Alden Lai

Assistant Professor of Public Health Policy and Management

Professional overview

I study how workers exercise agency over their work lives across a range of occupational groups, from structurally disadvantaged workers to those in complex, knowledge-intensive roles. I approach this as a public health problem: the quality of jobs and work environment are important but underutilized levers for advancing people’s psychosocial health and wellbeing. My research has been published in health care and management journals, including Academy of Management Discoveries, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. I am an editorial board member for Health Care Management Review and Medical Care Research and Review, and have served as an expert for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Gallup on worker wellbeing issues. I am an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Management and Organizations at NYU Stern.

At GPH, I teach courses on management, leadership, and strategy in public health.

I have worked with governments, health systems, international and non-profit organizations, corporations, and philanthropies internationally. I am currently a board member for the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation, whose mission is to foster a more globally inclusive understanding of wellbeing for research, practice, and policy.

Education

BA, Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore

MPH, Social & Behavioral Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan

PhD, Health Policy & Management (Organizational Behavior), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Honors and awards

Outstanding Early Career Educator Award, Health Care Management Division, Academy of Management (2025)

Early Career Teaching Excellence Award, NYU GPH (2025)

Early Career Achievement Award, Health Care Management Division, Academy of Management (2024)

“40 Under 40 in Public Health” Award, Boston Congress of Public Health (2023)

Denny Gioia Award for Best Qualitative Paper, Managerial and Organizational Cognition Division, Academy of Management (2023)

“Best Paper” (top 10%), Managerial and Organizational Cognition Division, Academy of Management (2023)

Goddard Faculty Award, NYU GPH (2023)

NYU GPH Leadership Development Award (2021)

19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellowship (2021)

Outstanding Paper based on a Dissertation Award, Division of Health Care Management, Academy of Management (2021)

Show Chwan Scholar in Health Care Management (2018)

Sir Arthur Newsholme Scholar (2015)

The University of Tokyo President Award (2013)

University of Copenhagen-International Alliance of Research Universities Scholar (2012)

Government of Japan Monbukagakusho Scholar (2011)

Sato-Yo International Foundation Scholar (2009)

Areas of research and study

Health Care Management

Health Care Workforce

Knowledge Workers

Primary Care

Proactivity at Work

Qualitative Research

Well-Being at Work

Work Design

Consulting and Community Engagement

1199 Benefit and Pension Funds
Ajinomoto
Ando Foundation
Ashoka
Asian Venture Philanthropy Network
Australian Sports Commission
Carnegie UK Trust
Clinical Directors Network Inc.
Columbia University Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
Diplomatic Courier
Earth Company
G1 Institute Japan
Gallup Inc.
Government of Australia, Treasury
Harvard University Human Flourishing Program
John Templeton Foundation
Katsuiku Foundation
Learned Society of Wales
National Healthcare Group
Nestle
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Equitable Health Systems
New York City Health + Hospitals
New York City Office of Labor Relations
New York City Department of Education, Office of School Health
Nikkei
OECD Center for Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity
Otsuka Pharmaceutical
Oxford University Wellbeing Research Centre
Permanent Delegation of Japan to the OECD
PERSOL Holdings
Physician Affiliate Group of New York
Prime Minister’s Office, Iceland
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Human Flourishing Projects
Templeton World Charity Foundation
The Consumer Goods Forum
The Hastings Center
The HOW Institute for Society
The Leadership and Happiness Laboratory, Harvard Kennedy School
KRC Research and United Minds, The Weber Shandwick Collective
UNICEF Office of Global Insight and Policy
United Nations Human Development Report Office
United Nations Statistics Division
Unson Foundation
WHO Commission on Social Connection
Woodlands Health Campus
World Happiness Council

Publications

Publications

Final Thoughts : A Fulfilling Scholarly Career

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Global Trends of Mean and Inequality in Multidimensional Wellbeing : Analysis of 1.2 Million Individuals From 162 Countries, 2009–2019

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Insights from the first global survey of balance and harmony

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Introduction : A Practical Guide on How to Survive and Thrive as an Early Career Researcher

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Making the most of proactive behaviors in health care: From research to practice

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Organizing for resilience: How to organize in a world of diversity and flux

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Racial/ethnic disparities in the availability of hospital based opioid use disorder treatment

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Setting Up for a Thriving Career : Assessing Your Scholarly Identity and Institutional Environment

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State-level unemployment and negative emotions throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States

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Survival Guide for Early Career Researchers

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The PRIDI (Pragmatic, Rapid, and Iterative Dissemination & Implementation) tool to inform and evaluate implementation fit to shifting landscapes

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Trends in negative emotions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

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Work Engagement and Patient Quality of Care : A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

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Work Hard, Snore Hard : Recovery from Work for Early Career Researchers

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Addressing evolving patient concerns around telehealth in the COVID-19 era

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Community Health Needs Predict Population Health Partnerships Among U.S. Children’s Hospitals

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Innovative collaborations and secondary data research

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Patient perceptions of safety in primary care : a qualitative study to inform care

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Rapid Transition to Telehealth and the Digital Divide : Implications for Primary Care Access and Equity in a Post-COVID Era

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THE INCOMPLETE, OUTDATED, INCORRECT, AND UNKNOWN: MITIGATING THREATS OF KNOWLEDGE ERRORS IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRIMARY CARE

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COVID-19 and primary care physicians: : Adapting to rapid change in clinical roles and settings

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Five ways – beyond current policy – to truly integrate telehealth into primary care practices

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Independent primary care practices are small businesses, too

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Is it fair? How to approach professional scope-of-practice policy after the COVID-19 pandemic

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Patient safety in primary care : Conceptual meanings to the health care team and patients

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