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 methods 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. Dr. Higashi also serves as Co-Investigator on multiple large federally-funded mixed methods studies, including: optimizing cervical cancer screening (NCI UM1CA221940 Tiro/Haas/Kamineni), evaluating connection to cancer care needs among the rural uninsured (NIH P30CA142543 Arteaga), and enhancing linkage to PrEP for formerly incarcerated individuals (NIMH 1R01MH129185 Nijhawan). Findings from her qualitative evaluations of hepatitis C and colorectal cancer screening interventions have led to actionable quality improvement measures that have enhanced the overall success of these programs. Dr. Higashi currently serves as Director of the Spanish Language Resource (slr@utsouthwestern.edu), which oversees translation and cognitive interview services to ensure that written study materials are accurate, culturally appropriate, and accessible to Spanish-speaking and lower-literacy populations. Dr. Higashi remains actively involved in teaching and mentoring faculty, fellows, students, and staff new to qualitative methods. She regularly conducts lectures at UT Southwestern Medical School to increase student and trainee awareness of the challenges faced by stigmatized and underserved 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 Empowering learners to provide dietary counselling. Jain S, Higashi RT, Bonnema R, Albin J, Clin Teach 2022 Sep e13521 Anal cancer screening among women with HIV: provider experiences and system-level challenges. Higashi RT, Rodriguez SA, Betts AC, Tiro JA, Luque AE, Rivera R, Barnes A, AIDS Care 2021 Feb 1-7 Anal Cancer and Anal Cancer Screening Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Risk Among Women Living With HIV. Rodriguez SA, Higashi RT, Betts AC, Ortiz C, Tiro JA, Luque AE, Barnes A, J Low Genit Tract Dis 2021 Jan 25 1 43-47 Adaptation of Group-Based Suicide Intervention for Latinx Youth in a Community Mental Health Center Kennard B, A Moorehead, S Stewart, A El-Behadli, H Mbroh, K Goga, R Wildman, M Michaels, RT Higashi J Child Family Stud 2020 29 4 2058-2069 Results 1-10 of 27 1 2 3 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)
