Psychology

Dr. Bogart is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Disability and Social Interaction Lab at Oregon State University. She is a social/health psychologist specializing in ableism and rare disorders such as facial paralysis. She has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, Good Samaritan Hospital (Erkkila Endowment), and the Moebius Syndrome Foundation. In 2016, Dr. Bogart was named "Professor of the Term" by the Panhellenic Executive Council of OSU. An advocate for people with rare disorders and disabilities, she has served on several boards, including the American Psychological Association Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology, the Rehabilitation Psychology editorial board, the Moebius Syndrome Foundation Scientific Advisory Board, the Moebius Syndrome Foundation Board of Directors, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Birth Defects Monitoring and Research Program Advisory Board. Dr. Bogart presents internationally to academic, general, and stakeholder audiences about disability awareness, disability as diversity, and facial paralysis. 

Her research focuses on the forgotten “ism,” ableism, or prejudice towards disability. She studies disability from a social psychological perspective, examining others’ attitudes toward disability and the way people with disabilities adapt to their conditions, develop identities, and manage stigma. 

Much of her work focuses on the psychosocial implications of living with rare disorders or disabilities, such as Bell's palsy and Moebius syndrome. In the U.S., rare disorders are defined as affecting fewer than 200,000 people per year. Although there are about 7,000 different rare disorders, the 30 million Americans with rare disorders share similar challenges, including insufficient access to information, support, and treatment. Rare disorders can be stigmatizing because people with them are frequently misunderstood, isolated, and blamed. Her lab is working to build social support and resist stigma in the rare disorder community.

For more information, see her Disability and Social Interaction Lab website. 

Dr. Bogart is accepting undergraduate and PhD students for her lab.