Eunhee V. Park, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a social epidemiologist and Postdoctoral Scholar in the Primary Care Research Training Program at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Her research examines how structural and policy environments shape maternal, reproductive, and sexual health, with a particular focus on prenatal care access, syndemics of substance use, violence, and HIV/STIs. Using epidemiologic and mixed-methods approaches, Dr. Park studies the pathways through which policies, institutional practices, and social meanings translate into health outcomes.

Her doctoral dissertation, Barriers to Prenatal Care in the Context of Maternal Methamphetamine Use and Congenital Syphilis in Los Angeles County, 2011-2020, was supported by an NIH F31 National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The work examined how intersecting structural factors, including substance use criminalization, housing instability, and healthcare system barriers shape prenatal engagement and congenital syphilis risk.

In addition, Dr. Park has led research on sexual violence on college campuses as a Co-Principal Investigator, with support from AAPI Data, the Center for Institutional Courage, the UCLA Center for the Study of Women & Barbra Streisand Center, and the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. She has also received training support from the UCLA Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence and the UCLA Academic Senate.

Dr. Park earned her Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles, an M.P.H. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations with a Minor in English Language and Literature from Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea.

Research Focus

Dr. Park’s research centers on health conditions that disproportionately affect women, including maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, HIV/STIs, and gender-based violence. Her work emphasizes structural determinants of health, examining how policies, institutional practices, and the social environment shape health behaviors, care access, and population-level outcomes in the United States and global settings. She is particularly interested in identifying intervention points across policy, healthcare systems, and community contexts, and in translating epidemiologic evidence into public health responses.

Click HERE for the complete list of publications.

Research Highlights

Dr. Park serves as Co–Principal Investigator of the Double Jeopardy Study, which examines intersections of sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) and anti-Asian racism among Asian and Pacific Islander students in the University of California system. Using mixed methods—including surveys, in-depth interviews, photovoice, and installation art—the study investigates gendered racism, mental and physical health outcomes, and institutional responses to violence.

To learn about the study, visit its Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/api.ucspeaksup/