Alden Lai

Assistant Professor of Public Health Policy and Management

Professional overview

Alden Lai studies how the jobs and work environments of health care workers can be improved to increase employee outcomes (e.g., wellbeing, retention) as well as organizational performance (e.g., program implementation, patient safety). He uses theories and frameworks from psychology, organization science, and health services research in his work. Dr. Lai's research has appeared in both management and health care journals, including Academy of Management Discoveries, Health Care Management Review, Medical Care Research and Review, and The Milbank Quarterly. He has an affiliated faculty appointment in the Department of Management and Organizations at NYU Stern.

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, social enterprise strategist, and education researcher. He currently serves as Executive Advisor to the Global Wellbeing Initiative, a collaboration between the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation and Gallup Inc. to foster a more globally inclusive understanding of wellbeing for research, practice, and policy. Dr. Lai also serves as Chair of the Health Care Research Stream for the Industry Studies Association. He is Co-Editor of an upcoming book by Springer on professional development for early career researchers. Previously, he served as Chair of the European Health Psychology Society’s early career researcher division, and was an executive committee member in the Academy of Management's Division of Health Care Management.

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

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 Workforce

Managerial Cognition

Patient Safety

Population Health

Primary Care

Proactivity at Work

Qualitative and Mixed Methods

Qualitative Research

Well-Being at Work

Consulting and Community Engagement

Asian Venture Philanthropy Network
Carnegie UK Trust
Clinical Directors Network Inc.
Earth Company
G1 Institute Japan
Gallup Inc.
Harvard University Human Flourishing Program
John Templeton Foundation
Unson Foundation
National Healthcare Group
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
New York City Health + Hospitals
New York City Office of Labor Relations
Nikkei Inc.
OECD Statistics and Data Directorate
OECD Center for Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity
Otsuka Pharmaceutical
Oxford University Wellbeing Research Centre
PERSOL Holdings
Physician Affiliate Group of New York
Templeton World Charity Foundation
The Consumer Goods Forum
Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation
Woodlands Health Campus
World Happiness Council

Publications

Publications

Managing Surges in Demand: A Grounded Conceptual Framework of Surge Management Capability

Complexifying Individualism Versus Collectivism and West Versus East: Exploring Global Diversity in Perspectives on Self and Other in the Gallup World Poll

Delivering High-Quality Primary Care Requires Work That Is Worthwhile for Medical Assistants

Starting from scratch: New work design to enact entrance screening during the COVID-19 pandemic

The world prefers a calm life, but not everyone gets to have one: global trends in valuing and experiencing calmness in the Gallup World Poll

A double-edged sword: The effects of social network ties on job satisfaction in primary care organizations

Association of Implementation and Social Network Factors With Patient Safety Culture in Medical Homes: A Coincidence Analysis

Dy, S. M., Acton, R. M., Yuan, C. T., Hsu, Y. J., Lai, A. Y., 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

2022

Journal title

Journal of Patient Safety

Volume

18

Issue

1

Page(s)

E249-E256

10.1097/PTS.0000000000000752

Abstract

Abstract

Objectives: 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

Being “low on the totem pole”: What makes work worthwhile for medical assistants in an era of primary care transformation

Challenges and Strategies for Patient Safety in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study

Final Thoughts

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

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

Chang, J. E., Franz, B., Cronin, C. E., Lindenfeld, Z., Lai, A. Y., & Pagán, J. A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Journal title

Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Volume

138

10.1016/j.jsat.2022.108719

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: While racial/ethnic disparities in the use of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in outpatient settings are well documented in the literature, little is known about racial/ethnic disparities in access to hospital-based OUD services. This study examines the relationship between hospital-based or initiated OUD services and the racial/ethnic composition of the surrounding community. Methods: We constructed a dataset marking the implementation of eight OUD strategies for a 20% random sample of nonprofit hospitals in the United States based on 2015–2018 community health needs assessments. We tested the significance of the relationship between each OUD strategy and the racial/ethnic composition of the surrounding county using two-level mixed effects logistic regression models that considered the hierarchical structure of the data of hospitals within states while controlling for hospital-level county-level, and state-level covariates. Results: In both unadjusted and adjusted models, we found that hospital adoption of several OUD services significantly varied based on the percentage of Black or Hispanic residents in their communities. Even after controlling for hospital size, the overdose burden in the community, community socioeconomic characteristics, and state funding, hospitals in communities with high percentage of Black or Hispanic residents had significantly lower odds of offering the most common hospital-based programs to address OUD – including programs that increase access to formal treatment services, prescriber guidelines, targeted risk education and harm reduction, and community coalitions to address opioid use. Conclusions: Hospital adoption of many OUD services varies based on the percentage of Black or Hispanic residents in their communities. More attention should be paid to the role, ability, and strategies that hospitals can assume to address disparities among OUD treatment and access needs, especially those that serve communities with a high concentration of Black and Hispanic residents.

Setting Up for a Thriving Career

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

Survival Guide for Early Career Researchers

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

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

Work Hard, Snore Hard

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

Franz, B., Cronin, C. E., Wainwright, A., Lai, A. Y., & Pagán, J. A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2021

Journal title

Medical Care Research and Review

Volume

78

Issue

6

Page(s)

771-779

10.1177/1077558720968999

Abstract

Abstract

Cross-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.

Even superheroes need rest

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

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

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

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