Prof Bernadette Watson

Professor Bernadette Watson serves as Honorary Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Department of English and Communication and the University of Queensland's School of Psychology, where she brings extensive expertise in health psychology and communication research. As Director of the International Research Centre for the Advancement of Health Communication at PolyU, she leads research initiatives examining healthcare interactions, particularly focusing on patient-provider communication and interdisciplinary healthcare teams. Her research portfolio spans health professional-patient interactions, interdisciplinary communication in healthcare settings, and multicultural team dynamics. A Fellow of the International Association of Language and Social Psychology, where she served as President from 2012-2014, she has made significant contributions to understanding how identity and intergroup processes influence healthcare communication. Her work applies social psychology of language perspectives to examine how individuals communicate their identities in healthcare contexts. She maintains active research collaborations with hospitals in Hong Kong and Australia, investigating barriers and facilitators to quality patient care. As a registered psychologist endorsed in health psychology in Australia, she continues to advance the field through research that bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications in healthcare settings.