Anticipated Graduation: June 2021
Research Interests: Community and home-based dementia care, Integrated health and social services, Health management for older adults Home- and community-based services, Informal and formal caregiving for older adults, Social work in geriatric services, and Resilience in caregiving
Awards: Martha H. Duggan Fellowship in Caring Labor (2020) and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) / Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Social Work HEALS Doctoral Fellowship
Yuanjin Zhou’s scholarship is informed by her personal background as a firstgeneration immigrant from China and her ten years of practice and research experience with older adults and their caregivers in China and in the U.S. Specifically, Yuanjin’s research focuses on the intersection of dementia care, health management for older adults, and caregiving. Her research aims to develop public health and clinical interventions and inform policies to empower dementia caregivers in managing their own health and wellbeing as well as that of those they care for. Her research agenda addresses aging, disability, and caregiving as social justice issues by examining biopsycho- social factors and mechanisms that impact people’s experiences of aging, being disabled, and caregiving.
Yuanjin conducted a transdisciplinary, exploratory sequential mixed methods dissertation examining the experiences of informal care partners (families, friends, partners, neighborhood) in managing fall risk for community-dwelling older adults living with dementia. This work was awarded one of four Health Care Education and Leadership Scholars (HEALS) fellowships through the Council on Social Work Education and National Association of Social Workers Foundation. Her dissertation identifies possible points of intervention and policy development to improve current dementia services, public health services for older adults, caregiver services, and advocacy. Yuanjin enjoys teaching research methods and courses on aging, disability, caregiving, health disparities, social and health policies, and interprofessional collaboration.
Email: yjzhou@uw.edu