SUMMARY
Allison A. Holgerson, Ph.D., studies behavioral medicine and health psychology. Dr. Holgerson examines psychological and behavioral factors that affect chronic medical conditions. Through her research, she explores how mental health symptoms, adverse childhood experiences, food addiction, eating patterns and stress-related factors influence treatment candidacy, health behaviors and clinical outcomes.
Dr. Holgerson identifies modifiable psychological challenges that affect care and examines ways to improve readiness for medical and surgical interventions. She also develops clinically useful approaches that support symptom management and quality of life. Dr. Holgerson has studied patients seeking bariatric surgery, and adolescents and young adults with weight-related concerns. Dr. Holgerson's approaches include clinical outcomes research, behavioral assessment, observational studies and intervention development.
Focus areas
- Psychological treatment readiness. Dr. Holgerson studies how psychological symptoms and behavioral risks affect readiness for bariatric surgery and other medical procedures. Through her work, she helps clarify which factors may interfere with treatment completion, recovery and long-term success.
- Eating patterns and risk. Dr. Holgerson investigates eating behaviors, binge eating, food selection, stress, impulsivity and weight-related stigma. Her research addresses how these factors shape eating pathology and health outcomes in adolescents and young adults.
- Behavioral intervention development. Dr. Holgerson contributes to clinical trials and treatment programs for obesity prevention and binge-eating disorder. She tests practical interventions for youth populations from a variety of backgrounds and supports their translation into patient-centered care.
Significance to patient care
Dr. Holgerson helps care teams understand why some people have trouble coping with chronic medical conditions and how to improve outcomes of medical care and procedures. By giving healthcare professionals ways to find emotional and behavioral issues early, her work helps medical teams provide patients the support they need before treatment begins. This can help patients follow their treatment plans, manage symptoms and improve their daily lives. Dr. Holgerson's research also shows how emotional health and behavior affect care. She helps make treatment safer, more practical and more effective for patients.