consulting
I have had the opportunity to consult with several industry partners, non-profits, and government organizations. Partners that I have worked with include: AARP, United Nations, OECD, Aspen Ideas Festival, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Facebook, The Task Force for Global Health, World Government Summit, National Academy of Sciences, Boston Consulting Group, Mercer, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, and others.
Although I spend much of my time doing research, I also deeply enjoy working on applied projects because it helps bridge what is known as the “translational valley of death”—the large chasm between research evidence and real-world practice. One startling statistic that illustrates this problem is the fact that is takes an average of 17 years for research evidence to translate into real-world practice—if ever at all. Hence, I find it rewarding to help bridge this gap. I also learn a tremendous amount of unique insights from working with non-academic partners and the partners that I work with often express the same sentiment.
PREVIOUS CONSULTANT RESPONSIBILITIES
Content Knowledge
Advise on research literature around: psychological well-being (e.g., purpose in life, life satisfaction, optimism, resilience, “happiness”) health psychology, clinical psychology, cardiovascular health, social determinants of health, and preventive health care use.
Help answer targeted questions by navigating the scientific literature and finding/piecing together relevant information.
Create literature reviews that synthesize insights from various fields in the social and behavioral sciences that provide insights and potential next steps into specific problems.
Intervention Development
Review interventions that are being created throughout intervention development cycles to ensure they are adhering to best practices.
Participate in meetings (e.g., emails, phone calls, Zoom/Skype/Google Hangout meetings, in-person meetings) to aid in intervention development cycles.
Study Design
Advise on design of analytic plans.
Advise on statistical analysis questions.
Advise on identifying the best relevant psychological and health behavior assessment instruments.
Advise with interpretation of results from studies.
Outreach
Present research on a given area in engaging ways to executive teams
Help identify and connect organizations with subject matter specialists who can answer pointed questions, or provided substantive help with current projects.
Volunteering
I also dedicate a portion of my time every week to nonprofits by volunteering my time with them. Please feel free to contact me if you think I could help with your cause in any of the ways listed above.