Jeein Jang returns to UMass Boston this fall with renewed motivation for her third year of the gerontology doctoral program after working as a summer public policy intern for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in Washington, D.C.

Gerontology doctoral student Jeein Jang

“I had such a wonderful firsthand experience for two and a half months, witnessing real policy in action,” Jang says. Her work involved attending Congressional hearings, briefings, and webinars covering a wide range of aging issues.

Her observations of Congress in action contrast starkly with social media posts, which tend to highlight conflict and disputes between Republicans and Democrats. “I witnessed plenty of compromise and bipartisanship, especially around health issues such as obesity and vaccinations,” Jang says. “They don’t always fight.”

“I’ve seen firsthand the importance of coalition work, of how to bring together diverse groups to advocate for a common goal,” Jang says. “Congress values the number of voices advocating for an issue. It gave me a deeper understanding of how collaborative work can drive meaningful change.”

Jang introduced herself and spoke briefly about the importance of expanding the boundaries of current research by encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration with Senator Chris Murphy on Capitol Hill during Global Loneliness Awareness Week.

Growing up in South Korea, Jang always admired America’s political system. She came to the U.S. to study social welfare as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley. She then returned home to earn a master’s degree in public and social policy, focusing particularly on how residential areas affect older adults’ perceptions of healthcare policy. Her current research interests focus on racial disparities in health outcomes, retirement, and community and health services.

Her GSA internship solidified her interest in population health and health disparities and in the role that scholarship can play in addressing these issues. “We can provide scientific evidence to support policy decisions. I want to be a scholar who is able to raise the voices of Asian immigrants,” she says.