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Wei-Ting Chen

Executive Director, Office of Community Engagement - Stanford Medicine, Stanford University
Chapter Member: Bay Area SSN
Areas of Expertise:

Connect with Wei-Ting

About Wei-Ting

Wei-ting's research focuses on how social inequality shapes health behaviors and outcomes. The overarching themes in Wei-ting's current work include building academic-community partnerships that facilitate community-guided research agenda, and ensuring that the research process and products are understood by lay audiences.  Her recent work has expanded to include how measures to alleviate food insecurity can be incorporated into health care delivery in federally qualified health centers. She serves on multiple local cross-sector alliances in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a board member of the Redwood City Education Foundation.

Publications

"Addressing Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake: Lessons Learned From the California Alliance" (with Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Mona AuYoun, Preeti Juturu, Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young, Paris Adkins-Jackson, Suellen Hopfer, Ed Kissam, Audrey Kawaiopua Alo, Roberto A. Vargas, and Arleen F. Brown). Journal of Behavioral Medicine (forthcoming).

Bases information on data from the California CEAL Communication Working Group. Demonstrates the wide range of strategies, communication methods, languages, and trusted messengers that have been effective in reaching diverse communities across the state.

"Addressing Food Insecurity and Chronic Conditions in Community Health Centres: Protocol of a Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Recipe4Health" (with Ariana Thompson-Lastad, Lisa G Rosas, Steven Chen, Lan Xiao, Benjamin O Emmert-Aronson, Elliot Ng, Erica Martinez, Mike Baiocchi, Elizabeth A Markle, and June Tester). BMJ Open 13, no. 4 (forthcoming).

Discusses community health centers are increasingly implementing ‘Food as Medicine’ programs to address the dual challenge of chronic conditions and food insecurity. Concludes the goal of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Recipe4Health, a ‘Food as Medicine’ program using a scientifically rigorous method.

"Participants’ Experiences of the 2018–2019 Government Shutdown and Subsequent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefit Disruption Can Inform Future Policy." (with Wendi Gosliner, Cathryn Johnson, Elsa Michelle Esparza, Natalie Price, Ken Hecht, and Lorraine Ritcheie). MDPI 12, no. 6 (2018-2019).

Explains based on focus group interviews with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients about their experience in the 2019 federal government shutdown and benefit interruptions. Captures some of the ways in which SNAP disruption affected the food security, health, and well-being of a small sample of California SNAP participants. Mentions conducting research to test solutions can help ensure fair, equitable, and effective policies are adopted.

"COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Northern California Jails: Perceived Deficiencies, Barriers, and Unintended Harms" (with Yiran E. Liu, Christopher LeBoa, Marcela Rodriguez, Beruk Sherif, Chrisele Trinidad, Michael del Rosario4, Sophie Allen, Christine Clifford, Jennifer Redding8, Lisa G. Rosas, Carlos Morales 10 and , Alexander Chyorny, and Jason R. Andrews1). Frontiers 10 (2022).

Uses a combination of COVID-19 seroprevalence testing, survey data, and meeting proceedings, this paper highlights how individuals in the carceral system (incarcerated individuals and jail staff) experienced the COVID-19 pandemic. Hypothesizes that flaws in the operationalization of preventive measures such as the response to reported illness or the provision of masks contributed to a hidden burden of COVID-19 infection.