Lily Kim

Youn Kyoung "Lily" Kim, PhD, LMSW

Associate Professor

Office: 3214 Huey P. Long Fieldhouse
Phone: 225-578-1019
E-mail: ykim@lsu.edu

Education 

PhD, Social Work, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2016
MSW, Social Welfare, Sookmyung Women’s University, 2008
BA, Library and Information Science, Sookmyung Women’s University, South Korea, 1993

Brief Biography

Dr. Kim's overarching research program explores the interconnections between mental health and health risk behaviors among marginalized populations, especially youth, immigrants, and refugees. Particularly, her research addresses behavioral health inequities and identifies salient risk and protective factors to achieve health/mental health equity while exploring pathways to enhanced resilience and improved well-being among these populations. Dr. Kim has worked with children and youth in school contexts, addressing inequalities in behavioral health access for minoritized children and adolescents across underserved communities. Dr. Kim's community-engaged research with refugee populations have addressed the inextricable link between financial empowerment and mental well-being. Over the course of her academic career, Dr. Kim has been involved in developing and implementing culturally responsive community and school-based interventions that address risky health-related behaviors across culturally diverse youth and refugee groups. 

Research Interests

  • Mental health and health risk behaviors among marginalized populations (e.g., at-risk youth, refugees, and immigrants)
  • Gender and racial disparities in behavioral health
  • School-based intervention research
  • Community-based participatory research
  • Financial empowerment and mental health among refugees

Publications

Visit My Google Scholars Page

Selected Grants

Charting a Course for Economic Mobility and Responsible Parenting, Cohort 2: Educate, Stimulate, Graduate Initiative (2022-2025). Project summary authored by B. Wittenberg & E. Harmeyer. Funded By: The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Awarded to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, OCSE. Award Amount: $1,033,307. LSU Portion: $318,325.00. Collaborator: C. Lemieux (Co-PI), LSU School of Social Work. Role: Principal Investigator 

R&D Partnerships for Math Equity. Funded By: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2022-2025). Budget Total: East Baton Rouge School Parish School System, $3.5 million. Subaward to LSU Social Research & Evaluation Center, $473,000. Collaborators: J. Rhodes (PI), S. Robison (Co-PI), C. Sinclair (Co-PI), & S. Terrio (Co-I), LSU Social Research & Evaluation Center. Role: Co-Investigator

The Afghan Community Project: Mapping Refugee Resettlement and Inclusion Apparatus in Central Ohio (2022-2024). Funded By: The Ohio State University College of Social Work Community Engaged Research Pilot Grant ($30,000) and The Columbus Foundation ($10,000). Collaborators: A. Maleku (PI), Karandikar (Co-PI), J. Kirsch (Co-I), The Ohio State University College of Social Work; S. Mansuri, A. Zarghoon, A. Shejad, G. Klinger, S. Dada, & C. Gossman, Community Refugee and Immigration Services. Role: Co-Investigator

Drawing the Line of Mental Health Risk & Resilience among Bhutanese Refugees in Ohio: A Cultural Cartography of Migration & Mobility (2017-2020). Funded By: OKURA Mental Health Scholarship, Asian and Pacific Islander Social Workers Association, Council on Social Work Education. Budget Total: $7,000. Collaborator: A. Maleku (PI), The Ohio State University. Role: Co-Investigator

Financial Empowerment for African Refugees in Baton Rouge: A Healing-Centered Approach (2019-2022). Funded By: LSU School of Social Work Seed Grant. Budget Total: $7,500. Collaborator: A. Maleku (Co-PI), The Ohio State University. Role: Principal Investigator

Selected Awards

  • 2021: Best Empirical Article of Volume 56, Journal of Social Work Education
  • 2021: Non-Tenured Faculty Award, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, Louisiana State University Chapter
  • 2019: Champion for Change Award, Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants