Biographical Sketch
Yeon Jin Choi, MSW
Ph.D. Student
Boston College
Education
MSW, Washington University in St. Louis; BA Seoul Woman’s University
Research Interests
Aging-in-place; environmental gerontology; community-based long-term care; well-being of communitydwelling older adults
Publishable Paper Title
Neighborhood safety, social cohesion, and psychological well-being of older adults (successfully defended
2015)
Organization Affiliations
Gerontological Society of America; Society for Social Work and Research; Korea Association of Social
Workers
Awards and Fellowships
Boston College Doctoral Fellowship; Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Interdisciplinary
Paper Award, Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (2015); George Warren Brown
School of Social Work Scholarship; Seoul Women’s University Scholarship of Excellent Academic
Achievement
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant for SCWK8841 Program Evaluation (Spring 2016); SCWK7747 Research Methods
(Fall 2015); SCWK9954 Models of Social Work Intervention Research (Spring 2015); SCWK8841
Program Evaluation (Spring 2015); SCWK7747 Research Methods (Fall 2014);
Research Experience
Research Internship (2015-2016) (Dr. Christina Matz-Costa): Participate in an intervention study of the
NIA-funded Boston Roybal Center for Active Lifestyle Interventions, “Enhancing the health-promoting
effects of older adults’ activity portfolios: The development, feasibility and initial efficacy of a real-time,
ecologically sensitive intervention”;
Research Assistant (2014) (Dr. Thanh V. Tran & Dr. Tam H. Nguyen): Conducted research on equivalence
of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale across gender and race applying item-response theory (IRT);
Research Assistant (2013-2014) (Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College: Dr. Jacquelyn B.
James & Dr. Christina Matz-Costa): Conducted multiple literature on various topics of productive
engagement in later life & conducted research on the effects of the number of roles and its quality on older
adults’ psychological well-being;
Research Internship (2010) (Urban Strategies, Inc.): Reviewed literature on services for senior adults living
in senior housing across agencies funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
Publications
Choi, Y. J. (2011). Millennium Park. Global Welfare Movement, 5, 37-39.
Choi, Y. J. (2011). Access Living: A Result of the Barrier Free Movement, Global Welfare
Movement, 5, 58-63.
Choi, Y. J. (2011). OASIS: Intergenerational tutoring program. Global Welfare Movement, 4, 3235.
Choi, Y. J. (2010). Alzheimer’s Association. Global Welfare Movement, 3, 53-59.
Special Experiences
Writer/Reporter (2010-2011), Seoul Welfare Foundation, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Selected Presentation
Choi, Y. J. & Matz-Costa, C. (January 2016). “Neighborhood Safety, Social Cohesion, and Psychological
Well-Being of Older Adults” Paper presented at the 20th Annual Conference of Society for Social Work
and Research (SSWR), Washington, DC.;
Choi, Y. J. & Matz-Costa, C. (November 2015). “Neighborhood Safety, Social Cohesion, and
Psychological Well-Being of Older Adults” Paper presented at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the
Gerontological Society of America, Orlando, FL (November).;
Choi, Y. J. & Than, T. (November 2015). “Cross-Cultural Equivalence of the Kessler 6 (K6) Scale between
White-American and Asian Elders” Poster presented at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the
Gerontological Society of America, Orlando, FL (November).