Research at a glance
Research Topics
Research Summary
Dr. Yu’s research focuses on advancing public health social work (PHSW) through the study of health disparities, social and structural determinants of health, and the implementation of evidence-based strategies to promote health equity.
Dr. Yu is a featured blogger for Pyschology Today. Check out Toward Better Living: Evidence-Based Insights into Health, Mental Health, and Quality of Life.
Education
- PhD, Washington University, 2006
- MSW, Washington University, 2001
- MA, Yonsei University, 2000
- BA, Sungkyunkwan University, 1998
Teaching interests
Theory; Principles of Epidemiology; Inequality and Disparities in Health; Global Health and Mental Health; Program Evaluation; Research Methods and Design
Research interests
- Public Health Social Work (PHSW)
- Epidemiology and Social Determinants of Health
- Implementation Science and Evidence-Based Practice
- Population Health, Health Promotion, and Disease Prevention
- Health Disparities and Health Equity
- Mental Health, Physical Health, and Health-Risk Behaviors
- Community and Health Service Systems
- Vulnerable and Underserved Populations
- International and Cross-Cultural Research
Call for Papers: Implementation Science in Psychiatry
There is a growing recognition that implementation science must address not only technological adoption, but also the structural, organizational and workforce factors that determine the success and sustainability of service transformation.
This Research Topic aims to identify and evaluate effective strategies for integrating systems, workforce development, and technology into psychiatric care. We aim to explore how organizations and practitioners can overcome barriers to implementation, build digital competencies, promote collaboration, and advance ethical and equitable care.
Deadline = Nov. 6, 2026
Research and scholarly activity
Dr. Yu’s research advances public health social work (PHSW) by integrating social epidemiology with a person-in-environment perspective to understand health disparities and applying implementation science to translate evidence into practice and promote health equity. His scholarship examines how individual, social, organizational, and structural factors interact to shape mental and physical health and health-risk behaviors, particularly among vulnerable and underserved populations. A central focus of his work is applying and implementing evidence-based strategies across community and service systems to improve health and well-being and reduce health disparities.
Dr. Yu’s scholarship has been recognized across social work and public health. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) in 2017 and was also inducted into Delta Omega, the honorary society for public health founded at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Yu serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research and on the Editorial Board of BMC Public Health. His appointments in both the School of Social Work and the Department of Public Health reflect the interdisciplinary foundation of his research and teaching and his commitment to advancing PHSW.
Dr. Yu also leads Culture, Public Health and Social Service: Greece through MU International Programs. The program takes students to Athens and Larissa, Greece, allowing them to broaden their knowledge of culture, public health and social services through a broad lens of contemporary global health issues and diverse cultural exposure.
Selected publications
Villodas, M. L., Forte, A. B., Dawes, H. C., Munson, M. R., & Yu, M. (2026). Trends in Anxiety Among Young Adults Aged 18 to 25 Years in the United States, 2020-2024: Differences by Race, Sex, and Sexual Orientation. American Journal of Public Health, e1–e10. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2026.308632
Florence, M., Vanderplasschen W., Yu, M., De Maeyer, & J., Savahl, S. (Eds.). (2024). Handbook of Addiction, Recovery and Quality of Life: Cross-cutting Perspectives from Around the Globe. Springer.
Han, K., Yu, M., Kehinde, O. (2024). Effectiveness of different online intervention modalities for middle-aged overweight and obese adults: A 20-year systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Prevention 45, 123-157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-023-00761-z
Rudy, D., Han, S., & Yu, M. (2023). South Korean adolescents’ delinquency, disclosure, parental knowledge, parent-child closeness, and delinquent peer associations. Journal of Research on Adolescence 33 (2), 514-529. http://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12822
Foell, A., Amano, T., Newransky, C., Nebbitt, V., Lombe, M., Yu, M., Horton, D., Enelamah, N., & Riffer, A. (2023). Stress-biomarkers in Black youth: Exploring community and household correlates. Journal of Urban Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-023-00776-1
Hodge, D.R., Yu, M., & Kim, A.* (2021). Ranking disciplinary social work journals: Comparing faculty perceptions with two citation-based approaches. Journal of the Society for Social Work Research, 12 (1), 109-129. https://doi.org/10.1086/713306
Yu, M., Sacco, P., Choi, H., & Wintemberg, J. (2018). Identifying patterns of tobacco use among youth in the United States: Sociodemographic and tobacco-related correlates. Addictive Behaviors, 79, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.11.034
Awards
- 2026 Faculty Engagement Award, The University of Missouri College of Health Sciences
- 2026 All 5’s Teaching Award, The University of Missouri Department of Public Health
- 2024 Faculty of the Year Award, The University of Missouri Department of Public Health
- 2019 Distinguished Research Award, The University of Missouri College of Human Environmental Sciences
- 2018 Instructor of the Year Award, The University of Missouri Master of Public Health Program
- 2010 Instructor of the Year Award, The University of Missouri Master of Public Health Program
- 2009 Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching, The University of Missouri School of Social Work
