Dr. Kun Wang
The Department of Social Work is excited to welcome Drs. Kun Wang and Jay O’Shields as new Assistant Professors.
Dr. Kun Wang previously taught for the Department of Social Work at The State University of New York at Binghamton. Guided by the Social Determinants of Health and Intersectionality Frameworks, her research seeks to reduce disparities in cognitive health and psychological well-being among older adults, especially for those who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC).
Dr. Wang has collaborated with researchers across disciplines, including gerontology, psychology, neuropsychology, nursing, and public health, and authored numerous peer-reviewed articles. Her scholarship also demonstrates versatility in advanced statistics, including structural equation modeling, multilevel modeling, growth curve and mixture modeling, and cross-lagged panel modeling.
Dr. Wang has taught courses on research methods, program evaluation, history of social welfare in the US. She received her MSW and PhD from the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama.
Dr. Jay O’Shields received his MSW and PhD from the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia. His research and teaching interests are mental health diagnosis and treatment; biomarkers; social determinants of mental and physical health; and advanced quantitative methods.
Dr. Jay O'ShieldsDr. O’Shields conducts a translational program of research with the primary goal of improving mental and physical health outcomes for people who experience major depressive disorder. He uses advanced quantitative methods to better understand how the social environment ‘gets under the skin,’ affecting biological systems associated with depressive symptoms. The primary focus of his research explores how experiences of childhood maltreatment affect inflammatory signaling and depressive symptoms in adulthood. His work has been published in Social Science & Medicine, Psychoneuroendocrinology, and Journal of Affective Disorders.
Dr. O’Shields has taught at the undergraduate and graduate level. His teaching experience has focused mainly on direct practice and statistical analysis. He greatly enjoys mentoring students and helping them see how their work can make a positive impact in the world.
Outside of work, Dr. O’Shields enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, and playing guitar. His favorite guitar is a blue 7-string S-series Ibanez.
