Guendalina Graffigna

Director - Full Professor

Full Professor of Consumer and Health Psychology at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza-Cremona, Italy) and Director of the EngageMinds HUB – Consumer, Food & Health Engagement Research Center, the first Italian research center dedicated to citizens’ active engagement in health, food, and environmental choices.
My work lies at the intersection of consumer psychology, public health, and technological innovation. With my international team, I coordinate large-scale research projects funded by the European Union, the Italian Ministry of Health, Lombardy Region, Fondazione Cariplo, and global leaders in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
I am particularly proud of having developed, with my research group, the Patient Health Engagement Scale (PHE-s®), one of the most widely used tools worldwide to assess patients’ active role in healthcare. According to Scopus, I am currently the most prolific scholar on Patient Engagement globally, with over 210 international publications, more than 5,200 citations, and an H-index of 35. In 2024 I was once again included in the Stanford University & Elsevier “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list.
At Università Cattolica, I designed and launched the first international MSc in Psychology (Consumer Behaviours: Psychology applied to food, health and environment), as well as directing the International Master in Patient Advocacy Management. I also contribute to various scientific committees and health policy initiatives, including the Italian National Immunization Plan 2023–2025.
Beyond academia, I am committed to science communication: I regularly write for Corriere Salute, Il Sole 24 Ore, AdnKronos, Panorama Sanità and take part in national TV and radio programs to make complex issues accessible to a broader audience.