MSW., Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University
PhD., Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University
First place award in the annual Center for Healthy Aging in Multicultural Populations (CHAMP) student poster competition (2015, April)
Dr. Soohyoung Rain Lee is an Assistant Professor at Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work. His Interdisciplinary research integrates social work, gerontology, and health equity, focusing on aging, financial capability, and disparities in healthcare access and outcomes for older adults. His work integrates mixed-methods and mathematical modeling to explore and address systemic inequities related to health, digital inclusion, and economic security.
Dr. Lee leads the Aging and Welfare Lab (www.agingandwelfarelab.com) and is Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on several funded research projects. With support from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, he examined virtual senior centers' impact on older adults' well-being. He is investigating rural-urban differences in job satisfaction and turnover among child welfare caseworkers through funding from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. He also leads projects, including studies on the 4Ms Framework in telehealth-based care and the effects of online engagement on older adults' quality of life. He also leads projects integrating emerging technologies and a mathematical approach - Machine Learning for predictive modeling of child and family outcomes, and AI-driven analyses of health disparities into gerontological and social work research. In parallel, his scholarship extends to innovations in social work education, including Virtual reality-enhanced learning environments. Dr. Lee's research has been published in journals, including the Journal of Applied Gerontology, Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, and Frontiers in Public Health.
In addition to his research, Dr. Lee mentors doctoral students, contributes to curriculum development, and serves in leadership and editorial roles. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology and Co-Convenor of the "Aging among Asians" interest group within the Gerontological Society of America.
Reprints & preprints available at https://www.agingandwelfarelab.com/publications.html
[13] Levy-Storms, L., Lee, S. R., Castelyn, C., Morrissey, M. B., & Ory, M. G. (2025). Social Determinants of health for the global aging population in pandemic and disaster
environments. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1552408.
[12] Lee, S. W., Smith, M., & Lee, S. R. (2025). Impact on the Short-Term Hospital Outcomes From COVID Pandemic Among Older Adults with Sepsis. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648241311659
[11] Lee, S. R., Jung, E., Jin, S., Wang, Z. A., Brown, P., & Polotsky, E. (2025). The association between subjective and objective financial knowledge: Path analysis to savings behavior by age. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101232
[10] Flaherty, H.B., Henshaw, L.A, Lee, S.R., Auerbach, C, Beckerman, N. L., Toumarides, E., Miskiewicz, M. & Rose, A. (2024). Understanding Self-Care: Exploring its Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Social Work Students. Clinical Social Work Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-024-00969-4
[9] Lee S.R., Maxi A, Kim L, Kim Y, Choe I, Hong C, Kim P, Reed, P, Kim Y, Shen J, Yoo J. (2024). Enhancing Telehealth Accessibility for Older Adults in Underserved Areas: A 4M Framework Approach. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 2024; 10.
[8] Zuckerman, M., Lane, S. R., & Lee, S. R. (2024). Social Work Student Perceptions of Co-Response: Implications for Policy. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 1-17.
[7] Kim YM., Lee SR., Kovarie G., Maxi A2., Hong SK. (2024). Authentic Behavior and Job Satisfaction among Child Welfare Caseworkers. Social Work, 69(3), 241-253.
[6] Lee, S. W., Elsakr, C., Ayutyanont, N., Lee, S., & Oh-Park, M. (2023). Clinical
Characteristics and outcomes of inpatient falls during inpatient rehabilitation: a case-control study. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 102(8), 715-719.
[5] Lee, Se Won; Werner, Bryan; Nguyen, Dan; Wang, Charles; Kang, Mingon; Ayutyanont, Napatkamon & Lee, Soohyoung. (2022). Opioid Utility and Hospital Outcomes among Inpatients Admitted with Osteoarthritis and Spine Disorders. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 102(4), 353-359.
[4] Lee, S.R & Kim, L.S (2022). Co-residence of Older Parents and Adult Children Benefits Older Adults’ Psychological well-being: Path Analysis. International Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, (1), 5406196.
[3] Lee, S.R. (2021). When Home Hospice Patients Discharge to Nursing Facility: A Mixed Methods. Open Journal of Nursing.
[2] Lee, S.R & Cuellar, M.J (2019). Data-Driven Recommendations for Promoting
Collaboration Among School Security Personnel and School Social Workers in the United
States. International Journal of School Social Work.
[1] Barber, S.J., & Lee, S.R (2016). Stereotype threat lowers older adults’ self-reported hearing. Gerontology, 62, 81-85.