Robin T Higashi, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Assistant Professor School School of Public Health Department Public Health Biography Download Curriculum Vitae Trained as a medical anthropologist, Dr. Robin T. Higashi specializes in using qualitative and mixed methods research to evaluate patient- and system-level barriers to achieving equitable health outcomes among underserved populations. Since joining the faculty in 2019, Dr. Higashi has been awarded nearly $1M to study barriers to activation and use of patient portals, telehealth and other remote technologies among Spanish-speaking, older adult, and minoritized populations at Parkland, UT Southwestern, and Texas Health Resources. Simultaneously, as Co-Investigator, Dr. Higashi leads the qualitative aims of multiple large federally-funded mixed methods studies, including: optimizing cervical cancer screening (NCI UM1CA221940 Tiro/Haas/Kamineni), evaluating avoidable hospital admissions (NCI 1R01CA282242-01 Hong), and enhancing linkage to PrEP for formerly incarcerated individuals (NIMH 1R01MH129185 Nijhawan/Krakower). Findings from her qualitative evaluations of hepatitis C and colorectal cancer screening interventions (Gilead: Singal) have led to actionable quality improvement measures that have enhanced the overall success of these programs. Dr. Higashi is also actively involved in teaching and mentoring faculty, fellows, and students new to qualitative methods, including several K awardees. She earned recognition for excellence in mentoring for her work with the School of Medicine's Scholarly Research Activity program. And she regularly conducts lectures at UT Southwestern Medical School on qualitative and mixed methods design and analysis, biomedical hegemony and the culture of medicine, and engaging stigmatized and underserved populations in clinical and research encounters. Certified in written, verbal, and medical Spanish, Dr. Higashi oversees a School of Public Health community resource (slr@utsouthwestern.edu) that oversees Spanish translation and cognitive interviewing services to ensure that written study materials are accurate, culturally appropriate, and accessible to lower-literacy Spanish-speaking populations. Education Undergraduate Stanford University (1998), Psychology Graduate School Uni of California-Sfrancisco (2010), Medical Anthropology Research Interest impact of structural inequalities on health experiences and outcomes Spanish-speaking and other underserved populations telehealth, patient portals, and other mobile and remote health technologies Publications Featured Publications Harmonizing qualitative data across multiple health systems to identify quality improvement interventions: a methodological framework using PROSPR II Cervical Research Center data as exemplar Higashi RT, G Kruse, J Richards, A Sood, PM Chen, L Quirk, J Kramer, JA Tiro, L Tuzzio, JS Haas, MF Gray, SC Lee Intl J Qual Methods 2023 Experiences of increased food insecurity, economic and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-enrolled food pantry clients. Higashi RT, Sood A, Conrado AB, Shahan KL, Leonard T, Pruitt SL, Public Health Nutr 2021 Dec 1-11 COVID-19 Communication From Seven Health Care Institutions in North Texas for English- and Spanish-Speaking Cancer Patients: Mixed Method Website Study. Higashi RT, Sweetenham JW, Israel AD, Tiro JA, JMIR Cancer 2021 Aug 7 3 e30492 Thematic Analysis of Challenges of Care Coordination for Underinsured and Uninsured Cancer Survivors With Chronic Conditions. Balasubramanian BA, Higashi RT, Rodriguez SA, Sadeghi N, Santini NO, Lee SC, JAMA Netw Open 2021 Aug 4 8 e2119080 Patient and provider-level barriers to hepatitis C screening and linkage to care: A mixed-methods evaluation. Higashi RT, Jain MK, Quirk L, Rich NE, Waljee AK, Turner BJ, Lee SC, Singal AG, J Viral Hepat 2020 07 27 7 680-689 Patient-Centered Measure Development and Spanish Validation Exemplar. Higashi RT, Juengst SB, Health Lit Res Pract 2019 Oct 3 4 e243-e249 Who Uses Patient Portals? A National Cross-Sectional Study Using Epic Cosmos. Turer RW, McDonald SA, Higashi RT, Thakur B, Bain AP, Navar AM, Steitz BD, J Gen Intern Med 2025 May Digital Health Technology Use Among Spanish Speakers in the US: A Scoping Review. Higashi RT, Thakur B, Repasky EC, Casillas A, Steitz BD, Hogan TP, Lehmann CU, Peterson ED, Navar AM, Turer RW, JAMA Netw Open 2025 May 8 5 e2510386 Inpatient Adolescent Sexual Health Services and Long-Acting Reversible Contraception Training. Zhao A, Higashi RT, Edmondson S, Wong C, DeSilva N, Gribbons M, Tiro JA, Francis JKR, Hosp Pediatr 2025 Apr 15 4 325-333 Supporting Access to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in a Shifting Financial and Insurance Landscape. Eichenwald C, Higashi RT, Hogan TP, Naeem J, Marcus JL, Krakower D, Nijhawan AE, AJPM Focus 2025 Apr 4 2 100311 Results 1-10 of 43 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last Books Featured Books Elder care as ?frustrating? and ?boring?: Understanding the persistence of negative attitudes toward older patients among physicians-in-training. In The Social Medicine Reader Higashi RT, A Tillack, MA Steinman, M Harper, CB Johnston (2019). Durham, NC, Duke University Press Professional Associations/Affiliations Journal of General Internal Medicine (2025)
