Alden Lai
Alden Lai
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Assistant Professor of Public Health Policy and Management
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Professional overview
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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.
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Education
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BA, Psychology, National University of Singapore, SingaporeMPH, Social & Behavioral Sciences, The University of Tokyo, JapanPhD, Health Policy & Management (Organizational Behavior), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
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Honors and awards
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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)
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Areas of research and study
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Health Care ManagementHealth Care WorkforceKnowledge WorkersPrimary CareProactivity at WorkQualitative ResearchWell-Being at WorkWork Design
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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
A double-edged sword : The effects of social network ties on job satisfaction in primary care organizations
AbstractYuan, C. T., Lai, A., Benishek, L. E., Marsteller, J. A., Mahabare, D., Kharrazi, H., & Dy, S. M. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Health Care Management ReviewVolume
47Issue
3Page(s)
180-187AbstractBACKGROUND: Social ties between health care workers may be an important driver of job satisfaction; however, research on this topic is limited.PURPOSE: We used social network methods to collect data describing two types of social ties, (a) instrumental ties (i.e., exchange of advice that enables work) and (b) expressive ties (i.e., exchange of social support), and related those ties to workers' job satisfaction.METHODOLOGY: We surveyed 456 clinicians and staff at 23 primary care practices about their social networks and workplace attitudes. We used multivariable linear regression to estimate the relationship between an individual's job satisfaction and two network properties: (a) eigenvector centrality (a measure of the importance of an individual in a network) and (b) ego network density (a measure of the cohesiveness of an individual's network). We examined this relationship for both instrumental and expressive ties.RESULTS: Individuals who were more central in the expressive network were less satisfied in their job, b = -0.40 (0.19), p < .05, whereas individuals who had denser instrumental networks were more satisfied in their job, b = 0.49 (0.21), p < .05.CONCLUSION: Workplace relationships affect worker well-being. Centrality in an expressive network may require greater emotional labor, increasing workers' risk for job dissatisfaction. On the other hand, a dense instrumental network may promote job satisfaction by strengthening workers' access to full information, supporting competence and confidence.PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Efforts to increase job satisfaction should consider both the positive and negative effects of social networks on workers' sense of well-being.A Global Understanding of Work Enjoyment and Individual Wellbeing
AbstractLai, A. (n.d.).Abstract~A multidimensional assessment of global flourishing : Differential rankings of 145 Countries on 38 wellbeing indicators in the Gallup World Poll, with an accompanying principal components analyses of the structure of flourishing
AbstractLomas, T., Padgett, R. N., Lai, A., Pawelski, J. O., & VanderWeele, T. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Journal of Positive PsychologyAbstractFor over ten years the World Happiness Report has influentially ranked nations on self-reported life evaluation as measured by the Gallup World Poll. Inspired by this endeavour, this paper aims to broaden our understanding of global flourishing by assessing an expansive battery of 38 items relating to wellbeing in the World Poll, encompassing 386,654 people in 145 countries over three years (2020–2022). The variation in the respective placing of countries across different items reveals a complex picture of flourishing, with many nations ranking highly on certain metrics but faring poorly on others. Additionally, principal components analyses of the items produced a conceptualization of flourishing featuring numerous dimensions (with both a three- and six-factor solution being viable). Together, these findings paint a nuanced picture of both the multifaceted nature of flourishing and its complex manifestations around the world.A multidimensional assessment of global flourishing : Differential rankings of 145 Countries on 38 wellbeing indicators in the Gallup World Poll, with an accompanying principal components analyses of the structure of flourishing
AbstractLomas, T., Padgett, R. N., Lai, A., Pawelski, J. O., & VanderWeele, T. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Journal of Positive PsychologyVolume
20Issue
3Page(s)
