Julia (she/her/hers) is a third-year doctoral student in the Health Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She received her Master’s in Health Psychology from the University of British Columbia in 2022, and her Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology (minor Gerontology) from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020.

Julia’s overarching goal is to build a program of research that informs policy and intervention work to improve population health. She integrates theories and perspectives from health psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics, and translational science to identify, understand, and intervene upon the dimensions of prosocial behaviors (e.g., volunteering, helping behaviours, charitable giving) and psychological well-being (e.g., purpose in life) that improve health and well-being.

Recognizing the great importance of translating research into meaningful, real-world, population-level change, Julia engages in multiple translational science efforts with non-academic partners. She works with the Canadian Red Cross (to enhance accessibility, equity, and benefits of volunteering across Canada) and was a Research Fellow in the Consortium on Analytics for Data-Driven Decision-Making (to receive formal training in population research that supports evidence-informed decision-making).

Research interests include: health psychology, psychological well-being, prosocial behaviours, gerontology/aging, epidemiology, translational science

Nakamura, J. S., Shiba, K., Shi, B., Leong, R. S., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (accepted). How is volunteering associated with reduced mortality? A mediator-wide approach. Health Psychology.

de la Rosa, P. A., Nakamura, J. S., Cowden, R. G., Kim, E. S., Osorio, A., VanderWeele, T. J. (accepted). Longitudinal associations of spousal support and strain with health and well-being: An outcome-wide study of married older U.S. adults. Family Process.

Nakamura, J. S., Wilkinson, R., Nelson, M., Suzuki, E. & VanderWeele, T. J. (2024). Volunteering in young adulthood: Complex associations with later health and well-being outcomes. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241273424

Hong, J. H., Nakamura, J. S., Sahakari, S. S., Chopik, W. J., Shiba, K., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2024). The silent epidemic of loneliness: Identifying the antecedents of loneliness using a lagged exposure-wide approach. Psychological Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723002581

Hong, J. H., Nakamura, J. S., Berkman, L., Chen, F., Shiba, K., Chen, Y., Kim, E. S., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2023). Are loneliness and social isolation equal threats to health and well-being? An outcome-wide longitudinal approach. Social Science & Medicine – Population Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101459

Nakamura, J. S., Shiba, K., Jensen, S. M., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2023). Who benefits from helping? Moderators of the association between informal helping and mortality. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaad042

Nakamura, J. S., Lee, M. T., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2023). Informal helping and subsequent health and well-being in older U.S. adults. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-023-10187-w

Kim, E. S., Nakamura, J. S., Strecher, V. J., & Cole, S. W. (2023). Reduced epigenetic age in older adults with high sense of purpose in life. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glad092

Wilkinson, R., Nakamura, J. S., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2023). Social support and social strain from children and subsequent health and well-being among older U.S. adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231164900

Cowden, R. G., Nakamura, J. S., de la Rosa, P. A., Chen, Y., Fulks, J., Plake, J. F., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2023). The road to post-pandemic recovery in the United States: A repeated cross-sectional survey of multidimensional well-being over two years. Public Health.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.02.006

Nakamura, J. S., Kwok, C., Huang, A., Strecher, V. J., Kim, E. S., & Cole, S. W. (2022). Reduced epigenetic age in older adults who volunteer. Psychoneuroendocrinology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.106000

Cowden, R. G., Nakamura, J. S., Chen, Z. J., Case, B., Kim, E. S., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2022). Identifying pathways to religious service attendance among older adults: A lagged exposure-wide analysis. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278178

Nakamura, J. S., Oh, J., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2022). Pathways to reduced overnight hospitalizations in older adults: Evaluating 62 physical, behavioral, and psychosocial factors. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277222

Nakamura, J. S., Chen, Y., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2022). What makes life purposeful? Identifying the antecedents of a sense of purpose in life using a lagged exposure-wide approach. Social Science & Medicine – Population Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101235

Nakamura, J. S., Lee, M. T., Chen, F. S., Archer Lee, Y. Fried, L. P., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E.S. (2022). Identifying pathways to increased volunteering in older US adults. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16912-x

Nakamura, J. S., Hong, J. H., Smith, J., Chopik, W. J., Chen, Y., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2022). Associations between satisfaction with aging and health and well-being outcomes among older US adults. JAMA Network Open. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.47797

Nakamura, J. S., Delaney, S. W., Diener, E., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2021). Are all domains of life satisfaction equal? Differential associations with health and well-being in older adults. Quality of Life Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-021-02977-0

Kim, E. S., Chen, Y., Nakamura, J. S., Ryff, C. D., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2021). Sense of purpose in life and subsequent physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health: An outcome-wide approach. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171211038545

Hong, J. H., Lachman, M. E., Charles, S. T., Chen, Y., Wilson, C. L., Nakamura, J. S., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2021). The positive influence of sense of control on physical behavioral, and psychosocial health in older adults: An outcome-wide approach. Preventive Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106612

Nakamura, J. S., Kim, E. S., Rentscher, K. E., Bower, J. E., & Kuhlman, K. R. (2021). Early-life stress, depressive symptoms, and inflammation: The role of social factors. Aging & Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1876636

• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2022)
• Killam Doctoral Scholarship (in title only) (2022)
• Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (2022)
• Excellence in Health Psychology Research Award – Master’s Level (2022)
• Mather Institute Innovative Research on Aging Award (2022)
• Gerontological Society of America: Behavioral and Social Sciences Student Research Award – Pre-Dissertation Level (2021)
• Elizabeth Young Lacey Scholarship in Psychology (2021)
• Consortium on Analytics for Data-Driven Decision-Making (CAnD3) Fellowship (2021)
• Faculty of Arts Graduate Award, University of British Columbia (2020)
• R. Howard Webster Foundation Fellowship, University of British Columbia (2020)
• Nissim and Arlyne Levy Endowed Award (2020)
• Dean’s Prize for Research Excellence (2020)
• Joan Palevsky Endowed Honors and Undergraduate Research Scholarship (2020)
• Rose Gilbert in Memory of Maggie Gilbert Scholarship (2019)