Alden Lai

Assistant Professor of Public Health Policy and Management

Professional overview

Alden Lai studies the quality of jobs and work environments (i.e., “work design”) of workers to achieve better employee outcomes and organizational performance in health care. He uses qualitative and mixed methods to examine workplace behaviors that have important implications for employees, patients, and organizations, such as proactive behavior among frontline workers. With an aim of enhancing worker wellbeing, his research has been published in both management and health care journals, including Academy of Management Discoveries, Health Care Management Review, Medical Care Research and Review, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and The Milbank Quarterly. He is an editorial board member for Health Care Management Review and Medical Care Research and Review, and has served as a national and international expert for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on workforce issues. He is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Management and Organizations at NYU Stern.

Dr. Lai has received international recognition for his research, teaching, and contributions to his field. They include an Early Career Achievement Award, Outstanding Early Career Educator Award, and Outstanding Paper based on a Dissertation Award from the Academy of Management’s Health Care Management Division, and a Teaching Excellence Award from GPH. 

At GPH, he teaches courses on management, leadership, and strategy in public health.

Dr. Lai has advised federal and state governments, health systems, international and non-profit organizations, corporations, and philanthropies internationally. His professional experiences include being a management consultant and social enterprise strategist. He is 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

Communicative and critical health literacy, and self-management behaviors in end-stage renal disease patients with diabetes on hemodialysis

Lai, A., Ishikawa, H., Kiuchi, T., Mooppil, N., & Griva, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2013

Journal title

Patient Education and Counseling

Volume

91

Issue

2

Page(s)

221-227

10.1016/j.pec.2012.12.018

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: Health Literacy (HL) has been linked to disease self-management and various health outcomes, and can be separated into components of functional, communicative and critical skills. The high comorbidity between diabetes and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) poses concerns for compromised disease self-management. This study aimed to identify the relationships between HL and self-management behaviors in end-stage renal disease patients with diabetes. Methods: Self-report questionnaires measuring HL and self-management with the Functional, Communicative and Critical HL scale and Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, respectively, were implemented with a sample of 63 patients. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained from medical records. Results: Self-management in diabetes was associated with communicative and critical HL, but not functional HL. Educational attainment was associated only with functional HL. No relationship between HL and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was identified. Conclusion: Communicative and critical HL skills are associated with self-management in ESRD patients with diabetes. Education levels are not related to self-management. Practice implications: Healthcare professionals and health information aiming to improve self-management in ESRD patients with diabetes should consider their capacities of communicative and critical HL instead of solely assessing functional HL.

Perspectives of patients, families, and health care professionals on decision-making about dialysis modality-the good, the bad, and the misunderstandings!

Griva, K., Li, Z. H., Lai, A., Choong, M. C., & Foo, M. W. (n.d.).

Publication year

2013

Journal title

Peritoneal Dialysis International

Volume

33

Issue

3

Page(s)

280-289

10.3747/pdi.2011.00308

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives: This study explored the factors influencing decision-making about dialysis modality, integrating the perspectives of patients, their families, and health care professionals within an Asian population. The study further sought to understand the low penetration rate of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in Singapore. Methods: A sample of 59 participants comprising pre-dialysis patients, dialysis patients, caregivers, and health care professionals (HCPs) participated in semi-structured interviews to explore the decision-making process and their views about various dialysis modalities. Data were thematically analyzed using NVivo9 (QSR International, Doncaster, Australia) to explore barriers to and facilitators of various dialysis modalities and decisional support needs. Results: Fear of infection, daily commitment to PD, and misperceptions of PD emerged as barriers to PD. Side effects, distance to dialysis centers, and fear of needling and pain were barriers to hemodialysis (HD). The experiences of other patients, communicated informally or opportunistically, influenced the preferences and choices of patients and family members for a dialysis modality. Patients and families value input from HCPs and yet express strong needs to discuss subjective experiences of life on dialysis (PD or HD) with other patients before making a decision about dialysis modality. Conclusions: Pre-dialysis education should expand its focus on the family as the unit of care and should provide opportunities for interaction with dialysis patients and for peer-led learning. Barriers to PD, especially misperceptions and misunderstandings, can be targeted to improve PD uptake.

Starting on haemodialysis : A qualitative study to explore the experience and needs of incident patients

Lai, A., Loh, A. P., Mooppil, N., Krishnan, D. S., & Griva, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2012

Journal title

Psychology, Health and Medicine

Volume

17

Issue

6

Page(s)

674-684

10.1080/13548506.2012.658819

Abstract

Abstract

Dialysis can be very stressful with the initial months onto treatment being highly critical in terms of both adaptation and mortality. This qualitative study aimed to explore the lived experiences of incident haemodialysis patients in Singapore. Topics related to the end-stage renal disease diagnosis and haemodialysis treatment were raised with 13 incident haemodialysis patients in the form of semi-structured interviews, and interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken as the framework for data analysis. Emotional distress, treatment-related concerns and social support emerged as main issues following a critical review of themes. Our study revealed that incident haemodialysis patients have emotional and informational needs, highlighting the importance of intervention programmes in particular to this patient group to promote better psychosocial adjustment to the disease and its treatment.

A Global Understanding of Work Enjoyment and Individual Wellbeing

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Abstract

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Bridging Barriers, Integrating Insights: The Gotham Approach to CTSA Collaborative Evaluation

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Journal title

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science

Abstract

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Determinants of implementation and sustainability of transitional opioid programs within rural and urban safety net hospitals

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Journal title

Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy

Abstract

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Implementation strategies to enhance hospitals’ adoption of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for opioid use disorder

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Journal title

Journal of General Internal Medicine

Abstract

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Modes of adjustment: There's more than one way to organize for resilience

Hilligoss, B., Larson, J. D., Lai, A., DePuccio, M., & Wong, E. M. (n.d.).

Journal title

Administrative Science Quarterly

Abstract

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Positive Reframing: How physicians adapt functionally during stressful work situations

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Journal title

Journal of General Internal Medicine

Abstract

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The Complex Dynamics of Experiential and External Peace: New Global Insights from the Gallup World Poll

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Journal title

Journal of Happiness Studies

Abstract

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The Complex Dynamics of Experiential and External Peace: New Global Insights from the Gallup World Poll

Lai, A. (n.d.).

Abstract

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The Complex Kaleidoscope of Global Flourishing: An assessment of 144 Countries on 38 Wellbeing Indicators in the Gallup World Poll

Lai, A. (n.d.).

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Workplace subjective wellbeing in essential workers during a public health crisis

Lai, A. (n.d.).

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