Alistair A. Thorpe

Alistair A. Thorpe, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Population Health Sciences

Academic Office Information

alistair.thorpe@hsc.utah.edu

Alistair Thorpe, PhD

Dr. Alistair Thorpe is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Health System Innovation and Research at the University of Utah Intermountain Health Department of Population Health Sciences within the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. He works within the Patient-centered Care & Decision Science group and also holds an Honorary Research Fellow position within University College London's Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care.

Dr. Thorpe's research focuses on improving healthcare delivery and patient experiences by aligning care with patient preferences and evidence-based guidelines. His work aims to improve the uptake and use of effective interventions (e.g., medications to prevent major adverse cardiovascular events), whilst reducing overuse of ineffective ones (e.g., antibiotics for viral infections). As a behavioral scientist in population health, Dr. Thorpe studies the psychological barriers (e.g., cognitive biases) that can make it difficult for people to make decisions about their health and examines why some ways of sharing health information do not work well for patients and clinicians. Using this knowledge, he develops and tests strategies to provide health information in ways that are clear, meaningful, and memorable, to help people make informed health decisions.

Society for Medical Decision Making: Co-Chair of the Digital Communications Committee (2025-Present), Editorial Board Member (2025-27)
JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance: Editorial Advisory Board Member (2025-Present)

Education History

Undergraduate University of Essex
 BSc (Hons)
Doctoral Training University of Essex
 PhD
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Utah School of Medicine
 Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Research Fellow University College London
 Research Fellow

