Dr. Susan Holtzman

Ph.D., R.Psych.

Dr. Susan Holtzman is a Professor of Psychology and Lead Investigator of the CHAT Lab at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBCO). Dr. Holtzman received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She completed a clinical internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University Health Network, University of Toronto.

Dr. Holtzman’s research aims to understand the pathways through which social relationships contribute to better health and wellbeing.  She is particularly interested in harnessing the power of digitally-mediated communication (e.g., texting, social media, mHealth apps) to improve access to social support for young adults, and those living with chronic health conditions, such as chronic pain. 

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She has published over 50 research articles and her work has been cited in the academic literature over 5800 times. She regularly shares her findings at top national and international conferences and has been featured in popular media outlets, such as CBC news and Time magazine. Her research is team-based and involves close collaboration with health care providers, local non-profit agencies, and eHealth industry partners. Dr. Holtzman’s program of research has been supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Michael Smith Health Research British Columbia, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).