RESEARCH

"Loneliness is not just personal; it’s also environmental."

My research focuses on social isolation and loneliness in later life, with an emphasis on how housing and neighborhood environments shape these experiences. Drawing on socio-ecological theory, person-environment fit, and systems perspective, I examine the interplay between individual and contextual factors of social connection among older adults.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles

Below are selected peer-reviewed articles, each representing different levels of factors for social connection. Full research papers can be found here.

Individual/Interpersonal-level Factors

Park, S., Park, S., Kim, B., Amano, T., & Baek, J. (2025). Social Relationship Patterns and Their Association with Emotional and Social Loneliness in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments. Aging & Mental Health, 1–10. [Link]
- - One-sentence summary: For cognitively impaired older adults, supportive close ties protect against emotional loneliness, while larger, inclusive networks protect against social loneliness.

Community-level Factors

Baek, J., Kim, B., Park, S., & Ryu, B. (2024). Loneliness Among Low-Income Older Immigrants Living in Subsidized Senior Housing: Does Perceived Social Cohesion Matter? Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 67(1), 80-95. [Link]
- - One-sentence summary: Neighborhood social cohesion moderates loneliness among older immigrants, underscoring its value as a community-level protective factor.
Park, S., Baek, J., Ryu, B., Ko, A., Kim, J., Amano, T., & Kim, H. (2025). Understanding “Communities” in Community-Based Senior Housing Models: A Scoping Review. Journal of Aging and Environment, 1-19. [Link]
- - One-sentence summary: Community-based senior housing models can foster belonging, engagement, and mutual support through social programs, shared spaces, and informal care.

Macro-level Factors

Kang, J., Shin, O., Park, S., Baek, J., & Kwak, M. (2025). Material, Health, and Social Vulnerability and Loneliness among Older Adults: From the Welfare Regime Perspective. Research on Aging. 1-14. [Link]
- - One-sentence summary: Older adults facing material, health, and social vulnerabilities are more likely to experience loneliness, and this risk is especially pronounced in less generous welfare regimes.

Selected Research Experiences

Below are my major research experiences, where I served either as 1) project coordinator, taking responsibility for the entire process, or 2) research associate, in a role beyond that of an assistant. All of these are community-engaged, funded research projects through which I gained experience across the full research cycle, from data collection to dissemination of results.

Additional research projects can be found here.

A Baseline Study on Senior Housing with Services for Low-income Older Adults in St. Louis

I coordinated a primary data collection project funded by the Public Health Cubed Grant from the Institute of Public Health (private research center grant, $15,000). This study focused on housing and health, and it became especially meaningful as it resulted in my first first-authored research paper [Link].

Starting entirely from scratch, I was responsible for contacting housing facilities, conducting in-person data collection (200+ respondents), managing manual data entry, overseeing analysis, and leading the full write-up process.

Through this project, I gained first-hand experience in carrying out a research project through every stage, from design to dissemination.

The Role of Senior Housing on the Health of Older Immigrants in the Greater Chicago Area

I coordinated a community-engaged research project funded by the Research Development Award at the Brown School (internal grant, $5,000).

Building on a baseline study, this project expanded geographically and was conducted in a hybrid format. I traveled to Chicago for in-person data collection while also coordinating phone-based surveys during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through this work, I realized that primary data collection is most meaningful when rooted in collaboration with community partners. As my second major project, I was also able to devote more attention to managing the survey team and strengthening institutional partnerships.

Senior Living Community Service Model & Operation Strategy Research [Link: Korean]

I worked as a research associate on a community-engaged project funded by the Good Neighbors Mirae Foundation (private foundation grant, $20,000).

Focusing on the Korean baby boomer generation, this study investigated services and operational strategies for future-oriented senior housing models that go beyond the physical environment to embed opportunities for social participation, volunteering, and community engagement after retirement.

The project employed diverse research methodologies, including a large-scale online survey (700+ respondents), focus groups, and expert interviews. A manuscript from this work is currently under review.

Conferences, Traning, and Networking

I have been attending the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) conferences since 2019, shortly after earning my MSW.

My first experience remains vivid: as both a first-time attendee and a kiosk volunteer, I had the chance to meet and converse with many renowned gerontologists! That moment marked the beginning of my journey as an emerging researcher.

In addition to presenting my work, I had the privilege of participating in various interest groups, pre-conference workshops, and social gatherings at GSA.

It has been an honor to learn from leading scholars and gerontology pioneers, and I feel fortunate to share this journey with friends and colleagues who are emerging scholars supporting one another.

As an emerging scholar, I actively pursue opportunities to engage in conferences and specialized statistical/data training workshops to strengthen my research skills and develop my scholarly trajectory.

With full support from IPUMS, I attended the Data-Intensive Research Conference in 2024. I am also currently receiving online training on the HRS and NHATS datasets.

For 2024-2025, I was honored to be selected as a Pre-Dissertation Fellow through AGESW. [Link]

The workshops and connections with colleagues offered invaluable insights that shaped both my dissertation and my broader academic journey. Thanks to this program, I was able to begin thinking about my dissertation early and get a head start.

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