Lu Dong

@LuDongPhD on Twitter

Behavioral Scientist

Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in clinical psychology, Emory University; M.H.S. in mental health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; B.A./B.S., Peking University

One Page Bio

Overview

Lu Dong (she/her) is a behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. Also a clinical psychologist with expertise in evidence-based psychological treatments for youth and their families, her research has broadly focused on developing and evaluating transdiagnostic psychological interventions, particularly for sleep disturbances in at-risk youth and adults with mental illness. She is also interested in leveraging the science of behavior change to engage and support parents in promoting adolescent health. Prior to joining RAND, Dong was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked on several National Institutes of Health-funded randomized controlled trials testing transdiagnostic interventions. Dong holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Emory University, an M.H.S. in Mental Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Bachelor's degrees from Peking University.

Research Focus

Previous Positions

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California, Berkeley

Recent Projects

Development of an Online Provider Intervention to Address Intersectional Stigma and Medical Mistrust in People Living with HIV
Identifying Information Gaps in Addressing Anti-Asian Racism

Selected Publications

Lu Dong, Michael R Dolsen, Armando J Martinez, Haruka Notsu, Allison G Harvey, "A transdiagnostic sleep and circadian intervention for adolescents: six‐month follow‐up of a randomized controlled trial," Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(6), 2020

Lu Dong, Laura M. Bogart, Matt G. Mutchler, Sean J. Laurence, David J. Klein, Mahlet Gizaw, Glenn J. Wagner, "Perceived discrimination, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and HIV care engagement among HIV-positive black adults: the mediating role of medical mistrust," Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 45, 2022

Lu Dong, Nicole B Gumport, Armando J Martinez, Allison G Harvey, "Is improving sleep and circadian problems in adolescence a pathway to improved health? A mediation analysis.," Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87(9), 2019

Lu Dong, Laura M Bogart, Priya Gandhi, James B Aboagye, Samantha Ryan, Rosette Serwanga, Bisola O Ojikutu, "A qualitative study of COVID-19 vaccine intentions and mistrust in Black Americans: Recommendations for vaccine dissemination and uptake," PloS One, 17(5), 2022

Lu Dong; Jennifer Bouey, "Public Mental Health Crisis during COVID-19 Pandemic, China," Emerging Infectious Diseases, 26(7), 2020

Dong, Lu, Jennifer Bouey, Douglas Yeung, Peggy G. Chen, and Priya Gandhi, Addressing Anti-Asian Racism in the Era of COVID-19: Next Steps for a Research Agenda, RAND Corporation (RR-A1594-1), 2021

Honors & Awards

Child Intervention, Prevention & Services (CHIPS) Research Training Institute Fellow, National Institute of Mental Health
Mental Health Service Research Conference New Investigator Workshop Award, National Institute of Mental Health
Sleep Research Program for Advancing Careers (SOAR) Fellow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation

Languages

Chinese (Mandarin)

Commentary

Racial Equity

The Health of Asian Americans Depends on Not Grouping Communities Under the Catch-All Term
Health data have historically lumped all Asian American people together, obscuring distinct health disparities and leaving vulnerable communities neglected by researchers and policymakers. What would be needed to construct a fuller representation of Asian American communities and their well-being?
Dec 13, 2021
NBC News THINK
Racial Discrimination

Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: Q&A with Lu Dong and Jennifer Bouey
Lu Dong, Jennifer Bouey, and RAND their colleagues are working to examine how Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are responding to the surge in hate against their communities, and how research can help.
Sep 8, 2021
Military Health and Health Care

All Veterans with Invisible Wounds Should Receive High-Quality Care That Meets These Standards
Millions of post-9/11 U.S. military veterans experience life-changing invisible wounds, including posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic issues resulting from traumatic brain injuries. While effective treatments are available, many veterans lack access to high-quality care. And what high-quality care means, exactly, has been elusive.
Oct 30, 2020
The RAND Blog

Publications

Research Brief
Large-Scale Training in Mental Health First Aid: An Evaluation of New York City's 2016–2020 Efforts
In an evaluation of a city-wide effort to train New Yorkers in Mental Health First Aid, RAND researchers found that the majority of participants had used their skills to help friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers in the past six months.
Feb 7, 2023
Report
Evaluation of Mental Health First Aid in New York City
More than 155,000 New Yorkers were trained in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) between 2016 and 2020. The authors evaluated this citywide dissemination of MHFA and needs for future training.
Feb 7, 2023
Journal Article
Food Insecurity, Sleep, and Cardiometabolic Risks in Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth
Food insecurity contributes to racial/ethnic disparities in health. This is the first study to examine associations among food insecurity, sleep, and cardiometabolic outcomes in urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth.
Nov 4, 2022
Journal Article
A Latent Class Approach to Understanding Longitudinal Sleep Health and the Association with Alcohol and Cannabis Use During Late Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
Persistent poor sleep health was associated with higher levels of alcohol and cannabis use and consequences, and greater increases in alcohol-related consequences during the transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood.
Nov 1, 2022
Report
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative
The UNITE Initiative aims to promote readiness and resilience in the Air Force through events that focus on unit cohesion. The authors describe the results of their evaluation of UNITE and the program's association with unit cohesion.
May 20, 2022
Report
Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: Executive Summary
This executive summary encapsulates the findings in Assessing the Association Between Airmen Participation in Force Support Squadron Programs and Unit Cohesion: An Evaluation of the UNITE Initiative (RR-A554-1) 2022.
May 20, 2022
Journal Article
Protecting the Mental and Physical Well-Being of Frontline Health Care Workers During COVID-19: Study Protocol of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed health care workers at unprecedented risk of stress, burnout, and moral injury. This paper describes the design of an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of Stress First Aid (SFA) to Usual Care (UC) in protecting the well-being of frontline health care workers.
May 17, 2022
Journal Article
A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Mistrust in Black Americans: Recommendations for Vaccine Dissemination and Uptake
COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black Americans have been lower than White Americans and are disproportionate to their population size and COVID-19 impact.
May 17, 2022
Journal Article
Perceived Discrimination, Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy, and HIV Care Engagement Among HIV-positive Black Adults: The Mediating Role of Medical Mistrust
Perceived discrimination and mistrust have indirect negative effects on adherence to antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive Black adults.
Mar 31, 2022
Report
Addressing Anti-Asian Racism in the Era of COVID-19: Next Steps for a Research Agenda
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans have faced a wave of anti-Asian racism and hate incidents. The authors assess knowledge gaps around such racism and associated acts of violence and propose possible solutions to address it.
Nov 30, 2021
Journal Article
Movement Behaviors Associated with Mental Health Among US Military Service Members
We analyzed data from active component service members in the 2018 Health Related Behaviors Survey. Findings can help inform behavior change interventions to improve psychological fitness and military readiness.
Nov 30, 2021
Research Brief
Black Americans Cite Low Vaccine Confidence, Mistrust, and Limited Access as Barriers to COVID-19 Vaccination
To identify approaches to increase vaccine confidence and uptake among Black Americans, RAND Corporation researchers conducted a national survey with 207 Black participants in November 2020.
Aug 6, 2021
Journal Article
Vaccine Confidence And Black Communities: Where Do We Go From Here? Town Hall Recap
This event, "Vaccine Confidence and Black Communities: Where do we go from here?", aimed to share lessons learned about COVID-19 vaccine messaging and access in order to reduce inequities.
Jul 2, 2021
Journal Article
COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Mistrust in a National Sample of Black Americans
High mistrust among Black Americans around COVID-19 vaccines may lower vaccine confidence.
Jul 2, 2021
Journal Article
Longitudinal Associations of Sleep Problems with Alcohol and Cannabis Use from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood
This study examined longitudinal associations of sleep problems with alcohol and cannabis use across six annual waves of data from adolescence to emerging adulthood.
Apr 28, 2021
Report
What Contributes to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Black Communities, and How Can It Be Addressed?
Recent polls show that Black Americans are less willing than Americans of other races or ethnicities to be vaccinated for COVID-19. RAND researchers surveyed Black Americans to better understand the drivers of such hesitancy.
Mar 1, 2021
Report
Defining High-Quality Care for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Proposed Definition and Next Steps for the Veteran Wellness Alliance
A rigorously developed, shared definition of high-quality care for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury will help clinical providers and veteran-serving organizations better meet the needs of this population.
Oct 22, 2020
Research Brief
A Shared Definition of High-Quality Care Can Help Veterans Combat Invisible Wounds
A rigorously developed, shared definition of high-quality care for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury will help clinical providers and veteran-serving organizations better meet the needs of this population.
Oct 22, 2020
Journal Article
Prevalence and Correlates of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Urban-Dwelling, Low-Income, Predominantly African-American Women
Low-income African Americans are a high-risk group for obstructive sleep apnea, but remain under-diagnosed and under-treated. The current findings show a high prevalence of OSA in African-American women.
Aug 4, 2020
Journal Article
Public Mental Health Crisis During COVID-19 Pandemic, China
Public mental health interventions should be formally integrated into public health preparedness and emergency response plans.
Jul 1, 2020
Journal Article
Psychological Symptoms Among Frontline Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan
To examine the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on frontline healthcare workers in Wuhan, we collected data between February 13-17, 2020 through a smartphone-based survey.
May 12, 2020