Donya Nemati
Dr. Donya Nemati is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing Center for Healthy Aging, Self-Management, and Complex Care. She earned her PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from Indiana University-Indianapolis.
Dr. Nemati's overarching research focuses on identifying biopsychosocial and behavioral factors contributing to cardiovascular disease disparities among racial groups and underserved populations. This research program is dedicated to identifying multilevel determinants of healthy lifestyle adoption and maintenance for at-risk populations that encompass race, gender, age, and unique social roles such as being family caregivers of individuals with chronic diseases. The determinants she investigates include intrapersonal (cognitive, skills, psychological, and decisional process), interpersonal (social cohesion, subjective norms, social connection), environmental barriers (access, safety, and cost), and individual barriers (priorities, work commitment, disease burden, caregiving responsibilities). The ultimate goal of this stream is to identify the strongest behavioral determinants across various influential domains that can be targeted for interventions to empower individuals to overcome these challenges.
Dr. Nemati's second research stream focuses on testing, augmenting, and tailoring health behavior theories to incorporate specific factors related to racial groups. This stream carries a significant impact because most health behavior theories were developed without sufficient representation of racial/ethnic groups in the behavioral medicine field. This stream strives to address this gap by examining how cultural, social, and environmental factors uniquely influence health behaviors within different racial and ethnic communities. In pursuit of this goal, Dr. Nemati aims to develop a comprehensive model or theory that can be employed to design culturally appropriate and effective interventions to enhance cardiovascular health outcomes and mitigate health disparities among diverse populations.