2024 KASWEA-KIHASA Inaugural Joint Forum

Welcome from the KASWEA

On behalf of the Korean American Social Work Educators Association (KASWEA), it is our great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all of you at this collaborative and inaugural KIHASA (Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs in South Korea)-KASWEA (Korean American Social Work Educators Association in the U.S.) Joint Forum in the United States of America. We are thrilled to see such a dynamic group of professionals, experts, and enthusiasts from South Korea and the U.S. gather here in Washington, DC, today.

This joint forum serves as a unique platform for the exchange of ideas, sharing of knowledge, and fostering meaningful collaborations. As we embark on this collective journey, we anticipate stimulating discussions, ongoing innovative conversations, and the forging of lasting connections among our esteemed participants, including social work professionals, practitioners, policy makers, community development leaders, educators, and advocates.

The diversity of perspectives represented here today is a testament to the richness of our collective experience from South Korea and in the U.S. It is through the collaboration of minds from various working experiences, backgrounds, and expertise that we can address the complex challenges we face and explore new opportunities together, including in the areas of child welfare and mental health. We encourage active participation, open dialogue, and the sharing of your valuable insights. Let this joint forum be a space where ideas flourish, partnerships emerge, and collective wisdom drives us forward.

Once again, welcome to the KIHASA-KASWEA inaugural Joint Forum. We look forward to a productive and enriching exchange over the coming days.

Sincerely,

Suk-hee Kim, Ph.D., KASWEA President

KASWEA Board of Directors

KASWEA's SSWR Outreach Committee

Special Acknowledgement

KASWEA-KIHASA extends heartfelt appreciation to the KASWEA Board of Directors, the KASWEA 2024 SSWR Outreach Committee, the KIHASA Joint Forum Administrators/Collaborators, joint forum moderator, and discussion facilitators for their invaluable contributions in making the 2024 inaugural KIHASA-KASWEA Joint Forum possible. Your dedication and collaborative efforts have played a key role in bringing this event to fruition. We would also like to express our gratitude to KIHASA for their warm hospitality, which includes providing the joint forum conference room and refreshments. Your generosity has contributed to creating a welcoming and conducive environment for meaningful discussions and interactions.

2024 KASWEA-KIHASA Joint Forum Presenters

Soohyoung Rain Lee, Ph.D., MSW
Assistant Professor
Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University

Dr. Lee’s research focuses on utilizing advanced mathematical modeling techniques to address critical public health and social issues related to disparities in healthcare access and social resource availability. Employing a comprehensive blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, his work delves into the multifaceted challenges surrounding both the quality and affordability of healthcare services. Furthermore, Dr. Lee’s research extends to an exploration of the barriers individuals face when attempting to access mainstream financial products. Driven by a commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces that span generations, he actively advocates for the integration of multi-generational dynamics within a social context. Currently, Dr. Lee’s research investigates the characteristics of child welfare caseworkers, with particular emphasis on authentic behavior, in an effort to enhance retention rates and boost job satisfaction within an often-unstable workspace environment.

Yoon Mi Kim, Ph.D., MSW

Associate Professor, Department of Social Work

Kutztown University

Dr. Yoon Mi Kim earned a PhD in social work from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in social work from California State University at Los Angeles. Dr. Kim is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and teaches in the BSW, MSW, and DSW programs. Her scholarship includes presentations and publications pertinent to child welfare, disaster relief, acculturation, and policy advocacy.

Sang Jung Lee, Ph.D., MSW

Research Fellow, Child and Family Policy Research Center, KIHASA

Dr. Sang Jung Lee earned a PhD in social work from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Seoul. Dr. Lee is Research Fellow in the Center of Child and Family Policy Research at Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Dr. Lee's research focuses on child welfare policies related to children in out-of-home care, such as child protection systems, foster care, policy and services for supporting aging-out youth, and the service delivery systems. She has been carrying out national-level research projects to provide scientific evidence for child welfare policy improvement at KIHASA.

Jina Jun, Ph.D., MSW

Head, Center for Psychosocial Health Research, KIHASA

Dr. Jina Jun earned a PhD in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in social work from the Seoul National University. Dr. Jun is the Head of the Center for Psychosocial Health Research at Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Dr. Jun's research focuses on mental health policies. She has conducted research on establishing the national mental health plan and the suicide prevention plan and is currently conducting a survey of people with severe mental illness and their families.

