Alumni Corner

Yena Kim (RHS 2017)

Current job title: 

Joint-PhD Student in Cognitive Psychology and Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business  

Job description:

I'm a doctoral student mainly working with Drs. Emma Levine and Howard Nusbaum. My research focuses on the psychology of personal change. As creatures of habit, people often struggle with revising old ways of thinking and doing, no matter how beneficial change may be. Thus, how can we inspire people to fulfill their potential? What is the role of honest communication in encouraging others to improve going forward, especially after facing failure? Using qualitative and experimental methods, both in-lab and out in the field, I study the social-cognitive factors underlying aspirations to improve oneself.

Recent publication:

Kim, Y., Nusbaum, H. C., & Yang, F. (2023). Going beyond ourselves: the role of self-transcendent experiences in wisdom. Cognition and Emotion, 37, 98–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2022.2149473 

Thoughts on the RHS Research Program:

Thanks to the Research Program and Dr. Weseley's mentorship, I was lucky enough to find my passions early on in life. I still use everything I learned in high school, from designing experiments to presenting my work to diverse audiences. My mind is full of my personal observations of human quirks and future study ideas. My research skills have helped me make use of my curiosity all throughout college and beyond. Research has always been a source of fun and creativity for me. Going forward, I hope to share that joy with others through my work and teaching.

Kevin Xu (RHS 2010).

Current job title: Faculty, Washington University in Saint Louis

Job description:

I am a pharmaco-epidemiologist and addiction doctor studying drugs, reproductive health, and psychiatric policy . Pharmaco-epi is a fancy name for data science research on drugs and medications. In pharmaco-epi, we use giant amounts of deidentified patient data procured from pharmacies and insurance companies, which sell patients’ deidentified claims to universities, non-profits, consulting firms, etc. Using these giant datasets, we can simulate clinical trials and study treatment outcomes in minoritized communities which are otherwise  difficult to reach via traditional human subjects research. Long story short, pharmaco-epi data presents a powerful alternative to the expensive and time-consuming process of recruiting human subjects. 

I joined the Wash U faculty in 2022 , recently jumped onto the tenure track, and lead a small but growing NIH-funded group. I am lucky to have a dynamic life. I travel a lot for meetings to go over data with policy experts  and often review manuscripts for various journals. I direct the addiction psychiatry clinical rotation at Wash U, where I see patients with med students/ residents and oversee training in med management and clinical evaluations. Most of the time, though,  I am poring through statistical code, writing/editing manuscripts, and working on grants. There’s overall never a boring moment!

Recent publications:

Thoughts on the RHS Research Program:

Dr. Weseley remains the prototype in my mind for what a great mentor should be. There are tons of people who taught me fancy statistical models and research methods in college and grad school, but few mentors like Dr. Weseley went out of their way to be a role model on personal development. It probably helped that my mind was malleable and pluripotent  as a teenager in high school, as the things Dr. Weseley taught me about work ethic, grit, coping with rejection, and communication ended up sticking years later.  

Michael Cervia (RHS 2012)