Laura Cartwright, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Areas of interest
Behavioral science, decision-making, health equity
“Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to problem-solving that genuinely improves health care. It’s not research that just gets published—it’s research that changes people’s lives.”
Laura Cartwright joined UNOS in 2018 as a manager leading a multidisciplinary research team. In that role, she supported development and launch of the predictive analytics tool to enhance decision-making in kidney transplant donor organ offers.
Cartwright was appointed Director of Research in 2023, and now oversees a department with more than 30 researchers with expertise in biostatistics, epidemiology, and behavioral, research, and data sciences. The department both supports OPTN policy development and evaluation and manages a portfolio of non-OPTN work for internal and external clients.
“Because transplant is treatment for a wide range of complex medical conditions, our team’s expertise intersects with research within many different areas of human health and behavior both within and beyond transplant,” notes Cartwright. “There is a lot of potential there for collaboration, and our senior researchers are being very proactive in reaching out to build those connections.”
Education
Prior to joining UNOS, Cartwright held research positions at the McGuire Research Institutes and Virginia Commonwealth University. Cartwright earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Virginia and an MPH and a Ph.D. in behavioral science from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
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