Bio
I am an anthropologist trained in both cultural and medical anthropology. I have 20 years of experience conducting ethnography/ qualitative research and have taught several courses and workshops on conducting in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. I am presently a Senior Research Fellow at Duke-NUS Medical School where I lead a dedicated team of qualitative researchers to achieve the following: evaluate complex health and social care models; identify and interrogate complex interactions between social determinants of health and ageing well; and assess built environments promoting socially inclusive and age-friendly communities. Over the past few years, I have been leading several research grants, in my capacity as Principal Investigator/ Co-PI, with a total funding of slightly over $2 million. To date, my team has interviewed over 700 community-dwelling older persons across 13 different research studies exploring these key research themes: healthy longevity; social isolation and loneliness; care transitions; community-based care models; lifelong learning; generativity and intergenerational engagement; mobility and age-friendly environments; patient activation and self-empowerment; and management of complex social and chronic conditions. My research ethos is driven by community-engaged participatory practices and culture-centered approaches to understand and address public health concerns related to older persons living in high-density urban cities.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology)
Purdue University, United States
Master of Science
Purdue University, United States
Master of Social Sciences
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Sociology) Honours Class 2A
National University of Singapore, Singapore
NUS Appointment(s)
Editorial Assistant
Asian Journal of Social Science, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore,
08/2008 - 05/2009
Graduate Tutor
Minor in Religious Studies, Office of Programmes, National University of Singapore,
08/2009 - 05/2010
Research Fellow
Centre for Research Ageing & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore,
08/2016 - 12/2020
Senior Research Fellow
Centre for Ageing Research & Education, Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore,
Currently Active