Principal Investigator

Yeonwoo Kim

Yeonwoo Kim

Director, Social Determinants of Health Lab
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology

UTA Mentis Faculty Profile

Undergraduate Researcher Assistants

Sei Jin Kim

Hello, my name is Sei Jin Kim. I am a pre-dental student with a B.S. in health management from Saint Louis University and a former non-degree student at UTA. I am interested in public health research that seeks to influence interventions aimed at reducing health disparities.

Jimmy Tang Vo

Hi, my name is Jimmy Vo, I am a public health student at UTA under the pre-med route. I like to work with many kinds of people and share knowledge as well as receive it any way that I can. Public health to me is a great opportunity to branch out into the community and see how health impacts the community hands-on.

Ami Patel

Hello, my name is Ami Patel. I am a senior B.S. Public Health student. I graduate with my BSPH degree in 2024 and will continue to pursue my MPH in epidemiology. I am interested in pursuing a career in epidemiology or infectious disease since I enjoy the research and disease control aspect of public health.

Linkedin

Camilla Ortega

Hi, my name is Camilla, and I am a senior in the BSPH program and will be graduating in the spring of 2024. I am on a pre-medical track but hope to obtain my MPH in epidemiology or quantitative sciences first. I am particularly interested in the social determinants of health surrounding chronic disease prevalence and management among vulnerable populations.

Michelle Nwoke

 I’m a dedicated public health student at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). With a passion for improving community well-being, I’m committed to making a positive impact on public health outcomes through research and advocacy.

Dara Nahal

Hello, my name is Dara Nahal. I am a senior undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology and a bachelor’s degree in public health. I will graduate from UTA in the Spring 2024 semester. After my graduation, I will continue to further my education in public health. I am interested in all aspects of public health research. I aspire to work as a public health professional and make a positive impact on diverse populations through research. 

Gabriel Vidal

Hi, my name is Gabriel Vidal. I am a biology student at UTA that is working towards medical school. My goal is to learn as much as I can about public health and the social determinants of health so that I can integrate that knowledge into my future medical practice and better serve my community. I am dedicated to making a beneficial contribution through my work in research and medicine.

Graduate Researcher Assistants

Katherine Kitchens

My name is Katherine Kitchens (she/her/hers), and I’m a Dallas native. I have a B.A. in political philosophy and an MSW with a concentration in Community and Administrative Practice. I’m pursuing a Ph.D. in social work, and I’m a social worker at a community clinic in Dallas, working with resettled refugees. My research focuses on older refugees and social determinants of refugee health, particularly cognitive health and somatic idioms of distress. My continued work with refugees gives me a unique perspective on the challenges faced by this resilient population. In addition to my work with refugees, I have a professional background in teaching, writing, and editing. 

Soeun Jang

 Hello, My name is Soeun Jang, I am a PhD student in the School of Social Work at UTA. I’d like to focus on studying in Older adults with chronic health issues; Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia; Aging and social determinants of health; Neighborhood environment and older adults with dementia; Family caregiving experiences.

Former Lab Members

Sami Ullahansari, Undergraduate Intern (2021-2023)

Faheem Ohri (2021-2022)

Leslie Cantu (2023)