The Behavioral Medicine Laboratory was founded in 1977 by Dr. Freedman and has been continuously funded by NIH since 1979. The mission of the laboratory is to study the pathophysiology of thermoregulatory disorders to determine the influence gender upon them, and to develop behavioral and pharmacologic treatments for them. The initial studies were on Raynaud’s disease and have since grown to include the physiology of menopause, the effects of menopause upon sleep, and the pathophysiology of vascular disorders. Techniques employed by the laboratory range from molecular biology, to whole animal studies in primates, to human in vivo studies in all areas.

Dr. Robert R. Freedman's research interests include: Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences.