Photo: Courtesy of Sue Kim, PhD
For faculty member Sue Kim, PhD, MPH, improving health outcomes for low-income and underserved populations is her top priority. Beyond the high percentage of uninsured Americans, there are still numerous hurdles for people who do have care to access it — particularly those managing chronic health conditions. Through research, policy advocacy and teaching, Kim investigates economic, social and behavioral sciences to understand how the delivery of health care can be more equitable — and she is passionate about sharing this knowledge with the next generation of public health professionals.
Kim earned her Master of Public Health and her PhD in Health Services Research & Policy Analysis at the University of California, Berkeley. Over the past two decades, Kim worked as a researcher and professor at multiple universities and nonprofits, advocating for health care policy initiatives that better address barriers for uninsured and low-income patients. Currently, Kim serves as an Associate Professor of Clinical Population and Public Health Sciences at Keck School of Medicine of USC, where she leads the Health Services and Policy Concentration in the Master of Public Health program.
In this interview, Sue Kim, PhD, MPH shares details about her research, her approach to teaching and her advice for prospective students.
What inspired you to pursue a career in public health?
My interests in improving the quality of care and health outcomes have led to studies examining the complex interaction between individual factors, organization of health care systems, and health policy. When I took my first health economics course, I learned that there were more than 40 million Americans uninsured (about 15% of the U.S. population); a higher proportion of the uninsured were non-White, and more than two-thirds of the uninsured families had at least one full-time worker. I was already aware of the problem of affordability of insurance from personal experience, but I wanted to learn more about the major flaws in our health care system and the resulting disparities in who received coverage. As my graduate studies progressed, I wanted to explore issues surrounding access to care, specifically how it doesn’t always guarantee that people can utilize available benefits. Pursuing a doctoral degree that emphasized an interdisciplinary approach to public health, focusing on economics, social, and behavioral sciences, seemed to best fit my interest in pursuing a career in research and academics to understand how the delivery of health care can be more equitable.
Your research focuses on cancer prevention and health care utilization in low-income and ethnically diverse communities. What led you to investigate these topics?
For low-income and underserved populations to focus on their health, having access to care or being insured is not enough. A more comprehensive approach is needed. My health disparities research focuses on complex interactions that contribute to disparities in health outcomes. Disparities exist at all levels of social position, and there is much to learn about the gap in health care access and outcomes.
What’s one of the most interesting things you’ve discovered in your research?
As my research focused on vulnerable populations, I turned to studying interventions that could help to reduce disparities in health outcomes for individuals with multiple chronic diseases. Our findings showed that while some patients benefited from the additional help in managing their care, many individuals typically experienced multiple barriers to treatment. They often faced a proliferation of ongoing stressors, both eventful and chronic, in multiple life domains that prevented them from fully benefiting from the coordinating services.
For example, whether it is implementing interventions that focus on cancer prevention or management of chronic diseases, many participants reported that due to other family and work responsibilities, they did not have enough time to stay engaged in the program as much as they liked. An important observation from my studies was that patients were motivated to get healthy, but other life stressors often took priority. While no one event, demand, or strain may reach a state of crisis, its cumulative impact often greatly limited patients’ efforts to seek or maintain care. Despite having the intention to engage with the health care system, the patients were often overwhelmed and unable to seek out the necessary resources.
How do you incorporate your real-world experience into your teaching?
Health policy is always in the news, and I try to convey how much the topics we study in class are currently being debated in real time. The discussions we have in class are not only an academic exercise, but [they] also explore topics that are directly affecting people’s lives today. Most recently, we have been examining how government agencies, such as the Health and Human Services, change their priorities with the new administration, and how those decisions impact the population. I encourage students to read and follow the news outside the classroom and stay informed.
How has the field changed in recent years? Where do you see it heading?
There have been many exciting advances, such as health policies to expand insurance coverage and payment reforms to improve the quality of health care. However, most recently, there have been setbacks with a rise in insurance premiums and proposals to cut federal funding for health and social services. There is also a concern about a reduction in research funding and misinformation that leads to attacks on public health and science. Although we may face challenging times in the near future, we are doing our best to continue educating the students, conducting research, and communicating important evidence-based findings.
What motivates you in your work, and how do you stay inspired in this evolving industry?
I am grateful for the opportunity to teach and mentor, which I consider to be the most valuable and exciting aspects of being in academia. I believe that incremental changes do happen, and our work has an impact on people’s lives. Within our complicated health care system, there is always room for improvement, and it’s rewarding to implement interventions that result in positive outcomes.
What qualities do you see in successful students in this program?
Students who are curious, inquisitive, and engaged become successful graduates. They are proactive in seeking guidance from faculty and exploring opportunities to gain experience outside the classroom. The students are mature and hardworking, have thoughtful insights, and show commitment to public health. They are also motivated and excited to learn skills and gain knowledge about new topic areas in health care.
What advice would you give prospective students considering this program?
They should think about what they’re passionate about and what motivates them. They don’t necessarily need to know exactly what they want to do with the graduate degree in public health, but they should ask themselves why they want to pursue it and what specific issues they’d like to study. It’s also helpful to evaluate their career goals and gain experience in the health-related field (i.e., volunteer, internship, work) before considering the MPH program.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Traveling—I go on occasional weekend getaways and aim to go on at least one international trip annually. I also like starting random crafting projects to learn new skills.
Learn more about Keck School of Medicine of USC’s Online Master of Public Health