Dr. Ji-Young Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Health Science & Practice at the University of South Florida. Dr. Lee is a behavioral health scientist and mixed methods researcher with over a decade of research experience addressing health disparities through human-centered research focused on LGBTQ communities and other historically underserved populations. Her work bridges digital health innovation, intervention adaptation, and stigma reduction to improve mental health and HIV-related outcomes. Central to her research is a commitment to unraveling the socio-behavioral contexts that drive health disparities among racial/ethnic minority LGBTQ individuals and designing solutions that are culturally grounded, scalable, and community-informed. 

As Principal Investigator on multiple funded projects, Dr. Lee has led interdisciplinary research focused validating mental health measures, and identifying individual, interpersonal, and structural barriers to care. Her current NIH-funded research focuses on adapting an evidence-based digital mental health intervention (HealthMpowerment) for Asian American LGBTQ individuals while developing generalizable approaches for improving engagement with digital mental health interventions among populations less likely to seek or receive care. 

As a Korean American who was raised in Mississippi, Dr. Lee is passionate about amplifying the voices of communities who have historically been overlooked in behavioral health research and expanding access to evidence-based mental health resources designed with their unique lived experiences in mind. She is equally committed to mentoring the next generation of researchers and helping students recognize that careers in research can be a powerful avenue for creating meaningful change in the communities they serve.

What do you wish someone would have told you when you were in high school?

I wish I knew that I didn't have to have everything figured out in high school. I learned a little too late that it was okay to dream bigger and not let fear or self-doubt define what I thought was possible. I also wish I'd spent less time worrying about having the "perfect" plan and more time having fun, trying new things, and trusting that the path has a way of unfolding when you stay curious and keep saying yes to opportunities.