Stress, Coping and Health in Context Lab

Stress, Coping and Health in Context Lab, UC Irvine

Position: Junior Research Specialist (June 2025 - Present)

Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Kim, Ph.D.

Lab Website: sites.uci.edu/kimlab

Overview

Dr. Kim’s lab examines how stress and coping processes influence health outcomes, with a focus on understanding these relationships in diverse cultural contexts. I am currently supporting the DAWN (Describing Asian American Well-being and Needs in cancer) study, which aims to develop culturally adapted mental health interventions for metastatic cancer patients in Asian populations.

Key Projects

DAWN (Describing Asian American Well-being and Needs in cancer) Study

This mixed-methods study examines the acceptability and feasibility of adapting Managing Cancer And Living Meaningfully (CALM) Therapy for Asian American cancer patients.

My Contributions:

• Qualitative Analysis: Conducted reflexive thematic qualitative analyses of interviews with metastatic cancer healthcare professionals to assess their perspectives on culturally adapting CALM therapy
• Intervention Translation: Developed and translated CALM Therapy intervention manual into Chinese for Chinese-speaking patient groups
• Data Collection: Drafted longitudinal REDCap surveys across 3 timepoints using 16 different validated measures
• Bilingual Research: Verified, transcribed, and translated 9 Mandarin-speaking patient and caregiver interviews from Chinese to English
• Clinical Coordination: Completed training on patient recruitment and clinical research procedures at UCI hospitals; coordinated with physicians to identify and recruit eligible patients
• Literature Review: Conducted literature search and drafted review on psychological health among patients with chronic kidney disease

Skills Developed

• Qualitative Methods: Reflexive thematic analysis, interview transcription and translation
• Cultural Competence: Bilingual research (English/Mandarin), cultural adaptation of interventions
• Clinical Research: Patient recruitment in hospital settings, coordination with healthcare providers
• Survey Design: REDCap survey development for longitudinal studies
• Translation: Medical and psychological intervention materials

Language Skills

• Native: Mandarin Chinese
• Fluent: English

This position has deepened my understanding of how cultural factors influence mental health treatment engagement and the importance of culturally responsive care for underserved populations.