Nancy
Kressin, Principal Investigator
Dr.
Kressin is Director of the Health Disparities Unit in the Boston University School of Medicine. She is also an Associate Professor of Health Services and has been on
the School of Public Health faculty since 1995. She has been a Research
Health Psychologist at the VA since 1992. Dr. Kressin holds an undergraduate
degree in Public Health Administration and a Ph.D. in Social and Political
Psychology. She uses psychological principles to help patients and health
care providers to better understand one another, and to change behaviors
related to the provision and use of health care and self-care.
Her
research includes projects concerned with developing a better understanding
of the reasons for racial differences in the provision of cardiac procedures
through an examination of patients' beliefs and attitudes about their
cardiac care, intervention studies designed to improve patient outcomes
through the improvement of doctor-patient communication and patients'
adherence to prescribed medication regimens, individuals' perceptions
of the impact of physical and dental conditions on functioning and well
being (quality of life), and psychosocial factors (e.g., personality
traits) associated with health behaviors and perceptions of health.
