Fruits of PEACH: Understanding relationships between Participation, Environment, And Child Health
Dr. Paul Yejong Yoo is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy within the College of Health and Human Sciences at Colorado State University. A former Leong Centre Studentship Award recipient, he shares an update on his current work since leaving The Hospital for Sick Children. His research focuses on participation and environmental factors that influence health outcomes for children with disabilities and neuroinflammatory disorders.
I am currently studying the feasibility of implementing a process that integrates comprehensive evaluation of the environment (using the CHILD-CHII – Child Community Health Inclusion Index) with evidence-based training (CARES – Community Accessibility Resources for Extension Specialists). The goal is to inform and empower community organizations to create inclusive programming for children with disabilities. I am also examining the relationship between social determinants of health and health outcomes in children with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS).
My current work has been directly informed by the Leong Centre’s Studentship Award and Catalyst Grant, which I was fortunate to receive and be involved in. Through the Studentship Award, I explored the participation of children with POMS in home, school, and community activities, and their relationship to perceived environmental barriers and health outcomes – leading to the efforts of creating community programming inclusive of children with disabilities and chronic illnesses. The Catalyst Grant provided essential preliminary findings to further understand the importance of environmental factors like access to built environments and greenspace, and neighbourhood marginalization in shaping health outcomes in children with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
In my current role, I am driven to contribute to the Leong Centre’s mission, which aligns closely with my own: to promote to the flourishing of every child and family through interdisciplinary research and collaboration. I am committed to building an independent research program while collaborating with passionate researchers. Just as the Leong Centre and its members have supported my research and career, I hope to support and mentor future researchers and clinicians.
The Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, its community of support, training, funding, and its mission have been pivotal in shaping my research program and my identity as a researcher. I am truly grateful and look forward to remaining an active contributing member of this community.