397-421AbstractFor over ten years the World Happiness Report has influentially ranked nations on self-reported life evaluation as measured by the Gallup World Poll. Inspired by this endeavour, this paper aims to broaden our understanding of global flourishing by assessing an expansive battery of 38 items relating to wellbeing in the World Poll, encompassing 386,654 people in 145 countries over three years (2020–2022). The variation in the respective placing of countries across different items reveals a complex picture of flourishing, with many nations ranking highly on certain metrics but faring poorly on others. Additionally, principal components analyses of the items produced a conceptualization of flourishing featuring numerous dimensions (with both a three- and six-factor solution being viable). Together, these findings paint a nuanced picture of both the multifaceted nature of flourishing and its complex manifestations around the world.Addressing evolving patient concerns around telehealth in the COVID-19 era
AbstractRaj, M., DePuccio, M. J., Stephenson, A. L., Sullivan, E., Lai, A., Fleuren, B., Sriharan, A., McAlearney, A. S., & Thomas, S. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
American Journal of Managed CareVolume
27Issue
1Page(s)
E1-E3AbstractWith a rapid shift to telehealth during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, clinicians, health care organizations, and policy makers must consider and address patients' evolving needs, concerns, and expectations.Association of Implementation and Social Network Factors With Patient Safety Culture in Medical Homes : A Coincidence Analysis
AbstractDy, S. M., Acton, R. M., Yuan, C. T., Hsu, Y. J., Lai, A., Marsteller, J., Ye, F. C., McGee, N., Kharrazi, H., Mahabare, D., Kim, J., Gurses, A. P., Bittle, M., & Scholle, S. H. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Journal of Patient SafetyVolume
18Issue
1Page(s)
E249-E256AbstractObjectives: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) may provide a key model for ambulatory patient safety. Our objective was to explore which PCMH and patient safety implementation and social network factors may be necessary or sufficient for higher patient safety culture. Methods: This was a cross-case analysis study in 25 diverse U.S. PCMHs. Data sources included interviews of a clinician and an administrator in each PCMH, surveys of clinicians and staff, and existing data on the PCMHs' characteristics. We used coincidence analysis, a novel method based on set theory and Boolean logic, to evaluate relationships between factors and the implementation outcome of patient safety culture. Results: The coincidence analysis identified 5 equally parsimonious solutions (4 factors), accounting for all practices with higher safety culture. Three solutions contained the same core minimally sufficient condition: the implementation factor leadership priority for patient safety and the social network factor reciprocity in advice-seeking network ties (advice-seeking relationships). This minimally sufficient condition had the highest coverage (5/7 practices scoring higher on the outcome) and best performance across solutions; all included leadership priority for patient safety. Other key factors included self-efficacy and job satisfaction and quality improvement climate. The most common factor whose absence was associated with the outcome was a well-functioning process for behavioral health. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that PCMH safety culture is higher when clinicians and staff perceive that leadership prioritizes patient safety and when high reciprocity among staff exists. Interventions to improve patient safety should consider measuring and addressing these key factors.Balance and harmony in the Gallup World Poll : The development of the Global Wellbeing Initiative module
AbstractLomas, T., Ishikawa, Y., Diego-Rosell, P., Daly, J., English, C., Harter, J., Standridge, P., Clouet, B., Diener, E., & Lai, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
International Journal of WellbeingVolume
12Issue
4Page(s)
1-19AbstractOver recent decades, scholarship on wellbeing has flourished. However, this has been critiqued as Western-centric, firstly in terms of the location of research participants and scholars, and moreover in terms of the very ideas and values through which wellbeing is understood. In response to such issues, the Global Wellbeing Initiative – a partnership between Gallup and the Wellbeing for Planet Earth foundation – was created to look at wellbeing from a more global perspective. The centrepiece of this initiative is a survey module in the Gallup World Poll. This paper charts the evolution of this module to date, from its initial incarnation in the 2020 poll (featuring items on various aspects of wellbeing) to a finalized 2022 iteration (which focuses specifically on balance and harmony). With the 2022 version now intended to stay consistent longitudinally, this paper establishes a valuable baseline for this important project which will contribute to a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of wellbeing.Balance and harmony in the Gallup World Poll: The development of the Global Wellbeing Initiative module
AbstractLomas, T., Ishikawa, Y., Diego-Rosell, P., Daly, J., English, C., Harter, J., Standridge, P., Diener, E., Clouet, B., & Lai, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
International Journal of WellbeingVolume
12Issue
4Page(s)
1-19Abstract~Barriers and Facilitators to Establishing Partnerships for Substance Use Disorder Care Transitions Between Safety-Net Hospitals and Community-Based Organizations
