Current Research Team
Ju Hye Jung (she/her) is a recent graduate of the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Her interests include exploring how parenting, especially from Asian mothers, influences the identity formation and life satisfaction of Asian American women and men differently. In her free time, she finds solace in watching animal videos; there's something about these creatures that brings her immense joy!
Eunseok Jeong (he/him) is a graduate research assistant who joined the MLSAAF team in the fall of 2019. He is currently a doctoral student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. His research focuses on social determinants of health disparities of racial/ethnic minorities and disparities in mental health service utilization among the racial, ethnic, and immigrant populations. He hopes to hear more from Asian Americans and provide various clinical and policy implications through the MLSAAF study.
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Jessica Hong (she/her) is a second year graduate student pursuing her MSW at University of Chicago. She is currently working at Lotus Root Counseling, which is an all-Asian practitioner therapy practice. She has previously worked as a Resident Director at a university and specifically worked to advocate for students of color and LGBTQIA+ students. Her desired area of study is learning about complex trauma and affordable holistic care, specifically within Asian populations and communities of color.
Bryan Gu (he/him) is a research assistant who joined the MLSAAF team in the fall of 2020. Through his work with MLSAAF, he hopes to better understand the various environmental and cultural factors which underlie mental health outcomes in Asian American young adults, Ultimately he seeks to work towards new interventions that can help to address issues of stigma and internalized trauma within the larger Asian American community.
Yejin Sohn (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker and a doctoral student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. In winter 2024, she joined the MLSAAF team as a research assistant. Yejin's research focuses on interpersonal violence and trauma healing among survivors of marginalized identities, including racial and ethnic minorities. Through the MLSAAF study, Yejin hopes to gain more knowledge on the experiences of Asian Americans with interpersonal violence and mental health. She loves to spend her free time with her two cats and good Korean TV shows.
Caitlynn Liquigan (she/her) recently graduated from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She loves learning about the intersections between youth development and childhood family experiences that impacts one’s own mental health. Being able to understand the connections between family dynamics and mental health has helped her make meaning of not only her own experience, but for those she hopes to serve as well. As a first generation Filipino, Caitlynn hopes to expand the perspectives of our study.
Will Wang (he/him) is a first-year graduate student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. He is a second-generation Taiwanese-Korean-American and aspiring therapist. Will ultimately hopes to serve as a healer for populations across the Asian diaspora and for broader marginalized communities in the US.
Evangeline Wu (she/her) is a first-year graduate student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Her interest and passion for understanding and helping people have continued through her studies in psychology, work in human resources, and volunteer experience in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and crisis intervention. Aspiring to become a bilingual therapist, she aims to focus on Asian Americans’ mental health and well-being, with the goal of addressing cultural sensitivity in counseling and contributing to research that enhances support systems for the Asian American community.
Past Research Staff
Hillary Nicole Peregrina (she/her/hers) is a graduate student at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Social Work with Clinical Concentration. She previously earned a Master of Arts in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University. Prior to entering the field of Social Work, she taught Ethnic Studies courses at San Francisco State University and Pin@y Educational Partnerships. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Social Work to conduct clinical research on culturally responsive mental health interventions for Asian American immigrant families. She is also interested in conducting research on Asian American child and adolescent mental health, psychosocial development, civic engagement, and critical racial consciousness. In her free time, she enjoys Peloton workouts, walks in Downtown and Navy Pier, and exploring Chicago.
Originally from New York city, when Michelle Gan first
joined MLSAAF in 2016, she was in her senior year at the
University of Chicago majoring public policy with a
concentration in International Development and a minor
in Statistics. Now she is graduated and working as a
consultant! Michelle is interested in issues of political,
social, and economic inequality, she is experienced in
political reach out campaigns. Michelle will be helping
our team to retain our young adult participants.
Eunkyung Choo has been with the MLSAAF team since 2014. She is truly one of our most valuable team members since she knows all the histories of MLSAAF. She successfully interviewed parents in wave 1, and wave 2 and still maintains good relationships with many parents who participated in our studies. Eunkyung plays a central role in bridging gaps between newly joining staff and past participants. She recently moved to Chicago in 2020 from Chicago suburb and enjoys listening to music during her spare time.
Michelle Shim is currently a second year at the University of Chicago. She has attended thirteen different schools in the UK, Korea, New Jersey, California, and Georgia, but when it comes to football, wholeheartedly roots for the Falcons. She is majoring in Economics as well as English Language and Literature, and is particularly drawn to international relations and politics. Michelle is involved with the Fellows Ambassador Program at the Institute of Politics, competes on the Moot Court team, and enjoys playing intramural sports, especially broomball, with her house. Michelle's love for translation, writing, and Asian American identity and culture led her to join the MLSAAF project in September of 2016. Michelle can be reached at michelleshim@uchicago.edu.
Jeanette Lee practiced as an attorney prior to enrolling in the master's program at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. Jeanette conducts research on the psychosocial needs of minority and distressed communities, and also provides psychotherapy to individuals striving to reach mental wellness. Jeanette joined the staff of MLSAAF in June 2015 and contributes to ML-SAAF's academic and lay publications. Jeanette can be reached at jplee@uchicago.edu.