Stephanie Rhee

Research Interests

Stephanie Rhee is assistant professor of Social Work and teaches graduate social work courses. Her research interests include gerontology, immigrant acculturation on Korean immigrant elders, and social work education.  She completed her Ph. D. in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky in 2013.  Her dissertation title is Acculturative Stress and Depressive Symptoms among Korean Immigrant Elders Residing in Non-Korean Ethnic Enclaves.

Since 2014, she has taught at the department of social work at Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio.  During her stay at Youngstown State University, she conducted research studies on coping efficacy of expressive writing on acculturative stress and depressive symptoms among Korean immigrant elders.  She also collaborated with her gerontology steering committee members on a research project that involved faculty and students of gerontology, physical therapy, and social work, stakeholders of a community agency, and older adults in the community.  The project was part of community engagement and increased the field’s understanding of fall risk and outcomes among older adults in the community.

With her academic background in cross-cultural aging and her extensive clinical experience as a medical social worker in a health care setting, she is interested in integrating theory and practice to increase knowledge and improve practice in the areas of aging, minority aging, health care services, service delivery, end of life, informal/formal caregiving, and mental health. 

Education

Ph.D. Social Work, University of Kentucky
MSSA, Social Work, Case Western Reserve University
MA, Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University
MA, English Literature, Korea University, Korea
BA, English Literature, Seoul Women’s University, Korea