Introducing New Graduate Student Joohee Lee
August 12, 2024 - Shelly DeJong
Meet Joohee Lee, an incoming graduate student in the Clinical Science research area.
Name: Joohee Lee (She/Her)
Hometown: South Korea
Education:
B.A. in Psychology from UCLAM.A. in Clinical Psychology from Korea University, South Korea
Tell us about your background/experience.
Since I was young, I have dreamed of broadening my horizons through exploring the big world beyond South Korea. Thus, I decided to study abroad at the age of 13. I first studied in China and moved to the United States for high school. I completed my bachelor's degree in Psychology from UCLA where I solidified my interest in the field of clinical psychology with a strong passion to enhance the lives of underserved families and children. I ultimately pursued a master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Korea University, focusing on multicultural mother-child emotion socialization. I then served as a Research Assistant at the University of Washington and studied family adjustment during adversity, especially cancer treatment.
Why grad school?
As I want to become a clinical psychologist specializing in child clinical psychology, acquiring a PhD in Clinical Psychology is necessary for me to develop my research and clinical skills under rigorous training and research environment. Therefore, I am excited about my next journey at Michigan State University and contribute to improving the mental health of marginalized families and children through my innovative research work.
What do you hope to research while you're here?
My research interests are early life adversity, early parenting, and parent-child relationships. I am specifically interested in understanding how early parent-child relationships and parenting can buffer the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on children's emotional and behavioral development.
What do you love about Clinical Science?
First of all, I am drawn to clinical psychology as the field makes a real difference in people's lives. Also, it is fascinating how research and clinical practice complement each other. Through clinical training, I can grasp the very issues from a real-world setting, which helps me generate research questions to address the issues. In the same manner, through research, I can come up with groundbreaking results and insights that can be applicable in clinical practice. I believe the dual focus of clinical psychology is perfect for my career aspirations.
In your free time, what do you like to do?
In my free time, I love to explore good restaurants and engage in various activities such as tennis, hiking, and working out at the gym. I also enjoy spending quality time with my dog, like taking her out for walks and playing with her. She always brings me great comfort and joy.