Dr. Soo-Young Hong, Advisor

I began my professional career in clinical nursing practice, but sooner did I realize that the most detrimental consequences of the civil war and the deadly Ebola virus disease (EVD) impacting the well-being of the Liberian people were not physical health but rather mental health issues, with children being more at risk. This has shifted my interest in child development and early childhood education to help promote children’s healthy growth and development by striving to create a safe, stable, and nurturing care environment where they can thrive. My research interests centered around children’s mental health, attachment, generational transmission of adverse childhood experiences, and the effects on children’s social-emotional development and academic achievement.

Awards

1. Israeli Government International MA Scholarship program for developing countries, University of Haifa, Israel.
2. The Two Lilies Foundation Scholarship to attend the International Step by Step Association “2019 Nurturing Care Conference” in Leiden, the Netherlands.
3. Scholarship to attend the 7^th annual Leadership in Mental Health Course for WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region at American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Conference Participation

1. The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) “2019 Nurturing Care” Conference, Leiden, the Netherlands
2. The 2020 Donald J. Cohen Fellowship Program for the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professionals (IACAPAP), Singapore
3. The 1^st and 3^rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA), 2021, 2023

Highlighted Publications & Presentations

Stephens, M. T., Juniastuti, J., Sulistiawati, S., Dossen, P. C., (2024). The potential risk components and prevention measures of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia: An in-depth interview with the health workers and stakeholders. Belitung Nursing Journal. https://doi.org/10.33546/bnj.3069