Previous education:
Background and professional experience:
Since receiving her BSW, Cho Rong has accumulated diverse research experiences in the areas of gerontology, health disparities, mental health, behavioral health, and rurality among minority population. She acquired international field experience for both BSW and MSW field placements in South Korea where generalist practice is prevalent. From these opportunities, she acquired diverse practice experience from case management to program development and administration. Also, she worked with diverse populations, including children from low-income family, elders, multicultural families, children with intellectual disabilities, adults with schizophrenia, and North Korean defectors.
Applying her personal immigrant background and diverse research and practice experiences, her dissertation aims to understand immigrant-specific challenges, including cultural barriers and discrimination, that impact mental health of Korean Americans residing in rural southern US. Using a community-based participatory research approach and mixed methods research, she hopes to develop a community center that can support diverse needs of Korean Americans.
