Soonhyung Kwon Postdoctoral Research Associate, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research
PhD, Social Work – University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
MSW, Social Work – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
MA, Social Policy – University of York
BA, Social Welfare – Soonchunhyang University
Dr. Kwon’s research has focused primarily on gerontology, positive psychology, health disparities in ethnic minorities, and technology-based interventions using online, mobile applications, and virtual reality. He seeks to uncover solutions to promote social justice and identify factors that ultimately promote resilience and flourishing in racial/ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups. In qualitative research, he has explored the prevalence of anti-Asian racism and health disparities in older Korean Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to reduce the health disparities, he has implemented a virtual reality-based culturally tailored mindfulness-positive psychological intervention for older Korean Americans with perceived discrimination and identified its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy.
