Meet the Researchers!
Dr. Derek Iwamoto, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Broadly, the aim of Dr. Derek Iwamoto’s research is to address health disparities experienced by traditionally underserved and understudied groups including African Americans and Asian Americans by 1) identifying socio-cultural factors and mechanisms that influence the development of substance use and mental health problems, and 2) conducting translational research to inform and augment substance abuse treatment and interventions targeting at-risk ethnic and racial minority adolescents and young adults. To date, his work has contributed to the literature by examining the influence of socio-cultural factors including racial socialization (i.e., racial consciousness, racial/ethnic group attachment) and gender socialization, or the beliefs, attitudes and expectations of what it means to be a man or woman (adherence to masculine and feminine norms), on substance abuse and mental health problems among ethnically diverse populations. Dr. Iwamoto recently edited the first ever book on counseling interventions with Asian American men.
Vincent Le, B.S.
Lab Manager
Vincent serves as the study coordinator. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2023 with a degree in Psychology and minor in Sociology and Adaptive Brain and Behavior. They plan on pursuing a PhD in psychology and is interested in understanding social determinants of health through the lens of socioeconomic status and race. In his free time, you can find Vincent cooking, playing video games, and hanging with their cat.
Julia Cho, B.S.
Lab Coordinator
Julia is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Her research interests lie in exploring biopsychosocial and cultural risk factors intersecting with various avoidant coping behaviors, such as substance use. Julia holds proficient technical skills in R, such as statistical data analysis (e.g., regression, ANOVA, other models in the GLM)
and data visualization (e.g., ggplot2). She plans to apply to PhD programs to continue her education in psychological research. In her free time, she enjoys painting, baking, fishing, playing piano, and guitar.
Yuxiang Lai, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Yuxiang is in the Master of Professional Studies program for Clinical Psychological Sciences, expecting to graduate in the Autumn of 2025. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in the Spring of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He previously worked as a research assistant in the Maryland Early EdCorp program in the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention. Yuxiang’s research interests include: effects of cultural socialization on presentation and treatment of varying mental illnesses, with a focus on youth and adolescents. In his free time, he likes to dance, read, write, and play video games.
Louisa Wetzel, B.S.
Graduate Research Assistant
Louisa is currently a student in the University of Maryland’s MPS Program in Clinical Psychological Science. She is passionate about researching mental health in underrepresented populations. She aims to become a clinical psychologist. Louisa enjoys reading, playing basketball, going to the gym, and playing the guitar.
Aastha Patel
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Aastha is a double major in Neurobiology and Physiology and Psychology at the University of Maryland. She is passionate about researching health disparities in underserved communities and aims to apply this knowledge to her future career as a medical professional. In her free time, she likes to cook and play tennis.
Aiman Irfan
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Aiman is an undergraduate Biochemistry major at the University of Maryland. Her research interests include epidemiology/public health, social cognition, and substance abuse. She plans to pursue a career in the medical field in the future. In her free time, Aiman enjoys playing video games, video editing, and spending time with friends and family.
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Next Generation Asian American Health Study 