Lei Chen, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
Institute for Health Policy Studies
School of Medicine
Dr. Lei Chen is a postdoctoral scholar at the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. She is a trans-disciplinary and cross-cultural researcher whose research focuses on Long-term services and supports, immigrants' access to healthcare, migrant workforce, aging and health policy, aging and technology, and cross-cultural study.
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She applies both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to her research. Before joining UCSF, she worked on several research projects at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and collaborated with UCLA Human-Centered Computing and Intelligent Sensing Lab. Apart from being an academic, Lei actively engages in policy-related work (e.g., assisting in developing and implementing the Master Plan for Aging in California).
Lei is working closely with Dr. Joanne Spetz, Dr. Susan Chapman, Dr. Laura Wagner, Dr. Kezia Scales, and Dr. Bianca Frogner in the Advancing Workforce Analysis and Research for Dementia (AWARD). She is developing a data compendium, a research-ready harmonized dataset of policies and programs that affect the demand, supply, working conditions, and skills of direct care workers.
Awards
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- Inaugural Steven P. Wallace Emerging Advocate Award, Aging and Public Health Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA), 2022
- Health Equity Challenge Award, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and MolinaCares, 2022
- Inaugural Kathy Hyer Summer Policy Intern Award, The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), 2021
- Wei-Lim Lee Memorial Best Paper, UCLA Asian American Studies Center, 2021
Education & Training
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- Ph.D. Social Welfare University of California Los Angeles 06/2023
- M.S.P. Social Policy Washington University in St. Louis 08/2016
- M.A. Demography Fudan University 06/2015
- B.A. Sociology Nanjing University 06/2012
Interests
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- Aging and technology
- Migrant workforce
- Long-term Services and Supports
- Aging and health policy
- Immigrants' access to health care
Websites
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- AWARD Network (awardnetwork.ucsf.edu)
Publications (9)
Top publication keywords:
Law EnforcementHealth PolicySocial Control, FormalEmigration and ImmigrationHealth Services AccessibilityFearCaliforniaEmigrants and ImmigrantsHumansSocial Determinants of HealthPublic PolicyData CollectionEmploymentChinaSocial Isolation
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Persistent effects of legal status on healthcare access and outcomes: findings from a state-wide representative cross-sectional survey in California
BMJ Public Health 2024 Sudhinaraset M, Chen L, Pourat N, Nakphong MK, Young MT -
Beyond "Chilling Effects": Latinx and Asian Immigrants' Experiences With Enforcement and Barriers to Health Care.
Medical care 2023 Young MT, Tafolla S, Saadi A, Sudhinaraset M, Chen L, Pourat N -
Understanding the function of social capital among Mexican and Chinese immigrants in Southern California: A qualitative study.
SSM. Qualitative research in health 2023 Saadi A, Morales B, Chen L, Sudhinaraset M -
Immigrants' Enforcement Experiences and Concern about Accessing Public Benefits or Services.
Journal of immigrant and minority health 2023 Chen L, Young MT, Rodriguez MA, Kietzman K -
A Multiple-Stakeholder Perspective
of Patient–Provider Communication Among Families with Rare Diseases in
Taiwan Through a Cross-Cultural Lens
Int. J. Commun. 2023 Wu J, Hsiao HY, Chen L, Chang PS.
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Social exclusion at the intersections of immigration, employment, and healthcare policy: A qualitative study of Mexican and Chinese immigrants in California.
Social science & medicine (1982) 2022 Nakphong MK, De Trinidad Young ME, Morales B, Guzman-Ruiz IY, Chen L, Kietzman KG -
Cumulative Experiences of Immigration Enforcement Policy and the Physical and Mental Health
outcomes of Asian and Latinx immigrants
Int. Migr. Rev. 2021 Young MT, Chen L, Sudhinaraset M, Saadi A, Kietzman K, Wallace SP. -
Cross-Cultural Researchers'
Positionality in Immigrant Health Research: Reflections on Research Examining Chinese
Immigrants’ Experiences of Exclusion
Int. J. Qual. Methods 2021 Chen L, Tse HW, Wu D, Young MT. -
Environmental Volunteerism for Social Good: A Longitudinal Study of Older Adults’ Health
Res Soc Work Pract 2019 Hsiao HY, Hsu CT, Chen L, Wu J, Chang PS, Lin CL, Lin MN, Lin TK.