What I do
I conduct research to examine social determinants of health and mental health disparities among older adults to inform the development, evaluation, and implementation of culturally sensitive interventions to improve their mental health outcomes. I teach research methods, program development and evaluation, and statistical analysis, and am committed to motivating more social workers to develop and implement evidence-based services to vulnerable populations.
Specialization(s)
aging and gerontology, disparities, race and ethnicity, research methods, quantitative research methods
Professional Biography
Associate Professor Kaipeng Wang focuses on examining psychosocial factors that influence older adults' health and mental health outcomes, advance care planning, and dementia prevention. Utilizing a social determinants of health framework, his research aims to understand how elements such as discrimination, acculturation, and food insecurity contribute to health and mental health disparities among ethnic minorities and immigrants, particularly older adults. To pursue his academic inquiries, Wang primarily employs advanced quantitative methods, including multi-level modeling, longitudinal data analysis, structural equation modeling, and spatial statistics. He is the Principal Investigator (PI) or sub-award PI of several research projects funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the NextFifty Initiative. His research findings have been published in scientific journals such as Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Journal of Aging and Health, Journal of Applied Gerontology, Psychosomatic Medicine, Journal of Affective Disorders, and Preventive Medicine. Additionally, Professor Wang serves as an Editorial Board Member for Innovation in Aging and is a commissioner of the Denver Commission on Aging.
Degree(s)
- MSW, Social Work, University of South Carolina
- Ph.D., Social Work, Boston College
Professional Affiliations