Nao Hagiwara

Nao Hagiwara, Ph.D., is a Professor of Public Health Sciences and Director of the Program on Health Disparities and Community Engagement Research at the University of Virginia (UVA). She joined the Department of Public Health Sciences at UVA in August 2023. The core goal of her research program is to develop theory-driven interventions that optimize the quality of patient-provider communication.

With a training background in basic experimental social psychology, Dr. Hagiwara grounds her applied health research in social psychology theories of social cognition, social perceptions, and impression formation. As Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on numerous NIH-funded projects, Dr. Hagiwara stands at the forefront of research on the role of healthcare providers’ attitudes and beliefs in patient-provider communication. Additionally, Dr. Hagiwara explores the complexities surrounding the management of chronic stress among individuals from a wide range of social groups, investigating the diverse circumstances and resilience strategies that enable them to confront and navigate the social adversities.

To date, her work has appeared in flagship journals, including The Lancet, as well as popular media outlets, such as CNN and New York Times. Dr. Hagiwara is the Incoming President of Social Personality & Health Network (SPHN).