AbstractLindenfeld, Z., Franz, B., Lai, A., Pagan, J., Fenstemaker, C., Cronin, C. E., & Chang, J. E. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Journal of general internal medicineVolume
39Issue
12Page(s)
2150-2159AbstractBackground: The effectiveness of hospital-based transitional opioid programs (TOPs), which aim to connect patients with substance use disorders (SUD) to ongoing treatment in the community following initiation of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment in the hospital, hinges on successful patient transitions. These transitions are enabled by strong partnerships between hospitals and community-based organizations (CBOs). However, no prior study has specifically examined barriers and facilitators to establishing SUD care transition partnerships between hospitals and CBOs. Objective: To identify barriers and facilitators to developing partnerships between hospitals and CBOs to facilitate care transitions for patients with SUDs. Design: Qualitative study using semi structured interviews conducted between November 2022-August 2023. Participants: Staff and providers from hospitals affiliated with four safety-net health systems (n=21), and leaders and staff from the CBOs with which they had established partnerships (n=5). Approach: Interview questions focused on barriers and facilitators to implementing TOPs, developing partnerships with CBOs, and successfully transitioning SUD patients from hospital settings to CBOs. Key Results: We identified four key barriers to establishing transition partnerships: policy and philosophical differences between organizations, ineffective communication, limited trust, and a lack of connectivity between data systems. We also identified three facilitators to partnership development: strategies focused on building partnership quality, strategic staffing, and organizing partnership processes. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that while multiple barriers to developing hospital-CBO partnerships exist, stakeholders can adopt implementation strategies that mitigate these challenges such as using mediators, cross-hiring, and focusing on mutually beneficial services, even within resource-limited safety-net settings. Policymakers and health system leaders who wish to optimize TOPs in their facilities should focus on adopting implementation strategies to support transition partnerships such as inadequate data collection and sharing systems.Being "low on the totem pole" : What makes work worthwhile for medical assistants in an era of primary care transformation
AbstractLai, A., Fleuren, B. P., Larkin, J., Gruenewald-Schmitz, L., & Yuan, C. T. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Health Care Management ReviewVolume
47Issue
4Page(s)
340-349AbstractBACKGROUND: Primary care is undergoing a transformation to become increasingly team-based and multidisciplinary. The medical assistant (MA) is considered a core occupation in the primary care workforce, yet existing studies suggest problematic rates and costs of MA turnover.PURPOSE: We investigated what MAs perceive their occupation to be like and what they value in it to understand how to promote sustainable employability, a concept that is concerned with an employee's ability to function and remain in their job in the long term.APPROACH: We used a case of a large, integrated health system in the United States that practices team-based care and has an MA career development program. We conducted semistructured interviews with 16 MAs in this system and performed an inductive analysis of themes.RESULTS: Our analysis revealed four themes on what MAs value at work: (a) using clinical competence, (b) being a multiskilled resource for clinic operations, (c) building meaningful relationships with patients and coworkers, and (d) being recognized for occupational contributions. MAs perceived scope-of-practice regulations as limiting their use of clinical competence. They also perceived task similarity with nurses in the primary care setting and expressed a relative lack of performance recognition.CONCLUSION: Some of the practice changes that enable primary care transformation may hinder MAs' ability to attain their work values. Extant views on sustainable employability assume a high bar for intrinsic values but are limited when applied to low-wage health care workers in team-based environments.PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Efforts to effectively employ and retain MAs should consider proactive communications on scope-of-practice regulations, work redesign to emphasize clinical competence, and the establishment of greater recognition and respect among MAs and nurses.Bridging Barriers, Integrating Insights: The Gotham Approach to CTSA Collaborative Evaluation
AbstractLai, A. (n.d.).Journal title
Journal of Clinical and Translational ScienceAbstract~Building student competencies to address healthcare’s grand challenges: Lessons from an international collaboration
AbstractSullivan, E. E., DePuccio, M. J., Stephenson, A. L., Raj, M., Lai, A., Tietschert, M. V., Fleuren, B. P., Thomas, S. C., & McAlearney, A. S. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Journal of Health Administration EducationVolume
39Issue
4Page(s)
615-630Abstract~Challenges and Strategies for Patient Safety in Primary Care : A Qualitative Study
