Yoonyoung Choi

Yoonyoung Choi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Sociology at the University of Arizona. Her research and teaching interests include population and health, health disparities, aging and life course, family and immigration, and quantitative/demographic methods.

 

Dr. Choi's research addresses critical gaps in understanding health disparities and the social determinants of disease and mortality. She employs a multi-level analytical framework to examine social factors—ranging from micro-level identities (race/ethnicity, gender, immigrant status) and meso-level family dynamics to macro-level systemic stratification—and their evolving influence on population health. Her research program encompasses three interrelated areas: (1) social determinants of health disparities in the United States and global contexts (e.g., East Asia), (2) mechanisms underlying health deterioration trends in the United States, and (3) the intersection of multiple social identities and health outcomes, with particular emphasis on immigrant and family contexts.

 

Dr. Choi's collaborative research has been published in leading journals including PNAS, Social Science & Medicine, Demographic Research, and Population Research and Policy Review. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in Demographic and Social Analysis from the University of California, Irvine, and dual bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Statistics from Ewha Womans University in South Korea.