Brian Ayotte

Brian Ayotte, PhD serves as an Associate Professor and Faculty Director of the Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is affiliated with the Psychology Department where he teaches both undergraduate honors courses and graduate-level psychology classes.

Dr. Ayotte's research program examines how individual and interpersonal factors influence health-related attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes across the lifespan. His work specifically investigates health behaviors in married couples, health outcomes among healthcare employees, independent living skills development in both younger and older adults, and health-related decision making processes. His research bridges health psychology with social and developmental perspectives.

As Faculty Director of the Honors College, Dr. Ayotte oversees the Honors APEX program, guiding students through project development that explores creative and critical thinking within American cultural, political, economic and societal contexts. He emphasizes research ethics, time management, and public presentation skills in his mentorship of honors students.

Dr. Ayotte earned his PhD from West Virginia University in 2010 with a focus on Teaching Health Psychology, Methods, Statistics, and Developmental Psychology. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys swimming, biking, running, and hiking with his wife and dog.