Isabel Sangeun Lee, Ph.D. Candidate, Adjunct Professor, LSW, CCM, MSW

Isabel Sangeun Lee is a Ph.D. candidate at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research (GSSWSR) at Bryn Mawr College. As a licensed social worker (LSW) in Pennsylvania and a federally certified case manager (CCM), Isabel works with older adults in one of the three Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in the long term care fields in Pennsylvania. Her dedication to assisting Asian immigrant populations needing culturally and linguistically appropriate services for adequate health and social service access earned her the McPherson Presidential Award for Excellence at Bryn Mawr College in 2020. Isabel was selected as a national policy fellow and attended the Doctoral Scholar Institute (DSI) by the Rutgers School of Social Work and the Network for Social Work Management (NSWM) in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Isabel’s research interests have yielded multiple academic journal articles and national and international conferences on Asian American immigrant populations, bicultural and bilingual Asian human service workers, the COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 racism, and ethnic-community engagement against COVID-19 racism. As the recipient of the Rivits doctoral dissertation award in 2023, her dissertation focuses on the impact of racially informed factors on the working conditions and burnout of bicultural and bilingual Asian human service workers.

2024 KASWEA-KIHASA Joint Forum Moderator &

Discussion Facilitators

Moderator

Eun Koh, PhD, MSW

Associate Professor

Director, Center for the Advancement of Children, Youth, and Families

National Catholic School of Social Service

The Catholic University of America

Dr. Eun Koh is an associate professor at The Catholic University of American School of Social Work. She also serves as the director of the Center for the Advancement of Children, Youth, and Families within the school. She earned her master’s and doctoral degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and her bachelor’s degree at the Seoul National University. Her main area of research focuses on children and family services and policies, including child maltreatment and kinship care. Another area of her research is immigrants’ well-being. She is a strong advocate of translational research and has extensive research experience in collaboration with governmental and non-profit agencies.

Facilitator

Haksoon Ahn, Ph.D., MA, Associate Professor, University of Maryland, School of Social Work

Dr. Haksoon Ahn is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work. Dr. Ahn’s research interests focus on the evaluation of child and family welfare utilizing large-scale datasets. Dr. Ahn has been leading a range of research projects funded by Maryland Department of Human Services as a Principal Investigator. These projects include a statewide evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency of child welfare services and policies; Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), and impacts of family engagement on child welfare services. Dr. Ahn’s work aims to inform policy and practice to enhance safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children and families. Dr. Ahn received her MA and PhD in Social Policy from Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and BA and MSW from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea.

Facilitator

Woojong Kim, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Social Work Department

University of Michigan-Flint

Dr. Woojong Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Michigan-Flint. Her research interests encompass health status and outcomes among individuals facing adverse life and environmental challenges. Currently, her research investigates the physical and mental health status of community residents experiencing food insecurity, primarily due to limited mobility and financial strain in Flint, Michigan, with the goal of suggesting improvements to the services provided by the community-based agency. This study is conducted through community-based participatory research.

Facilitator

Haein Son, LCSW-R/CASAC-Master,

Doctoral Student in Social Welfare,

The Graduate Center

City University of New York

Haein Son, LCSW-R/CASAC-Master, is a second-year doctoral student at the Graduate Center of City University of New York. He received his Master’s in Social Work from the State University of New York at Albany. He currently works as the Director of External Review at the New York City Children’s Center. Over the past twenty years, he has been a strong advocate for addressing mental health issues in the Asian American community. He is the co-founder and past president of Korean American Behavioral Health Association, Inc. He published a book with two other editors entitled “Understanding Korean Americans’ Mental Health – A Guide to Culturally Competent Practices, Program Developments, and Policies” in 2021. He is interested in learning how Asian Americans define mental health crises and what drives them to seek mental health crisis or emergency services. He would also like to expand his research interests to include developing a better and more effective crisis care system and evaluating crisis interventions, including the new 988 system.

2024 Inaugural Joint Forum Gallery