I am a sociologist and demographer in the Department of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. I study population-level racial/ethnic inequalities, manifested in economic and health differences in later life. My current research focuses on how both meso-level institutional conditions and micro-level social ties contribute to unequal economic- and health-related outcomes for older Americans. I am especially interested in understanding the inequities experienced by two historically important groups in the United States: African Americans and immigrants.
I am a 2024 Minority Serving Institutions Fellow at the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research National Coordinating Center. I was previously a Sloan Postdoctoral Fellow on Aging and Work at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and a postdoctoral scholar at the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. I received my doctorate in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
I have published in the American Journal of Epidemiology; Demography; Disability and Health Journal; the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; The Gerontologist; The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences; Population and Development Review; Social Forces; and SSM - Population Health. My work has received media attention from outlets such as the New York Times, the Population Reference Bureau, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
As a second-generation Korean American of working-class immigrants, I am a proud graduate of the New York City public school system. These personal experiences inform my approaches to teaching and mentoring students of color as well as students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. I also welcome connections with students with non-traditional pathways who have questions about pursuing graduate studies.