Research Scientist
Kessler Foundation
My current positions include: 1) Associate Research Scientist of Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation; 2) Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School. I received my academic training in multiple disciplines including sociology, public health and rehabilitation counseling/vocational rehabilitation, I have extensive knowledge in all three areas, and I have applied that knowledge in my programmatic research in vocational rehabilitation, with the goal to improve employment outcomes and quality of life for individuals with disabilities. I am also a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) and a certified vocational evaluation specialist (CVE), I have clinical experience in state/federal vocational rehabilitation program and community-based rehabilitation program. I have developed strong knowledge and skills in research designs, applied statistics, qualitative research method, and database management during my doctoral and postdoctoral training. My programmatic research includes (a) vocational rehabilitation, (b) health and disability/ICF model, (c) demand-side employment. I continue to conduct research in this topic and I am interested in developing health promotion, mind-body/mindfulness and psychosocial interventions to help people with disabilities maintain their physical and mental health and employment. I also have a strong interest in developing and evaluating evidence-based vocational rehabilitation intervention, especially in early vocational intervention. I have published over 40 refereed articles, and five book chapters related to psychosocial aspects of disability, and disability and employment. I am current leading two studies, the first is funded by the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), investigating stakeholders experience of Vocational Resources Facilitation – Spinal Cord Injury program (PI: Chen), the findings will be used to improve the program manual and training sessions for service providers. The second is the psychosocial postdoctoral fellow grant funded by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, a mixed-method study investigating the experience and perception of patients with spinal cord injury, their employers and state vocational rehabilitation counselors in returning to work after spinal cord injury. My long-term research goal is to continue to contribute to disability and employment research and to develop research informed, evidence-based vocational rehabilitation interventions for different chronic illness and disabilities, including cancer survivors.
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