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Sirota M, Habersaat KB, Betsch C, Bonga DL, Borek A, Buckel A, Butler R, Byrne-Davis L, Caudell M, Charani E, Geiger M, Gross M, Hart J, Kostopoulou O, Krockow EM, Likki T, Lo Fo Wong D, Santana AP, Sievert EDC, Theodoropoulou A, Thorpe A, Wanat M, Böhm R (2024). We must harness the power of social and behavioural science against the growing pandemic of antimicrobial resistance. Nat Hum Behav, 8(1), 11-13.
  2. Thorpe A, Delaney RK, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Pershing ML, Hansen LM, Lambert LM, Fagerlin A (2023). Parents' Psychological and Decision-Making Outcomes following Prenatal Diagnosis with Complex Congenital Heart Defect: An Exploratory Study. MDM Policy Pract, 8(2), 23814683231204551.
  3. Butler JM, Wang X, Riddoch M, Thorpe A, Stevens V, Scherer LD, Drews FA, Shoemaker H, Fagerlin A (2023). Veterans and Nonveterans Coping With Stress During 4 Months of COVID-19. Ann Fam Med, 21(6), 508-516.
  4. Thorpe A, Gurmankin Levy A, Scherer LD, Scherer AM, Drews FA, Butler JM, Fagerlin A (2024). Impact of prior COVID-19 infection on perceptions about the benefit and safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Am J Infect Control, 52(1), 125-128.
  5. Shoemaker HE, Thorpe A, Stevens V, Butler JM, Drews FA, Burpo N, Scherer LD, Fagerlin A (2023). Telehealth Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Veterans and Nonveterans: Web-Based Survey Study. JMIR Form Res, 7, e42217.
  6. Thorpe A, Zhong L, Scherer LD, Drews FA, Shoemaker H, Fagerlin A (2023). Demographic, structural, and psychological predictors of risk-increasing and mask wearing behaviors among US adults between December 2020-March 2021. Patient Educ Couns, 114, 107792.
  7. Scharnetzki E, Waterston L, Scherer AM, Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Han PKJ (2023). Effects of Prosocial and Hope-Promoting Communication Strategies on COVID-19 Worry and Intentions for Risk-Reducing Behaviors and Vaccination: Experimental Study. JMIR Form Res, 7, e41959.
  8. Levy AG, Thorpe A, Scherer LD, Scherer AM, Butler JM, Shoemaker H, Fagerlin A (2023). Parental Nonadherence to Health Policy Recommendations for Prevention of COVID-19 Transmission Among Children. JAMA Netw Open, 6(3), e231587.
  9. Delaney RK, Thorpe A, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Pershing ML, Hansen LM, Lambert LM, Tanner K, Fagerlin A (2023). Parents' quality of life and health after treatment decision for a fetus with severe congenital heart defect. J Pediatr Nurs, 70, 20-25.
  10. Levy AG, Thorpe A, Scherer LD, Scherer AM, Drews FA, Butler JM, Burpo N, Shoemaker H, Stevens V, Fagerlin A (2022). Misrepresentation and Nonadherence Regarding COVID-19 Public Health Measures. JAMA Netw Open, 5(10), e2235837.
  11. Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Butler J, Stevens V, Drews FA, Shoemaker H, Riddoch MS, Scherer LD (2022). Communicating about COVID-19 vaccine development and safety. PLoS One, 17(8), e0272426.
  12. Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Drews FA, Shoemaker H, Scherer LD (2022). Self-reported health behaviors and risk perceptions following the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in the USA: an online survey study. Public Health, 208, 68-71.
  13. Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Drews FA, Butler J, Stevens V, Riddoch MS, Scherer LD (2022). Communications to Promote Interest and Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines. Am J Health Promot, 36(6), 976-986.
  14. Han PKJ, Scharnetzki E, Scherer AM, Thorpe A, Lary C, Waterston LB, Fagerlin A, Dieckmann NF (2021). Communicating Scientific Uncertainty About the COVID-19 Pandemic: Online Experimental Study of an Uncertainty-Normalizing Strategy. J Med Internet Res, 23(4), e27832.
  15. Thorpe A, Sirota M, Orbell S, Juanchich M (2021). Effect of information on reducing inappropriate expectations and requests for antibiotics. Br J Psychol, 112(3), 804-827.
  16. Thorpe A, Scherer AM, Han PKJ, Burpo N, Shaffer V, Scherer L, Fagerlin A (2021). Exposure to Common Geographic COVID-19 Prevalence Maps and Public Knowledge, Risk Perceptions, and Behavioral Intentions. JAMA Netw Open, 4(1), e2033538.
  17. Thorpe A, Sirota M, Juanchich M, Orbell S (2020). Action bias in the public's clinically inappropriate expectations for antibiotics. J Exp Psychol Appl, 26(3), 422-431.
  18. Thorpe A, Sirota M, Juanchich M, Orbell S (2020). 'Always take your doctor's advice': Does trust moderate the effect of information on inappropriate antibiotic prescribing expectations? Br J Health Psychol, 25(2), 358-376.
  19. Galli G, Sirota M, Gruber MJ, Ivanof BE, Ganesh J, Materassi M, Thorpe A, Loaiza V, Cappelletti M, Craik FIM (2018). Learning facts during aging: the benefits of curiosity. Exp Aging Res, 44(4), 311-328.
  20. Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Drews FA, Shoemaker H, Brecha FS, Scherer LD (2024). Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake: an online three-wave survey study of US adults. BMC Infect Dis, 24(1), 304.
  21. Chi CG, Ekinci Y, Ramkissoon H, Thorpe A (2022). Evolving effects of COVID-19 safety precaution expectations, risk avoidance, and socio-demographics factors on customer hesitation toward patronizing restaurants and hotels. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 31(4), 396-412.
  22. Sirota M, Thorpe A, Juanchich M (2022). Explaining and reducing the public’s expectations of antibiotics: A utility-based signal detection theory approach. J Appl Res Mem Cogn, 11(4), 587¿597.
  23. French ML, Christensen JT, Estabrooks PA, Hernandez AM, Metos JM, Marcus RL, Thorpe A, Dvorak TE, Jordan K (2024). Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Bilingual Nutrition Education Program in Partnership with a Mobile Health Unit. Nutrients, 16(5),
  24. Delaney RK, Pinto NM, Ozanne EM, Stark LA, Pershing ML, Thorpe A, Witteman HO, Thokala P, Lambert LM, Hansen LM, Greene TH, Fagerlin (2021). Study protocol for a randomised clinical trial of a decision aid and values clarification method for parents of a fetus or neonate diagnosed with a life-threatening congenital heart defect. BMJ open, 11(12), e055455.
  25. Thorpe A, Lee RA, Fagerlin A, Vaughn VM, Szymczak J (2025). Characteristics and Antibiotic Preferences of US Adults Reporting Frequent Use vs No Use of Antibiotics. JAMA network open, 8(3), e251429.
  26. Hillen MA, Visser LNC, Labrie NHM, van Vliet LM, Saha S, Blanch-Hartigan D, Smets EMA, GROVE Working grou (2025). Development of GROVE: A Guideline for RepOrting Vignette Experiments conducted in a healthcare context. Patient education and counseling, 136, 108750.
  27. Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Thorpe A, Fagerlin (2025). How to Communicate Medical Numbers. JAMA,
  28. Thorpe A, Lee RA, Szymczak JE, Farrell MC, Howard K, Muller BM, White AT, Fagerlin A, Vaughn V (2025). Impact of an Educational Leaflet About Asymptomatic Bacteriuria and Urinary Tract Infection on Antibiotic Preferences Among US Adults ¿65 Years: An Online Randomized Controlled Survey Experiment. Open forum infectious diseases, 12(12), ofaf690.
  29. Thorpe A, Kassianos AP, Plackett R, Krishnamurthy V, Kambouri MA, Sheringham (2025). Comparison of Physician Assistant and Medical Students' Clinical Reasoning Processes Using an Online Patient Simulation Tool to Support Clinical Reasoning (eCREST): Mixed Methods Study. JMIR medical education, 11, e68981.
  30. Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Thorpe A, Fagerlin (2026). Communicating Medical Numbers-Reply. JAMA,

Review

  1. Imlay H, Thorpe A, Vaughn V (2024). When antimicrobial stewardship begins with microbiological test requests: the case of asymptomatic bacteriuria. Current opinion in infectious diseases, 37(6), 565-572.

Other

  1. Thorpe A, Sheringham (2023). Achieving earlier diagnosis of cancer: How can the wider primary care team contribute?.