Christina Kang-Yi, Ph.D.

Christina D. Kang-Yi, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at the Rutgers University School of Health Professions. For more than 15 years, her research has focused on improving the quality of mental health care by partnering with community organizations, healthcare systems, and public agencies to identify service delivery challenges, implement and evaluate evidence-based practices, and translate research into sustainable improvements in care. Her work spans both user-friendly intervention development and large-scale effectiveness evaluations, integrating multiple data sources—including Medicaid claims, education records, forensic behavioral health data, social service utilization, and primary data collection—to generate evidence that informs practice and policy.

Dr. Kang-Yi’s current research focuses on advancing maternal mental health and well-being. She leads Maternal Wellness Solutions [CK1.1]at Rutgers School of Health Professions, where she develops and evaluates innovative strategies to expand access to perinatal mental health services and strengthen communication between patients and healthcare providers. Driven by research demonstrating substantial gaps in engagement and treatment during pregnancy and the postpartum period, her work emphasizes practical, accessible interventions that promote informed decision-making, increase participation in care, and improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

She serves as Principal Investigator and Program Director of the following perinatal mental health initiatives: DECIDE for MOM Provider Training (AHRQ P30HS029759), which equips healthcare providers with effective communication and shared decision-making skills; the Digital Mental Health App for MOMs (DOHP26RHT143 Activity B), which provides evidence-based emotional and mental health support to perinatal populations in rural New Jersey; and the MOMs DECIDE Program (DOHP26RHT143 Activity C), which empowers pregnant and postpartum individuals to actively participate in healthcare decisions.

Dr. Kang-Yi is a Rutgers Learning Health System Scholar, Core Faculty at the Rutgers Global Health Institute, and a member of the Rutgers Population Health Consortium. She earned her PhD in Social Work from Columbia University and her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship with the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, and the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health.