Nayoung Kim earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Kyung Hee University and began her career as a registered nurse in emergency care. She later completed a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at Yonsei University, where she developed a strong foundation in population health research. During her Master's program, she worked on several projects using national cohort data, including studies on regional disparities in depression among older adults. She then worked as a clinical researcher at a bio-health company, analyzing large-scale insurance data to investigate medication adherence and chronic disease risk. These clinical and research experiences shaped her interest in the clinical and structural factors that shape health outcomes across the life course. As a PhD student, Nayoung’s research currently focuses on advancing research on the social and structural determinants of health, with a particular focus on mental health and cognitive aging among older Asian American adults.
