Katherine Kitchens, L.M.S.W. Assistant Instructor School School of Public Health Department Public Health Biography Dr. Katherine Kitchens is a licensed social worker and community-engaged scholar dedicated to understanding the intersection of culture and cognition among forcibly displaced populations (FDP). As an Early Impact Faculty Scholar at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, her research addresses the health and well-being of FDP through culturally responsive methodologies. Dr. Kitchens employs mixed-methods and community-based approaches to explore how cultural factors influence cognitive health, with a focus on developing assessment tools and response scales that reflect the lived experiences and cognitive patterns of groups that maintain communal orientations. Her work includes phenomenological investigations of the resettlement experiences of Indigenous groups from Burma and critiques of standardized cognitive assessments to ensure cultural validity and equity in healthcare outcomes. In addition to her research, Dr. Kitchens provides social work services at a community refugee clinic, where she collaborates with resettled refugees to address health and well-being in culturally meaningful ways. Her work bridges academic research and community practice, striving to improve health outcomes and enhance quality of life for FDP through collaborative and sustainable solutions. Education Graduate School University of Texas-Arlington (2022), Social Work Graduate School University of Texas-Arlington (2022), Social Work Graduate School University of Texas-Arlington (2024), Social Work Research Interest Communalism Cross-cultural adaptation of standardized instruments Culture and cognition Forced displacement Refugee resettlement Publications Featured Publications What is the state of the literature about refugees aged 45 and older from Burma in third-country resettlement contexts?: A scoping review Kitchens, K., Sesay, B. J., Fields, N. L., Stringfellow, M. K., Mitschke, D. B. The Gerontologist 2025 Group-Based Intervention Models in Treating Refugee Mental Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Kirsch J, Kitchens K, Kerr K, Sivakumaran S, Trauma Violence Abuse 2024 Dec 25 5 4173-4187 Unincorporation in counties as a political determinant of health: An exploration of five states. Gomez-Vidal C, Palmer AN, Kitchens K, Ratliff GA, Graaf G, SSM Popul Health 2024 Dec 28 101728 The Role of Education and English Proficiency in Cognitive Health Among Older Refugee Populations in the United States. Kitchens K, Kim Y, J Gerontol Soc Work 2024 Oct 1-16 The Correlates of Collective and Individual Trauma on Mental Health Outcomes Among Afghan Refugees: A Study of Sociodemographic Differences. Kirsch J, Maleku A, Kim YK, Aziz T, Dada S, Haran H, Kitchens K, Community Ment Health J 2024 Oct 60 7 1255-1270 Outcomes that Matter to Youth and Families in Behavioral Health Services. Graaf G, Kitchens K, Sweeney M, Thomas KC, Adm Policy Ment Health 2024 Sep Piloting a Measure of Segregation at the Census Tract Level: Associations with Place and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Life Expectancy. Kitchens K, Graaf G, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024 May 21 5 Behavioral Health Services Outcomes That Matter Most to Caregivers of Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Mental Health Needs. Graaf G, Kitchens K, Sweeney M, Thomas KC, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024 Feb 21 2 Did Medicaid expansion close African American-white health care disparities nationwide? A scoping review. Snowden LR, Graaf G, Keyes L, Kitchens K, Ryan A, Wallace N, BMC Public Health 2022 Aug 22 1 1638 Results 1-9 of 9 1 Professional Associations/Affiliations American Public Health Association (APHA) (2025) Association for Community Organization & Social Action (ACOSA) (2021) Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) (2023) Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) (2022) Gerontological Society of America (2024) Immigrant and Refugee Research Network (2023) National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2021) Phi Alpha (2020) Phi Kappa Phi (2020) Society of Social Work Research (SSWR) (2022)
