Dr. Karina Van Bogart
(she/her)
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Medical Social Sciences
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
About me: I am a health psychologist interested in how psychosocial processes are related to health and aging – with a particular passion for the investigation of loneliness and social connection. My work is interdisciplinary, integrating perspectives from health psychology, psychoneuroimmunology and psychoneuroendocrinology, affective science, and lifespan developmental science. For example, I examine different biological pathways related to the chronic activation of stress-response systems (e.g., diurnal cortisol, inflammation) to better understand the association between loneliness and health. I am also interested in examining factors that contribute to persistent, chronic loneliness, as well as individual differences that shape vulnerability or resilience to loneliness over time. In addition, my work explores how loneliness can be measured more effectively and how cumulative experiences of loneliness impact health, well-being, and aging over time. Methodologically, I often use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and multilevel modeling to capture dynamic biobehavioral processes in everyday life. More recently, I have begun using coordinated data analysis to evaluate robustness and generalizability of findings across multiple independent datasets. Through my work, I aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of loneliness and social connection as key determinants of health and aging.
(she/her)
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Medical Social Sciences
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
About me: I am a health psychologist interested in how psychosocial processes are related to health and aging – with a particular passion for the investigation of loneliness and social connection. My work is interdisciplinary, integrating perspectives from health psychology, psychoneuroimmunology and psychoneuroendocrinology, affective science, and lifespan developmental science. For example, I examine different biological pathways related to the chronic activation of stress-response systems (e.g., diurnal cortisol, inflammation) to better understand the association between loneliness and health. I am also interested in examining factors that contribute to persistent, chronic loneliness, as well as individual differences that shape vulnerability or resilience to loneliness over time. In addition, my work explores how loneliness can be measured more effectively and how cumulative experiences of loneliness impact health, well-being, and aging over time. Methodologically, I often use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and multilevel modeling to capture dynamic biobehavioral processes in everyday life. More recently, I have begun using coordinated data analysis to evaluate robustness and generalizability of findings across multiple independent datasets. Through my work, I aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of loneliness and social connection as key determinants of health and aging.
