Michael Park
Bio
Dr. Michael Park is an assistant professor at the School of Social Work and the Chancellor's Scholar for Inclusive Excellence in Racial Minority Health at Rutgers. His research centers on investigating how social positionality within the intersection of race/ethnicity, and immigration explains health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. Specifically, his current research focuses on understanding how racial discrimination and its related stressors (e.g., racial stereotypes) contribute to disparities in mental health and mental health service utilization among Asian American immigrant youth and identifying protective factors (e.g., family racial/ethnic socialization practices) that can mitigate the harmful effects of discrimination.
His interest in examining racial/ethnic disparities in mental health care stems from his desire to improve mental health outcomes among racial/ethnic minority immigrant populations. Through his experiences working with North Korean refugees, he witnessed the critical impact of social conditions on the health of stateless North Korean families. His continued field experience in Asian immigrant-serving agencies in Chicago solidified his commitment to studying mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic disparities in mental health and mental health service utilization.
Before joining Rutgers, Dr. Park completed a NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Mental Health Services Research at Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his PhD in social work and his master’s degrees in Social Work and Biostatistics from the University of Chicago.