Headshot of Angela Rodriguez
Email
acrodriguez@wpi.edu
Office
Salisbury Labs 317B
Lab Links
Stigma, Eating, & Endocrinology Dynamics (SEED) Lab
Affiliated Department or Office
Psychological Science
Neuroscience
Global Public Health
Education
BA Psychology & Spanish Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 2012
MA Health Psychology University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 2015
PhD Health Psychology University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 2018

Angela Incollingo Rodriguez is an assistant professor of Psychological & Cognitive Sciences and Neuroscience. In addition to collaborating on interdisciplinary research teams across campus - including the Chronic Pain Research Group - she also directs her own lab - the WPI Stigma Eating & Endocrinology Dynamics (SEED) Lab.

Her research program uses a biopsychosocial approach to study health and health behaviors. She conducts research at the intersection of social phenomena (such as weight stigma), biomarkers (such as the stress hormone cortisol), and psychological factors (such as perceived stress and pain-related distress). Her work follows two core arcs investigating (1) biopsychosocial predictors and consequences of eating, not eating (i.e. dieting), and obesity; and (2) discrimination and stigma (especially weight-based stigma) and their consequences for physical and mental health, which she is currently extending into the novel context of pregnancy and postpartum health. Her integrated research collaborations focus on stress and health as it relates to pressing societal issues such as discrimination, health disparities, chronic pain, addictive behaviors, and learning.

Dr. Rodriguez is dedicated to teaching and mentoring students. She instructs Social Psychology (PSY 1402), Health Psychology (PSY 2408), Psychophysiology (PSY 2502), and Advanced Psychophysiology (NEU 504) and directs the Global Public Health minor. She also leads an active team of students researchers in the SEED Lab and encourages any interested students to contact her about opportunities to work, volunteer, or conduct projects.

Research Interests
Eating and dieting
Weight and obesity
Physiological stress and cortisol
Weight stigma
Pregnancy
Pain

Scholarly Work

Nephew, B. C., Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C., Melican, V., Polcari, J., Nippert, K. E., Rashkovskii, M., Linnell, L., Hu, R., Ruiz, C., King, J., & Gardiner, P. (2022). Depression predicts chronic pain interference in racially-diverse, low-income patients. Pain Medicine. (First two authors made equal contributions.)
Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C., Polcari, J. J., Nephew, B. C., Harris, R., Zhang, C., Murgatroyd, C., & Santos Jr., H. P. (2022). Acculturative stress, telomere length, and postpartum depression in Latinx mothers. Journal of Psychiatric Research.
Gatsonis, C. M. & Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C. (2022). Association between smartphone use and consumption: Should we put the phone down? Appetite.
Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C. & Nagpal, T. S. (2021). The WOMBS Framework: A review and new theoretical model for investigating pregnancy-related weight stigma and its intergenerational implications. Obesity Reviews.
Hill, B. & Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C. (in press). Weight stigma across the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods: A narrative review and conceptual model. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine: Special Issue on Obesity, Diabetes, and Reproductive Health.
Nippert, K. E., Smieszek, S. M., Tomiyama, A. J., & Incollingo Rodriguez, A. C. (2020). Online news media as a source of weight stigma for pregnant and postpartum women. Obesity.
Professional Highlights & Honors
Varsity Athletics Faculty Champion
WPI

News

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Media Coverage

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NPR
Postpartum Weight Stigma

Angela Incollingo Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Psychological & Cognitive Sciences and Neuroscience, spoke with the Southern California NPR station KPCC about weight stigma before and after pregnancy, and its relationship to postpartum depression and social media.

Telegram.com
As I See It: Balancing Work and Life Also Balances Me

Angela Rodriguez, assistant professor in the Social Science and Policy Studies department, wrote an account for the Telegram & Gazette's "As I See It" section on how our culture can more positively reshape its portrayal of the working mom and work-life-balance – especially while in a pandemic.