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Hoa B. Appel, PhD, MPH
Lecturer and Director of Behavioral Health: Health Care Program
Prior to joining UWB, Hoa Appel served as Director of the Social Work department at a skilled nursing facility and, subsequently, as Disease Management Manager for a health plan. She served as Principal Investigator for the Association for Prevention Teaching & Research in her doctoral research, which focused on depression among minority women during pregnancy and postpartum. Hoa was a National Institute of Mental Health postdoctoral fellow at UW Seattle. She recently designed and implemented an afterschool program for Tulalip elementary students to improve educational benchmarks and interpersonal skills.
Scholarship
Hoa’s research has focused on racial, ethnic and cultural disparities in mental health among underserved populations. Her research included the study of physical, behavioral and mental health in these populations using community-based participatory research protocol. Her research interests have since expanded to include behavioral, psychosocial and environmental factors, and the roles they play in childhood obesity. She was the PI on a UW Institute of Translational Health Sciences’ grant for a pilot childhood obesity project using a computer app. Hoa’s publications explore the protective and promotive factors in mental health.