Ni Gao, Ph.D.
My interests in psychiatric rehabilitation research about individuals experiencing mental illness began during my 15 years of providing and managing clinical services in the community before joining Rutgers. The disparity in both mental and physical health services and outcomes compared to the general population is egregious. The majority of these individuals are unemployed, living in poverty, lacking or having lower quality of health care, feeling hopeless or stigmatized by their mental illness.
My research focuses on identifying barriers and developing interventions to improve conditions of this population. For example, I studied the relationships between Human Capital theory variables and rate of labor force participation and wages among people with mental illness, and found the positive correlations and support for the need of assisting them with educational attainment and job training.
In another study, we identified physical health problems including cardiovascular diseases and metabolic related illnesses are not only disproportionally more pervasive and severe in this group, but also being reported as a major barrier to obtaining and maintaining employment. Recently, we began pilot studies of integrating healthy diet into mental health care delivery in the community.
I have two areas of interest for future studies. One is integrated care of physical health and mental health for people with mental illness for improving health outcomes. The other is the area of integrating supported education (especially in Career and Technical Education) into supported employment for young adults to improve labor force participation and to earn a living wage.
Keywords: mental illness, psychiatric disabilities, supported employment and education, integration of mental health and physical health.
| SunHee J. Eissenstat, Ph.D. Assistant Professor sj643@shp.rutgers.edu |
Amy Banko, M.S. Co-Investigator of CTE Project amy.banko@rutgers.edu |
| Christina Kang-Yi, Ph.D. Associate Professor lucilleb@shp.rutgers.edu |
Brittany Stone, M.S. Co-Investigator of CTE Project stonebl@shp.rutgers.edu |
| Mandeiya Nuhu, M.S. Research Assistant of CTE Project msn74@shp.rutgers.edu |
Valerie Castanos Research Assistant of CTE Project vc466@shp.rutgers.edu |
| Ifrah Akhtar, B.A. Graphic Designer of CTE Project ia197@shp.rutgers.edu |
Grant Funding
Title: Developing A Career Services Toolkit for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness Pursuing Career & Technical Education
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
Brief Overview of Aims: Develop a Toolkit to assist students with mental health conditions to select, study and complete postsecondary Career and Technical Education as a pathway to competitive employment.
Total Dollar Amount: $600,000
Funding Period: October 2020 – September 2024
Title:Internet Assisted Career-Oriented Soft-Skills Training (iCareer) for Transition Age Youth: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Role: Co-Investigator
Sponsor Agency: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
Brief Overview of Aims: Evaluating the effectiveness of the iCareer intervention infused with cognitive behavioral therapy, among individuals ages 16-24 with mental health conditions to improve employment outcomes.
Total Dollar Amount: $600,000
Funding Period: October 2022 – September 2025
Website: https://sites.rutgers.edu/icareer/
Title: Investigating Oral Health Disparities Between Dental Patients with and without Mental Health Conditions Using Machine Learning
Role: Co-PI
Sponsor Agency: New Jersey Health Foundation
Brief Overview of Aims: Identify disparities in dental care between people with mental health conditions and the general population.
Total Dollar Amount: $35,000
Funding Period: January 2022 – January 2024
Title: Usage and Impact of Social Media among College Students with Disabilities
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: Rutgers School of Health Professions Dean’s Intramural Grant
Brief Overview of Aims: Examining the impact of social media use on academic achievement, social relationship, and career development among college students with disabilities.
Total Dollar Amount: $15,000
Funding Period: 7/1/18 – 6/30/20
Title: Comparison of Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Feasibility Study
Role: Co-PI
Sponsor Agency: New Jersey Health Foundation
Brief Overview of Aims: Comparing brief intervention counseling sessions and acupuncture as a treatment option for Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Total Dollar Amount: $35,000
Funding Period: February 2020 to January 2022
Title: Soft Skills Training for Transition-Age Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities
Role: Co-PI
Sponsor Agency: Rutgers School of Health Professions Dean’s Intramural Grant
Brief Overview of Aims: Examining soft skills training among young people with disabilities.
Total Dollar Amount: $35,000
Funding Period: July 2017 – Jube 2019
Title: Wellness Coaching Support to Enhance Smoking Cessation Efforts Among Adults Served by the Public Mental Health System
Sponsor Agency: Rutgers School of Health Professions Dean’s Intramural Grant
Role: Principal Investigator
Brief Overview of Aims: Evaluating the effectiveness of smoking cessation intervention by peer coaching in people with serious mental illnesse.
Total Dollar Amount: $20,000
Funding Period: July 2016 to June 2018
Title: Evaluating the Impact of Employment Services in Supportive Housing
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
Brief Overview of Aims: Investigating Employment Outcomes the Supported Employment Model among Individuals with Serious Mental Illness
Total Dollar Amount: $600,000
Funding Period: October 2013 to September 2017
Title: The Impact of Self-Help Center Characteristics on the Satisfaction and Empowerment of People with Serious Mental Illness
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor Agency: UMDNJ Foundation (Now New Jersey Health Foundation)
Brief Overview of Aims: Examining the relationship between Self-Help Center Characteristics and percieved employment level among people with psychiatric illness
Total Dollar Amount: $20,000
Funding Period: July 2009 to June 2010
Professional Achievements
2018- 2026
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation
2021 -2023
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Behavioral Medicine
2021 – 2022
Peer Reviewer of Grant Proposals for National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
2011
Excellence for Research Award from the Foundation of UMDNJ (now the New Jersey Health Foundation)
1997
Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Contributions to Burlington County’s Human Services, New Jersey
Selected Publications
- Gao, N., Buchbinder, S. Banko, A. & Stone, B. (2023). Postsecondary Career and Technical Education: A Pathway to Employment for Individuals with Mental Health Conditions. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 23 (3-4), 249-269.
- Gao, N., Eissenstat, S. J., & DeMasi, M. (2022). A One-Year Follow-up Study of Changes in Social Media Use among College Students with Disabilities. Journal of American College Health. 10.1080/07448481.2022.2047707
- Dolce, J., Gao, N., Bates, F., Banko, A., Stone, B., & Akhtar, I. (2022). A Rapid Response to Training Needs for Rehabilitation Practitioners: An Exploratory Study. The Rehabilitation Professional, 30 (1), 37-48.
- Gao, N., Eissenstat, S. J. & Oh, T. L. (2021). Social Media Use and Academic, Social, and Career Development among College Students with Disabilities. Journal of American College Health. doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1947831
- Gao, N., Solomom, P., Clay, Z., & Swarbrick, M. (2021). A pilot study of wellness coaching for Smoking Cessation among Individuals with Serious Mental Illnesses. Journal of Mental Health. Vol. ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), p.1-7. Doi: 10.1080/09638237.2021.1922630
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