Ansuk Jeong

Born and raised in South Korea, acculturated to the U.S., and travelled 70+ cities in 30+ countries thus far, diversity and inclusion have been the topic of life to Ansuk Jeong as her personal experiences are the essential assets of her professional identity. She values the diversity of contexts not only in research design and applications, but also in teaching and mentoring students from various cultural backgrounds. Her lived experience as the youngest daughter of a musical family, as a witness to the byproducts of cancer to family, and as a primary caregiver of an elderly member who maintained dignity till the last moment of life led her to envisioning sustainable support for families in communities.

On 2026, she embarks on new research that integrates three domains of her passion: music, community engagement, and research. As a Vincentian Endowment Fund recipient, she will work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Negaunee Music Institute to promote post-traumatic growth among the parents who lost their children to gun violence.  

Education

• PhD Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
  (Minor) Education Policy and Measurement
• MA Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
• BA Psychology & Korean Linguistics and Literature, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

Research Interests

• Design Thinking for Family Support Intervention, Social Innovation and Family Support
• Quality Care for the Elderly, Family Caregivers’ Mental Health
• Community Intervention for Social Connection
• Community Intervention for Post-Traumatic Growth

Fellowships and Awards

• Vincentian Endowment Fund Principal Grants Recipient (2026-2028)
• Community-based Research Faculty Fellowship (2025-2026)
• Health-Equity Focused, Community-Engaged Research Fellow (2023-2025)
• Research Scholar (2023-2025) of Society for Community Research and Action (Division #27 of American Psychological Association)

Selected Publications

• Samuels, H. & Jeong, A.* (2025). Protecting against loneliness: The mediating role of sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology, 53, e23167.
• Choi, H., Jeong, S., Jun, K., Kim, B., Han, K., Jung, W., Jeong, A., & Shin, D. (2024). Depression risk among breast cancer survivors: A nationwide cohort study in South Korea. Breast Cancer Research, 26, 188.
• Park, K., Lee, D., Eom, J., Chang, E., & Jeong, A.* (2023). Development and validation of Loneliness, Second-Order Common Factor (L-SOCF) Scale. Korean Journal of Psychology: Social and Personality Psychology, 37 (4), 573-608.
• Jung, W., Park, J., Jeong, A., Cho, J.H., Jeon, Y.J., & Shin, D.W. (2023). Fear of cancer recurrence and its predictors among survivors of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Journal of Cancer Survivorship, Journal Article
• Jeong, Y., Jeong, A.*, Park, K., Kim, B., & Min, J. (2022). Validity and reliability of Korean version of modified fatigue impact scale (MFIS) questionnaire in Korean patients with multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 62, 103811.
• Ryu, J., Jeong, A., Min, J., Lee, D., Lee, J., Song, I., Jeon, J. (2022). The relationship between domain-specific physical activity and depressive symptoms in Korean adults: Analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Journal of Affective Disorders, 302, 428-434.
• Yeon, S., Min, J., Byeon, J., Min, J., Ryu, J., Jeong, A., Kim., J., Kim, S., & Jeon, J.Y. (2021). Exercise barriers and facilitators for breast cancer patients. Exercise Science, 32(2), 192-204.
• Jeong, A.* (2020). Our communities post-COVID-19. Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, 39(4), 300-308.
• Jeong, A.* & Cho, S. (2020). Ordinary responses to an extraordinary disaster: Sewol Ferry sinking and the victim families’ experience. Journal of Trauma Nursing, 27(1), 42-49.
• Jeong, A.*, Shin, D., Park, J., & Park, K. (2019). What we talk about when we talk about caregiving: The distribution of roles in cancer patient caregiving in a family-oriented culture. Cancer Research and Treatment, 51(1), 141-149.