SLC Chair, F4SC Board Member, and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University
Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Social Connection and Health Lab at Brigham Young University. She is also the lead scientist for the Social Connection in America 25-year national survey and the founder of The Connection Institute. She is internationally recognized for her pioneering research on social connection and health, including seminal findings showing that lacking social connection is a major risk factor for premature mortality—comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
She served as the lead author of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Isolation and Loneliness and advises global organizations, including the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Nations, and OECD. Her work bridges science and policy to advance evidence-based action for a healthier, more connected society.