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Kexin Yu, Ph.D.

Kexin Yu, Ph.D.

Titles and Appointments

Assistant Professor

School
Medical School
Department
Neurology
  • Biography

    Joined UT Southwestern: 2025

    Clinical Interests: Dr. Kexin Yu is pursuing licensure as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She is passionate about supporting individuals and families as they navigate the emotional and relational challenges that arise during the journey of memory change. Her clinical interests center on helping patients strengthen interpersonal connections and discover new sources of meaning, belonging, and resilience. 

    Research: Dr. Yu received her Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Southern California and completed her postdoctoral training at Oregon Health & Science University’s Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Her research focuses on developing behavioral health interventions to reduce loneliness and promote social connectedness among older adults with diverse cognitive abilities, including those experiencing early memory loss or living with dementia.

    Dr. Yu’s work bridges psychosocial and biological perspectives to explore how loneliness may shape brain health over time. She is particularly interested in the intersection of aging, technology, and health equity. With expertise in community-engaged research and user-centered design, she develops technology-facilitated tools and interventions that are culturally inclusive and accessible to underserved populations, including immigrant caregivers and older adults living in affordable housing.

  • Research Interest
    • Behavioral Health Intervention
    • Community-Based Research
    • Loneliness
    • Plasma-Based Dementia Biomarkers
    • Randomized Clinical Trial
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Publications
    Life-Space Mobility Is Related to Loneliness Among Living-Alone Older Adults: Longitudinal Analysis With Motion Sensor Data
    Yu K, Wu CY, Barnes LL, Silbert LC, Beattie Z, Croff R, Miller L, Dodge HH, Kaye JA Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2025
    Social media use is an understated social determinant of mental health
    Jester DJ, Yu K International Psychogeriatrics 2024 Sep 36 697-698
    Who Benefited Most from the Internet-Based Conversational Engagement RCT (I-CONECT)? Application of the Personalized Medicine Approach to a Behavioral Intervention Study
    Wu CY, Yu K, Arnold SE, Das S, Dodge HH The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease 2024 May 11 639-648
    Internet-Based Conversational Engagement Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (I-CONECT) Among Socially Isolated Adults 75+ Years Old With Normal Cognition or Mild Cognitive Impairment: Topline Results
    Dodge HH, Yu K, Wu CY, Pruitt PJ, Asgari M, Kaye JA, Hampstead BM, Struble L, Potempa K, Lichtenberg P, Croff R, Albin RL, Silbert LC, Alfaro E, McDonald M, Lindsey J, Scavone C, Sheridan N, Nguyen K, Ellis A, Weisberg L, Moore D, Peacock B, Heller B, Thornall C, Ruhf S, Ziemer-Mcginn M, Custodio F, Farrell D, Lynch A, Banker D, Reyes G, Rabe K, Seeton L, Pedroza J, Forystek D, May N, Reader J, Bhaumik AK Gerontologist 2024 Apr 64
    “Do Your Best to Avoid it”: Appraisals and Coping with Discrimination-Related Stress Among Older Chinese Immigrants in Affordable Senior Housings During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    Liang J, Yu K, Tung YH, Wu S, Chi I Journal of Gerontological Social Work 2024 67 188-206
    Chinese Immigrant Caregivers: Understanding Their Unmet Needs and the Co-Design of an mHealth App
    Yu K, Jiang H, Liu M, Wu S, Jordan-Marsh M, Chi I Canadian Journal on Aging 2024
    I-CONECT intervention effects on weekly time spent outside of home and social contacts among socially isolated older adults
    Yu K, Wu CY, Silbert LC, Kaye JA, Dodge HH Frontiers in Public Health 2024 12
    Investigating Biological Pathways Underpinning the Longitudinal Association Between Loneliness and Cognitive Impairment
    Yu K, Ng TK Journals of Gerontology - Series A Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 2023 Aug 78 1417-1426
    Adaptation Resources and Responses to Wildfire Smoke and Other Forms of Air Pollution in Low-Income Urban Settings: A Mixed-Methods Study
    Palinkas LA, De Leon J, Yu K, Salinas E, Fernandez C, Johnston J, Rahman MM, Silva SJ, Hurlburt M, McConnell RS, Garcia E International journal of environmental research and public health 2023 Apr 20
    Harnessing mobile technology to support type 2 diabetes self-management among Chinese and Hispanic immigrants: a mixed-methods acceptability study
    Yu K, Wu S, Liu R, Chi I Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work 2023 32 171-184
  • Honors & Awards
    • Institute on Methods and Protocols for Advancement of Clinical Trials in ADRD (IMPACT-AD) - Fellowship Track
      (2023)
    • Nobuo Maeda International Research Award, American Public Health Association
      (2018)
    • Morningside Scholar, Zhejiang University
      (2013-2016)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • Alzheimer's Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment (ISTAART) (2021)
    • Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (2020)
    • Gerontological Society of America (2017)
    • Journal of American Geriatric Society (editorial board) (2023)