Research Interests
Reproductive health, migration and health, prevention of cancer and infectious disease, health disparities, global health
Overview
Irina Todorova is a health psychologist and conducts research on issues related to psychosocial aspects of health and well-being, social change and health, and health and gender inequalities. Her specific areas have been migration and health, reproductive health including new reproductive technologies; inequalities in cancer prevention, burnout in medical professionals.
She currently teaches courses in health psychology at the Department of Applied Psychology and courses in public health at the Department of Health Sciences. Todorova’s expertise is in qualitative (narrative) and mixed methods approaches and she has taught several methodological courses.
Dr. Todorova has mentored multiple undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in their capstones and theses, which have included qualitative and mixed-methods research. She is now applying her experience in program development and teaching, to expand the Bouvé College of Health Sciences continuing education opportunities.
To her work Todorova brings a commitment to reducing health disparities, focusing on equity for women in Eastern Europe, and immigrant groups in the US.
Todorova was appointed as Fellow of the European Health Psychology Society for outstanding contribution to the advancement of health psychology knowledge and practice by research, training, publication and public service.
Affiliations
Clinical Professor, Department of Applied Psychology
Director for Continuing Education, Dean’s Office, Bouvé College of Health Sciences
Faculty at Harvard Medical School and Scientific Advisor at Institute of Coaching, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School Affiliate, Boston, MA
Editor: Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, An Open Access Journal. Official Journal of the EHPS
Selected Publications
Suárez-Orozco, C., Suárez-Orozco, M., & Todorova, I. (2008). Learning a New Land: The Experience of Newcomer Immigrant Youth: Harvard University Press.
Todorova, I., Alexandrova-Karamanova, A., Panayotova, Y., Dimitrova, E., & Kotzeva, T. (2014). Managing Uncertainty: Healthcare Professionals’ Meanings Regarding the HPV Vaccine. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21(1), 29-36. doi: 10.1007/s12529-013-9343-9
Todorova, I., Guzzardo, M. T., Adams, W. E., & Falcón, L. M. (2015). Gratitude and longing: Meanings of health in aging for Puerto Rican adults in the mainland. Journal of Health Psychology, 20(12), 1602-1612. doi: 10.1177/1359105313519155
Craciun, C., Todorova, I., & Baban, A. (2018). “Taking responsibility for my health”: Health system barriers and women’s attitudes toward cervical cancer screening in Romania and Bulgaria. Journal of Health Psychology https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105318787616
Todorova, I., Albers, L., Aronson, N., Baban, A., Benyamini, Y., Cipolletta, S., …. & Zlatarska, A. (2021). “What I thought was so important isn’t really that important”: international perspectives on making meaning during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Psychol Behav Med, 9(1), 830-857. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2021.1981909
Selected Public Service
Bulgarian Center of New England, Board Member
Courses Taught
PHTH6320 Qualitative Methods in Health and Illness
PHTH4540 Health Education and Health Promotion Program Planning
PHTH 5540 Health Education and Health Promotion Program Planning
CAEP 2012 Health Psychology: An Introduction
HONR3310 Mind, Body and Heart: Current Trends in Health Psychology
HONR Studio – Art, Story and Health