AbstractYuan, C. T., Lai, A., Dy, S. M., Oberlander, T., Hannum, S. M., Lasser, E. C., Heughan, J.-A., Dukhanin, V., Kharrazi, H., Kim, J. M., Gurses, A. P., Bittle, M., Scholle, S. H., & Marsteller, J. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
American Journal of Medical QualityVolume
37Issue
5Page(s)
379-387AbstractAlthough most health care occurs in the ambulatory setting, limited research examines how providers and patients think about and enact ambulatory patient safety. This multimethod qualitative study seeks to identify perceived challenges and strategies to improve ambulatory safety from the perspectives of clinicians, staff, and patients. Data included interviews (N = 101), focus groups (N = 65), and observations of safety processes (N = 79) collected from 10 patient-centered medical homes. Key safety issues included the lack of interoperability among health information systems, clinician-patient communication failures, and challenges with medication reconciliation. Commonly cited safety strategies leveraged health information systems or involved dedicated resources (eg, providing access to social workers). Patients also identified strategies not mentioned by clinicians, emphasizing the need for their involvement in developing safety solutions. This work provides insight into safety issues of greatest concern to clinicians, staff, and patients and strategies to improve safety in the ambulatory setting.Changes in hospital-supported substance use services across U.S. nonprofit hospitals, 2015-2021
AbstractLai, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Health Affairs ScholarAbstract~Clarifying the concepts of joy and meaning for work in health care
AbstractLai, A., & Fleuren, B. P. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Journal of Hospital Management and Health PolicyVolume
6Abstract~Clinician Trust in Healthcare Organizations Expert Working Group, George Washington University Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, American Board of Internal Medicine, and The Hastings Center (2024)
AbstractLai, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Abstract~Collaborative Processes of Developing A Health Literacy Toolkit : A Case from Fukushima after the Nuclear Accident
AbstractGoto, A., Lai, A., Kumagai, A., Koizumi, S., Yoshida, K., Yamawaki, K., & Rudd, R. E. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Journal of Health CommunicationVolume
23Issue
2Page(s)
200-206AbstractFollowing the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, the central government provided health and radiation-related information that was incomplete, difficult to understand and contradictory, leading to widespread distrust in the community. Thus, from 2013 to 2014, we developed and implemented a series of health literacy training workshops for local public health nurses, often the first health care professionals with whom members of the community interact. The results from our program evaluation revealed that the task of paraphrasing professional terms and skills related to relaying numeric information to the community were difficult for the nurses to acquire. In 2016, to further support the communication efforts of public health nurses, we developed a pocket-size “health literacy toolkit” that contained a glossary explaining radiation-related terms in plain language and an index to measure the accessibility of both text and numerical information, so that nurses could calibrate and appreciate the literacy demand of information. This case study documents an interprofessional collaborative effort for the development of the toolkit, and highlights the iterative process of building health literacy skills in health care professionals.Communicative and critical health literacy, and self-management behaviors in end-stage renal disease patients with diabetes on hemodialysis
AbstractLai, A., Ishikawa, H., Kiuchi, T., Mooppil, N., & Griva, K. (n.d.).Publication year
2013Journal title
Patient Education and CounselingVolume
91Issue
2Page(s)
221-227AbstractObjective: 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.Community Health Needs Predict Population Health Partnerships Among U.S. Children’s Hospitals
AbstractFranz, B., Cronin, C. E., Wainwright, A., Lai, A., & Pagán, J. A. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Medical Care Research and ReviewVolume
78Issue
6Page(s)
771-779AbstractCross-sector collaboration is critical to improving population health, but data on partnership activities by children’s hospitals are limited, and there is a need to identify service delivery gaps for families. The aim of this study is to use public community benefit reports for all children’s hospitals in the United States to assess the extent to which children’s hospitals partner with external organizations to address five key health needs: health care access, chronic disease, social needs, mental health, and substance abuse. Strategies that involved partnering with community organizations were most common in addressing social needs and substance abuse. When adjusted for institutional and community characteristics hospitals in a multilevel regression model, hospitals had higher odds of partnering to address chronic illness and social needs. To encourage hospital engagement with complex social and behavioral health needs and promote health equity, support should be provided to help hospitals establish local population health networks.Complexifying Individualism Versus Collectivism and West Versus East : Exploring Global Diversity in Perspectives on Self and Other in the Gallup World Poll
