Dr. Ansuk Jeong
​Principal researcher

Bio
Born and raised in South Korea, acculturated to the U.S., and travelled 70+ cities in 30+ countries thus far, diversity and inclusion have been the topic of life to Ansuk Jeong as her personal experiences are the essential assets of her professional identity. She values the diversity of contextx not only in research design and applications, but also in teaching and mentoring students from various cultural backgrounds. Her lived experience as the youngest daughter of a musical family, as a witness to the byproducts of cancer to family, and as a primary caregiver of an elderly member who maintained dignity till the last moment of life led her to envisioning sustainable support for families in communities.
In 2026, she embarks on new research that integrates three domains of her passion: music, community engagement, and research. As a Vincentian Endowment Fund recipient, she will work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Negaunee Music Institute to promote post-traumatic growth among the parents who lost their children to gun violence.
Research Interest
Design Thinking for Family Support Interventions, Social Innovations and Family Support
Quality Care for the Elderly, Family Caregivers' Mental Health
Community Intervention for Social Connection
​Community Intervention for Post-Traumatic Growth
Awards and Fellowships
Vincentian Endowment Fund Principal Grants Recipient (2026-2028)
Community-based Research Faculty Fellowship (2025-2026)
Health-Equity Focused, Community-Engaged Research Fellow (2023-2025) of Steans & Center for Community Health Equity of DePaul University
Research Scholar (2023-2025) of Society for Community Research and Action (Division #27 of American Psychological Association)

Undergraduate and graduate students

AAron nguyen

​Quang Anh (Aaron) is a graduate student in the MA/PhD Community Psychology at DePaul University. He received his B.A. in Psychology at Luther College. His research interest includes substance abuse in marginalized communities with an emphasis on nicotine use.

Hannah Samuels

Hannah is pursuing her Ph.D. in community psychology at DePaul University. She received her B.A. in psychology and gender studies from Indiana University in 2020. Hannah’s own research is centered around community responses to sexual violence. In her free time, Hannah likes to bake, read, and spend time with her two cats.

KaZbano Tariq

Kazbano is pursuing a Master’s in Research Psychology at DePaul University. She earned her bachelor's degree in social sciences and liberal arts with a major in Psychology from IBA, Karachi. Her research interests focus on trauma-based interventions for displaced and refugee communities. She is driven by a commitment to making a positive impact on communities and thrives in environment where she can collaborate with diverse groups of people.​

Marcelina Urantowka

Marcelina (she/her) is an undergraduate Psychology major at DePaul University and minoring in Linguistics. She is committed to equal access to psychological and mental health knowledge. In her free time, she enjoy drawing nature, reading, and doing arts and crafts!

CareLaB Alumni

Dr. Sun-Young IM 

Visiting Scholar

Dr. Sun-Young Im joins CARE Lab as a Visiting Scholar from Hallym University, South Korea, in 2025. Her expertise lies in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, with a strong focus on Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). Dr. Im has conducted extensive research on the psychological mechanisms that influence PTG, the development and validation of assessment tools to measure PTG, and the design of intervention programs aimed at fostering PTG. She is also enjoying the rich cultural and artistic life of Chicago!

Brianna Mabie

Brianna (she/her) achieved her MA/PhD Community Psychology program. In the CARE Lab, she has been assisting on a project to learn more about community-based intervention programs for elderly adults. In her free time, she likes to bike, read, paint, and spend time with friends.

Thomas Rice

Thomas Rice (He/They) is a third-year student in the I-O Psychology Ph.D. program at DePaul University. Their current research focus is on organizational climates involving democracy and psychological safety. Thomas’ practical experience consists of a range of Human Resources and supervisory positions working with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and medical professionals through temporary staffing agencies. 

MAia Hess

​Maia is a junior undergraduate Psychology major with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience. Outside of the lab, they enjoy playing guitar, hanging out with friends, and spending time with their two cats. Maia is super excited to be a part of CARE Lab and hopes to go into research as a career in the future. 

gavin warner

Gavin is an undergraduate Psychology major at DePaul. When he's not in the lab, Gavin loves playing music, singing in his a capella group, and being outdoors! He is excited to be a part of CARE Lab and learn as much as possible in the process.
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SOcrates hwang

Socrates is an undergraduate Psychology and Percussion Performance major at DePaul. He loves music, art, and his favorite animals are bunnies. He hopes to enter the field of Music Cognition and perform music.