Yeqing Yuan

Programs and Courses Taught

SW602 Human Behavior in Social Environment

About Me

Dr. Yeqing Yuan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Samuel Merritt University (SMU). Her research centers on the intersection of mental health, substance use, and homelessness, with the goal of improving mental health and substance use outcomes by promoting housing stability. She is particularly interested in examining loneliness during housing transitions as a mechanism for change. Dr. Yuan’s research has been funded by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation and has been awarded a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) T-32 Predoctoral Fellowship. 

Education

Dr. Yuan holds an MSW from Boston College and a Ph.D. in Social Work from New York University. She also completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine.

Teaching Interests

Dr. Yuan has taught courses in research methods, program evaluation, advanced clinical practice, and substance use. Her research and teaching are deeply informed by her clinical social work experience, where she provided behavioral health care to individuals facing homelessness, serious mental illness, and substance use challenges.

Publications

Yuan, Y., Knight, R, K., Weeks, J., King, S., Olsen, P., & Kushel, M.(2024). Loneliness among homeless-experienced older adults with cognitive or functional impairments: qualitative findings from the HOPE HOME study. BMC Public Health. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-18052-5 

Chen, Y., Yuan, Y., & Reed, B. G. (2023). Experiences of peer work in drug use service settings: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. International Journal of Drug Policy. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104182 

Yuan, Y., Padgett, D., Thorning, H., & Manuel, J. (2023). “It’s stable but not stable”: A conceptual framework of subjective housing stability definition among individuals with co-occurring serious mental health and substance use disorders. Journal of Dual Diagnosis. doi: 10.1080/15504263.2023.2225357 

Manuel, J., Nizza, M., Herman, D., Conover, S., Esquivel, L., Yuan, Y., Susser, E. (2022). Supporting vulnerable people during challenging transitions: A systematic review of Critical Time Intervention. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. doi: 10.1007/s10488-022-01224-z 

Karadzhov, D., Yuan, Y., Bond, L.(2020). Coping amidst an assemblage of disadvantage: A qualitative metasynthesis of first-person accounts of managing severe mental illness while homeless. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. doi: 10.1111/jpm.12524

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Council for Social Work Education (CSWE)

Community Service

Dr. Yuan is dedicating her free time to serving individuals experiencing homelessness and behavioral health care needs in the local communities. She provides homeless outreach and assistance with food distributions at the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, CA.