AbstractLomas, T., Diego-Rosell, P., Shiba, K., Standridge, P., Lee, M. T., Case, B., Lai, A., & VanderWeele, T. J. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Journal of Cross-Cultural PsychologyVolume
54Issue
1Page(s)
61-89AbstractA wealth of research has suggested the West tends toward individualism and the East toward collectivism. We explored this topic on an unprecedented scale through two new items in the 2020 Gallup World Poll, involving 121,207 participants in 116 countries. The first tapped into orientations toward self-care versus other-care (“Do you think people should focus more on taking care of themselves or on taking care of others?”). The second enquired into self-orientation versus other-orientation (“Which of the following is closest to your main purpose in life? Being good at what you do in your daily life, Caring for family and close friends, or Helping other people who need help?”). We anticipated that self-care and self-orientation would index individualism (hence be higher in the West), while other-care and other-orientation would index collectivism (hence be higher in the East). However, contrary to expectation, there was greater self-care in the East (45.82%) than in the West (41.58%). As predicted though, there was greater self-orientation in the West (30.20%) than in the East (23.08.%). Greater self-care in the East invites one of two interpretations. Either these items: (a) index individualism and collectivism as anticipated, so in some ways the East is more individualistic and the West less individualistic than assumed; or (b) do not index individualism and collectivism as anticipated, so the concepts are more complex than often realized (e.g., collectivism may involve prioritizing self-care over other-care). Either way, the findings help complexify these concepts, challenging common cross-cultural generalizations in this area.COVID-19 and primary care physicians: : Adapting to rapid change in clinical roles and settings
AbstractLai, A., Thomas, S. C., Sullivan, E. E., Fleuren, B. P., Raj, M., DePuccio, M. J., Stephenson, A. L., & McAlearney, A. S. (n.d.).Publication year
2020Journal title
Journal of Hospital Management and Health PolicyVolume
4Abstract~Delivering High-Quality Primary Care Requires Work That Is Worthwhile for Medical Assistants
AbstractLai, A., Fleuren, B. P., Yuan, C. T., Sullivan, E. E., & Mark McNeill, S. (n.d.).Publication year
2023Journal title
Journal of the American Board of Family MedicineVolume
36Issue
1Page(s)
193-199AbstractMedical assistants are core members of the primary care team, but health care organizations struggle to hire and retain them amid the ongoing exodus of health care workers as part of the “Great Resignation.” To sustain a stable and engaged workforce of medical assistants, we argue that efforts to hire and retain them should focus on making their work worthwhile. Work that is worthwhile includes adequate pay, benefits, and job security, but additionally enables employees to experience a sense of contribution, growth, social connectedness, and autonomy. We highlight opportunities during team huddles, the rooming of patients, and career development where the work of medical assistants can be made worthwhile. We also connect these components to the work design literature to show how clinic managers and supervising clinicians can promote worthwhile work through decision-making and organizational climate. Going beyond financial compensation, these components target the latent occupational needs of medical assistants and are likely to forge employee-employer relationships that are mutually valued and sustained over time.Determinants of implementation and sustainability of transitional opioid programs within rural and urban safety net hospitals
AbstractLai, A. (n.d.).Journal title
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and PolicyAbstract~Expert consultant to OECD Report "An OECD survey of employee wellbeing: An instrument to measure employee wellbeing inside companies"
AbstractLai, A. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Abstract~Final Thoughts : A Fulfilling Scholarly Career
AbstractAbstractAs Early Career Researchers (ECRs), we face many competing demands in our work that require distinct skillsets to effectively be involved in research, acquiring funding, teaching, mentoring, service, professional development or any of the other numerous demands placed on us. We may encounter imposter syndrome. We may want to work towards better work-life balance. We may find ourselves suddenly thrusted into the limelight to talk about our research with the media. This book is foremost an acknowledgement of the challenges that ECRs face, and we have therefore sought to put together a compendium of hacks that you can use to deal with those challenges. In this chapter, we share main themes that have emerged throughout this book: self-discovery, building your support team, having a career strategy and having an impact. These key issues were highlighted by our contributing authors as some of the key drivers to their career success.