Meng Li, PhD
Director of Undergraduate Studies in Public Health • Associate Professor
Health and Behavioral Sciences
Meng.Li@ucdenver.edu

Office location:
North Classroom 3023B

Office hours:
By appointment via Zoom

I am a psychologist and behavioral scientist who studies the systematic difference between what we think “rational” people ought to do, and what people actually do (decision biases).

I use my research on decision bias to design interventions and policies that harness these biases and nudge people toward more socially optimal behavior in domains such as vaccination, healthy diet, and other preventive health behaviors.

Examples of my work include applying the default effect to promote vaccination, using social norms to promote healthy eating among children, and harnessing price transparency and savings framing to increase the appeal of preventive medical procedures.

Ph.D, 2012, Rutgers University (Social Psychology)
M.S., 2008, Rutgers University (Social Psychology)
M.S., 2005, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Basic Medical Research)
B.S., 2002, Beijing Unviversity (Medicine)

Li, M. & Colby, H. (2021). Physicians’ flawed heuristic in the delivery room. Science, 374(6565): 260-261. doi:10.1126/science.abl5647 [invited commentary]

Li, M & Colby, H. (2021) Association between Actual and Perceived U.S. COVID-19 Policies and Preventive Behavior. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55(4), 369-375. doi:10.1093/abm/kaab021

Colby, H.*, Li, M.*, & Chapman, G. (2020). Dodging dietary defaults: Choosing away from healthy nudges. OBHDP (Organizational behavior and human decision processes), 161, 50-60. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.10.001 

Li, M., Colby, H. A., & Fernbach, P. (2019). Efficiency for Lives, Equality for Everything Else: How Allocation Preference Shifts Across Domains. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10(5), 697-707. 

Melnick, E. & Li, M. (2018). Association of plate design with consumption of fruits and vegetables among preschool children. JAMA Pediatrics. 172(10), 982–983.

Li, M & Tracer, D. (Eds.) (2017). Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Fairness, Equity, and Justice. Switzerland: Springer.

Chapman, G. B., Li, M., Leventhal, H., & Leventhal, E. A. (2016). Default clinic appointments promote influenza vaccination uptake without a displacement effect. Behavioral Science & Policy, 2(2), 40-50.

Li, M., & Chapman, G. B. (2013a). A big fish or a small pond? Framing effects in percentages. Organizational behavior and human decision processes (OBHDP), 122(2), 190-199. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.07.003 

Chapman, G.B., Li, M., Vietri, J.T., Ibuka, Y., Thomas, D., Yoon, H. & Galvani, A. (2012). Using game theory to examine incentives in influenza vaccination behavior. Psychological Science.  23(9), 1008-1015. doi: 10.1177/0956797612437606

Li, M., Vietri, J., Galvani, A. P. & Chapman, G. B. (2010). How do people value life? Psychological Science, 21 (2), 163-167.doi:10.3758/PBR.16.1.156

Chapman, G. B, Li, M., Colby, H., Yoon, H. (2010). Opting in versus opting out of Influenza vaccination. JAMA, 304(1), 43-44.doi:10.1001/jama.2010.892

Bauch, C. T., Li, M., Chapman, G. B. & Galvani, A. P. (2010). Adherence to cervical screening in the era of HPV vaccination: How low is too low?  Lancet Infectious Diseases, 10, 133-137. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70004-9

Li, M., & Chapman, G.B. (2009). "100% of anything looks good": The appeal of one hundred percent. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16,156-162. doi: 10.3758/PBR.16.1.156

HBSC 7061: Quantitative Methods in Health and Behavioral Sciences​
​PBHL 3030: Health Policy​
PBHL/ECON/PSYC 3050: Decision Making (taught at International College of Beijing)