Our Research Team

Vivian Lee, BA, BS

Vivian Lee is a first-year medical student in the UCSF/UCB Joint Medical Program, where she is pursuing her M.D. and a Master’s degree in Health and Medical Sciences. As an undergraduate, she studied Public Health and Molecular Environmental Biology at UC Berkeley. Her research interest focuses on the health experiences of Asian American communities through a social justice and community-centered lens. She is particularly interested in investigating the impacts of anti-Asian discrimination on health disparities and advancements in culturally-affirming care models. In her free time, Vivian enjoys photography, going on picnics, and exploring new restaurants in the Bay Area.

Julia Koo, BA

Julia Koo is a first-year MPH student in the Health and Social Behavior concentration at UC Berkeley. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Sociology and Psychology.

Broadly, she is interested in researching accessible mental health interventions for marginalized communities, especially within Asian and Asian American communities, de-stigmatizing mental health in the media, and promoting (mental) health advocacy. In her free time, Julia enjoys playing video and tabletop games, crocheting, collecting trinkets and stationery, and exploring the Bay Area for new food spots!

Cathy Zhu, BA

Cathy Zhu is a Counseling Psychology PhD student at Boston College. She graduated from Haverford College with majors in anthropology and psychology, and a minor in Asian American Studies. Her research interests include interracial solidarity and activism, the health implications of gendered socialization/racism, and racial-ethnic socialization within Asian American families. She is also passionate about interventions that increase access to and understanding of mental health services in the immigrant Asian community. In her free time, she likes to read, run, go on long walks with friends, and be outdoors with a good podcast!

Angela Yang, BA

Angela Yang is a Counseling Psychology PhD student at Boston College. She studied Psychology and Asian American Studies at Stanford University and more recently served as a Mandarin advocate at the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence. She is interested in how Asian American survivors integrate their heritage culture with their intersectional positions in America — and how this shapes the way they conceptualize and pursue healing in their communities. She also enjoys reading, creative writing, doodling, and planting things that will inevitably wither under her care.

Lucy Xie, BA, MA

Lucy Xie is a Counseling Psychology PhD student at Boston College. She graduated with an MA in Women’s Studies at the University of Florida, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from York University in Toronto. She is interested in exploring the psychological impacts of race, immigration, gender, class, and sexuality experienced by the East Asian diaspora. In her free time, she loves to roller skate, paint, and snowboard.

Michele J. Wong, MSPH, Ph.D.

Michele J. Wong is a Postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley AAPI Data. She was a doctoral student in the Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. She completed a Master of Science in Public Health in the Department of Community Health Sciences at UCLA and received her BA in Psychology at Ithaca College.

Broadly, Michele’s research is focused on the conceptualization and assessment of race and gender-based stressors among Asian American women in the U.S., particularly within the workplace.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family in Canada whenever possible, hiking, new food creations (kabocha squash banana bread?), and continuing to explore and get to know different parts of LA.

Yerina Kim, BA, MA

Yerina is a Behavioral Health Fellow at Atrius Health. Yerina graduated from the MA Mental Health Counseling program at Boston College. She graduated with a BA in Applied Psychology and Human Development with a minor in Management & Leadership at Boston College. She was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and moved to Seoul, South Korea for high school before coming to the U.S. for college. She worked at an eating disorder center in Boston as a medication coordinator and residential counselor for a year, which sparked her interest in exploring the psychological impacts of race, gender, COVID-19, and the presence of social media experienced by the Asian community. In her free time, she loves to paint her/clients’ nails, taking care of her neighbor’s dog, and utilizing BC’s beautiful gym.

Joanna Chen

Joanna is an undergraduate student at Boston College currently pursuing a degree in neuroscience with a minor in theology. Her research interests lie in exploring the various aspects of health outcomes and how they intersect with different identities (race, class, gender, etc.). She is also interested in the spread of information and biases through media and online platforms and their influence on beliefs and mental health. She is passionate about social equity issues and cares for the holistic wellbeing of individuals and communities. In her free time, Joanna enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, going to concerts, reading, and eating delicious food.

Irina Gagiu, BS, MHC

Irina is a clinician at the Chelsea clinic in Boston. She graduated from the M.A. Mental Health Counseling and Urban Scholars program at Boston College. She graduated with a B.S. in Psychology and minors in sociology and English from Andrews University. Her research interests include immigrant acculturation and assimilation, multicultural competence in mental health care, racial trauma, and implicit bias. These interests stem largely from her Filipino-Romanian background and her upbringing as a second-generation immigrant. In her free time, Irina loves to read, write, and sing. She also loves exploring cities––whether it’s her home-city of Seattle or her new neighborhood of Boston.

Sarah Quan, BA

Sarah (she/her) graduated from Boston College with a BA in Applied Psychology and Human Development as well as a double minor in Global Public Health and the Common Good, and Studio Art. She hopes to pursue graduate studies and a career in counseling psychology.

Her research interests center around socio-emotional psychology and the effects of racial and ethnic disparities among marginalized communities. Sarah is particularly interested in Asian American identity development and intergenerational trauma. In her free time, she enjoys film photography, international traveling, and live music!

Feng Wang, MS

Feng Wang is a researcher trained in Applied Statistics and Psychometrics at Boston College. Before that, he earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis. His research applies statistical and psychometric modeling to psychological and educational measurement, with a particular focus on latent variable modeling, online racism, and the psychological impact of social media. He has contributed to projects spanning Bayesian measurement invariance, latent class analysis of STEM persistence, and LMS of online racism and mental health engagement. Outside of research he enjoys cooking, e-sporting and playing badminton.