The College of Public Health has welcomed five new faculty this fall who we want to introduce to the wider CPH community. In our final profile, we meet Dr. Daniel Jung, a new assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management.

What brought you to the field of public health?

I first got into public health as an undergraduate majoring in Health Care Management. Throughout my undergraduate years, I was able to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the field as well as the influence it has on society as a whole. Overall, I found the field to have many directions to move forward with, thus leading me to pursue a PhD degree in the field of public health.

What excites you or motivates you about your research?

Is there a way to provide better and appropriate care while bending the healthcare cost curve? Why do some people show better health outcomes and receive better care compared to others, what characteristics define such disadvantaged groups, and can we improve their care and health to the same level of others through the means of better policy? These have been the overarching research questions that motivate my research, and I enjoy the process of finding evidence and opportunities from large datasets to answer these questions.

How have you partnered with communities to improve health? Do you have any thoughts on what outreach work you’d like to do in Athens or Georgia?

As the president of the Health Policy Student Study Association in college, I ran several campaigns on campus to prevent secondhand smoking and reduce soda consumption. These campaigns targeted improving students’ awareness of smoking and obesity on the campus, and also succeeded in installing smoking areas on the campus. Here at Georgia, I hope to engage with health officials to develop better interventions to improve post-acute care and long-term care at home and community settings.

What are you looking forward to this Fall semester?

I am looking forward to develop and conduct new research studies at UGA, collaborating with other faculty members within and across the department of HPAM. I have also been accepted to the OIBR Grant Development Program, so I’m anticipating to meet other faculty outside of the college and receive mentoring, and expecting to develop innovative research to improve post-acute care and long-term care. I am also teaching an online course for undergraduate students, in which I hope the course will increase their interest in and understanding of public health as a whole.

Last one – what do you do for fun?

I enjoy playing tennis and watching movies.

Learn more about Dr. Jung’s background, areas of expertise, and research interests in his faculty profile.

Posted on October 1, 2021.