Jinyu Liu
Dorothy Barfield Kronzer Endowed Professor in Family Studies
Education
PhD, University of Iowa, School of Social Work, Iowa City, IA
MSW, University of Iowa, School of Social Work, Iowa City, IA
MA, Peking University, Department of Sociology, Beijing, China
BSW, China Women’s University, Department of Social Work, Beijing, China
Research interests
- Aging and health
- Mental health of older adults
- Stress of family caregivers
- Intergenerational relationships
- End-of-life care
- Gerontological social work practice
Background
Dr. Jinyu Liu is a social gerontologist, who has dedicated her career to the study of aging and health among older adult populations, especially among Chinese older adults in China and the United States. Her research has focused on two themes: (1) determinants of stress among family caregivers and (2) effects of social support on the mental health of older adults. In the first theme, she aims to identify stressors that merge from family caregiving and potential ways of improving well-being of family caregivers. In the second theme, her studies have (1) elucidated the nuanced effects of family relationships on the mental health of older adults during social and cultural transformations; and (2) explored social connections and community resources to enhance the mental health of older adults who were socialized in a family-oriented cultural tradition. Her studies have been funded by National Institutes of Health, Rutgers Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, Columbia Population Research Center, and Weatherhead East Asian Institute. Dr. Liu values teaching, advising and mentoring students and believes it to be an essential part of her role as a social work educator. She aims for her students to feel respected, encouraged, supported and inspired during each class and meeting with her.