pt 1):469-77. View Abstract
  90. RELIEVE THE SQUEEZE!. 2000. View Abstract
  91. It's your shot! Immunization by basketball. Ann Epidemiol. 1999 Oct; 9(7):394-6. View Abstract
  92. The reason and rhyme of qualitative research: why, when , how to use qualitative methods in the study of adolescent health. Journal of Adolescent Health. 1999; 25(6):371-78. View Abstract
  93. Media education. Pediatrics. 1999; 104(2):341-43. View Abstract
  94. Television and the Family; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Rating Your Child's Entertainment. American Academy of Pediatrics Patient/Parent Education Brochures. 1999. View Abstract
  95. Showing and telling asthma: children teaching physicians with visual narrative. Visual Sociology. 1999; 14:51-71. View Abstract
  96. High quality, cost-effective care for adolescents with pelvic inflammatory disease. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 1998 Nov; 11(4):193-4. View Abstract
  97. Aggressors or victims: gender and race in music video violence. Pediatrics. 1998 Apr; 101(4 Pt 1):669-74. View Abstract
  98. Sleep problems in children; Home safety checklist; Understanding the impact of media on children and teens. American Academy of Pediatrics Patient/Parent Education Brochures. 1998. View Abstract
  99. Tobacco and alcohol use behaviors portrayed in music videos: a content analysis. Am J Public Health. 1997 Jul; 87(7):1131-5. View Abstract
  100. Violence and weapon carrying in music videos. A content analysis. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997 May; 151(5):443-8. View Abstract
  101. Managing asthma with the adolescent. Curr Opin Pediatr. 1996 Aug; 8(4):301-9. View Abstract
  102. OPEN UP: A comprehensive education approach to asthma management in adolescents. 1995. View Abstract
  103. Glazier S (ed). Random House Word Menu. 1992. View Abstract

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