I am Jiao Yu. I am currently a postdoctoral associate at the Yale University, School of Public Health. My research focuses on examining the social determinants of health over the life course, with a particular interest in the intersection of environment, aging, and health disparities. My current studies focus on two fronts: First, I investigate biopsychosocial pathways linking neighborhood environments and later life mental and cognitive health. Second, I explore how social and behavioral factors, such as digital engagement and time use patterns influence health disparities among older adults. As a quantitative researcher, I utilize contemporary machine learning methodologies and longitudinal trajectory modeling to draw inferences from large-scale nationally representative longitudinal surveys in my research.

Previously, I worked at the University of Minnesota’s population center examining environmental impacts on women’s health and contributed to the IPUMS PMA Data Analysis Hub, which provides hands-on R tutorials on data visualization and analyses.