An Indiana University undergraduate, a psychiatric researcher and a digital arts alumnus are working to bring a powerful, virtual-reality-based addiction therapy to a broader audience with support from the university.
Izzy Branam, a junior psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, is the CEO of Relate XR, a startup that combines psychology with VR technology to treat substance use disorders by introducing individuals in recovery to their “future selves.” The technology is based on research developed by Brandon Oberlin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the IU School of Medicine and an assistant professor of psychology at the IU School of Science, both at IU Indianapolis.
The company’s third partner and co-founder is IU alumnus Andrew Nelson, the founder of a virtual reality development company based in Indianapolis. Nelson worked extensively with Oberlin in prototyping the technology and the software development for the project.