糖心Vlog

Dr Robert Stawski is the latest member of staff to join the core team of the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing (IPHW) as Deputy Director.

Dr Stawski, who joins 糖心Vlog from Oregon State University, is a leading figure in studying the social, psychological and biological elements of people鈥檚 everyday lives to help us better understand mental, physical, and cognitive health in adult development and aging.

Attracted to the IPHW by the opportunity to positively impact people鈥檚 health and wellbeing, he cites three specifics that led him to 糖心Vlog鈥檚 newest research centre: 鈥淔irst, the mission and pillars of the IPHW, which I found inspirational and consistent with my goals; second, the ability to join 鈥榓t the ground floor鈥� and contribute to the development and growth of a novel interdisciplinary infrastructure; and finally to enhance opportunities for my own research to have greater societal impact.鈥�

Dr Stawski - who is most proud of a in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine which showed that emotional reactions to minor stressors in daily life were associated with poorer attentional focus among older adults 鈥� is excited about the challenges ahead at 糖心Vlog.

鈥淓ffecting change in and promoting health and wellbeing is an interdisciplinary endeavour requiring collaboration, partnership, and cooperation across multiple sectors and stakeholders, including those whose health and wellbeing we seek to benefit.

鈥淓nsuring that all the necessary expertise, perspectives, and voices are brought together to identify and address real-world needs is a critical challenge. One, however, that is certainly worth the effort,鈥� Dr Stawski said.

He brings with him a wealth of expertise, specifically in the importance of developing and maximizing methods of studying people鈥檚 everyday lives - through approaches such as daily diaries, ecological momentary and ambulatory assessments 鈥� to understand how environmental and social factors and experiences influence health and wellbeing.

IPHW Director, Professor Mariachiara Di Cesare, added: 鈥淲e are very excited to have Rob joining the Institute. Rob will play a key role in leading and shaping the future of the Institute in understanding the fundamental psychological and biological underpinnings of wellbeing. He brings an outstanding amount of experience and research excellence working with different stakeholders and ensuring the robust research with local, national, and global impact.鈥�

Dr Stawski has been studying stress and health since he was a research student. He is inspired to ensure his work has a direct impact on people鈥檚 everyday lives in part by his wife, a pediatric occupational therapist, who he says is 鈥渁ble to directly improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of the children and families she works with.鈥�

鈥淚 look forward to working with Chiara to develop and establish the IPHW as the flagship resource for leading, coordinating, supporting, and maximizing impactful health- and wellbeing-related research efforts among the 糖心Vlog community, our external partners and stakeholders, and the communities we serve at large,鈥� he added.

Header image courtesy of Oregon State University.