Joshua S. Yang, PhD, MPH

Joshua S. Yang, PhD, MPH, is a professor in the Department of Public Health at California State University, Fullerton.  In 2022, Dr. Yang received funding from the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) to support the project, “Co-creation of digital tools to enhance young adult minority participation in COVID-19 trials.”

Increasing representation of young adults from underserved racial and ethnic populations in clinical trials is an important element of evaluating therapies for COVID-19. Additionally, with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations, researchers aim to reduce health disparities and treatment burden. In this study, Dr. Yang and his team, in partnership with S-3 Research, will develop insights into which communities in the United States are underrepresented in the context of access to COVID-19 clinical trials. The researchers will also utilize big data and machine learning approaches to characterize user self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and lived experiences related to COVID-19 as represented on social media platforms. In addition, the researchers will employ community-driven qualitative research methods to identify specific rationalities, cultural norms, and historical influences related to COVID-19 clinical research engagement. Finally, the researchers will create a digital health tool to encourage clinical trial participation among racial and ethnic minority young adults.

For additional information, visit the Featured Research and Principal Investigators page.