Alan Christensen , PhD
Visiting Scholar (IPA)
Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch (HCIRB)
Behavioral Research Program (BRP)
Dr. Alan Christensen is on an Interagency Personnel Agreement (IPA) with the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch in the Behavioral Research Program (BRP), Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) working to further develop NCI initiatives in the area of technology and health and patient adherence. Christensen has been at the University of Iowa since receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with an emphasis in health psychology, from the University of Utah in 1993. Currently, he is Professor and Collegiate Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Iowa, Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Iowa, and a Senior Scientist in the Comprehensive Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) Center, at the Iowa City VA.
His program of research involves the study of medical regimen adherence and behavioral self-management among patients with chronic medical problems including cancer, kidney disease, hypertension, and diabetes. A longstanding, underlying feature of his research is a focus on the interactive relations among individuals and the social, environmental, and clinical contexts within which they manage their own health and participate in their own healthcare delivery. His work and conceptual model in this area has demonstrated that the "match" or degree of symmetry between health-related preferences, and attitudes held by patients, and the role that patients are asked to play in regard to their own self-management or treatment delivery, is an important determinant of patient adherence and treatment outcomes. The overarching goal of his research program is to develop a framework and practical methodology for tailoring health care delivery to fit a particular patient's preferences, attitudes, and resources.
Christensen has received numerous awards for his research including the Early Career Award for Contributions to Behavioral Medicine Research from SBM, the Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Health Psychology from Division 38 of the American Psychological Association; and the APA Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology. Much of his research has been funded by the NIH and his work on patient-provider interaction has been funded by the Veteran's Affairs HSR&D program. Throughout his career Christensen has been highly active in professional service. He recently completed a 5-year term as Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, has served on the Board of Directors of The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), and is currently serving as President of SBM.
