Catherine Fairbairn, associate professor, psychology | Fairbairn’s research focuses on the social and emotional processes driving alcohol use as well as the application of novel methods and measures within addiction science. Her work uses innovative methods to understand factors motivating heavy drinking and the development of alcohol use disorder, with an overarching goal of developing social-network based alcohol treatment programs that integrate biosensor-enhanced recovery support. 

David Molitor, associate professor, Gies College of Business | Molitor’s research explores how location and the environment shape health and health care delivery in the US. Molitor is also a Principal Investigator of the Illinois Workplace Wellness Study, which is a large-scale experiment on workplace wellness. He is the Director of the Health Care Research Initiative at Gies Business, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Charee Thompson, associate professor, communication | Thompson’s research examines health communication in personal and patient-provider relationships, specifically focusing on the role communication plays in how people understand health. Her research focuses on two main areas: how personal identity shapes individuals’ perceptions of their own health, and how healthcare providers and social network members navigate uncertainty in understanding others’ health, particularly in the context of chronic or stigmatized conditions.