Name, Credentials:  Martin Y. Iguchi, Ph.D.

Job Title:  Senior Behavioral Scientist

Company / Organization:  RAND Corporation

Department:  Health

City, State:  Santa Monica, CA

Website:  rand.org

Phone:  202-345-6710

Email:  myiguchi@gmail.com

Education: 

AB, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

MA, Boston University

Ph.D., Boston University

How long have you worked for your current company or organization?  8 years

What are your primary duties in this position?  I am just now rejoining RAND as a senior behavioral scientist after an 11-year detour as professor (with tenure) and dept chair at UCLA's School of Public Health and as Professor (with tenure) and Dean of Nursing & Health Studies at Georgetown University.  I am a senior behavioral scientist- which means I am a researcher on soft money - so I write grants to NIH and I collaborate with other researchers at RAND and elsewhere.

What do you enjoy about your work? What are the perks and drawbacks?  I love the intellectual climate at RAND and the complete focus on research.  My colleagues at RAND are brilliant, creative, and very social.  I love the working climate support provided for research.  The drawback is working in a soft money environment.  I have had tenure at UCLA and Georgetown - and value this work environment enough to leave a tenured position.

Career path: how did you land this position? What do you see in your future career plans?  I was recruited to RAND in 1997 by friends and colleagues working there who thought I would be a strong director for the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.  I had no prior policy experience - but I had many years of successful grant writing/grant getting experience and a reputation for collaboration.  I learned how to do policy research on the job.

What career advice would you like to share with graduate students seeking careers in your field?  I have always sought to collaborate with others and to allow my colleagues as much credit as possible.  I have also chosen to follow my passions when choosing research/policy questions - and I have been fortunate to have had an exciting research and administrative career to date.

Ways I am involved with SPSSI:   Network with other members

What is the importance of SPSSI for psychologists working outside of academia?  SPSSI attracts like-minded individuals.

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