I’m an assistant professor at the School of Social Work and the Chancellor’s Scholar for Inclusive Excellence in Racial Minority Health at Rutgers. My research centers on investigating how social positionality within the intersection of race/ethnicity, and immigration explains health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. Specifically, my current research focuses on understanding how racial discrimination and its related stressors (e.g., racial stereotypes) contribute to disparities in mental health and mental health service utilization among Asian American immigrant youth and identifying protective factors (e.g., family racial/ethnic socialization practices) that can mitigate the harmful effects of discrimination.
My interest in examining racial/ethnic disparities in mental health care stems from my desire to improve mental health outcomes among racial/ethnic minority immigrant populations. Through my experiences working with North Korean refugees, I witnessed the critical impact of social conditions on the health of stateless North Korean families. My continued field experience in Asian immigrant-serving agencies in Chicago solidified my commitment to studying mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic disparities in mental health and mental health service utilization.
Before joining Rutgers, I completed a NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Mental Health Services Research at Washington University in St. Louis. I earned my PhD in social work and my master’s degrees in Social Work and Biostatistics from the University of Chicago.
Education
- PhD, Social Work, University of Chicago, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
- M.S., Public Health Sciences (Biostatistics Concentration), University of Chicago
- A.M., Social Work (Clinical Concentration), University of Chicago, Crown Family School
- B.A., History, summa cum laude, University of Georgia
Appointments
- 2022–present · Assistant Professor and Chancellor’s Scholar for Inclusive Excellence in Racial Minority Health, School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- 2020–2022 · NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Mental Health Services Research, Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis
- 2020–2022 · Postdoctoral Affiliate, Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity, Washington University in St. Louis