
Wei-Ju Chen
Dr. Chen received her B.S. (summa cum laude) and M.A. in Psychology from San José State University. She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus in Health Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2017. After obtaining her doctoral degree, she conducted multidisciplinary research and managed a cancer genomics training program as a postdoctoral research associate for 2 years at Texas A&M University. In 2019, Dr. Chen joined UTPB with a Rising STAR faculty grant awarded by the University of Texas System.
Dr. Chen has a great passion for interdisciplinary research on minority health disparities, stress and coping, emotion, genomics, autism spectrum disorders, and cancer prevention.
Education and Training
- Postdoc, Texas A&M University, 2017–2019
- Ph.D. in Psychology with Health Psychology Concentration (Minors: Quantitative Methods; Cognition and Perception), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017
- M.A. in Psychology, San José State University, 2012
- B.S. (summa cum laude) in Psychology, San José State University, 2010
Certifications
- Community Health Worker Instructor, Certificate #505, TX, since 2017
- Community Health Worker, Certificate #9384, TX, since 2019
Research Interests
Psychophysiological Research on Well-being
My research in psychological and physiological well-being involves:
- studying the complex links among physiological arousal, emotion, and perceived emotional experience
- examining the effects of coping on physiological responses during and subsequent to induction of stress or emotion, as well as its long-term impacts
- assessing the connections between value affirmation and positive psychology
Health Disparities among Underserved and Marginalized Populations
I am interested in conducting innovative and timely research on minority health disparities, including:
- exploring new technologies and methods that can contribute to cancer prevention education and health disparities research
- further specifying predictors of physical and psychological health among different underserved or marginalized populations to develop culturally appropriate models for health disparities research
- assessing as well as disseminating education and interventions to address cancer disparities among underserved populations
Selected Publications
- Zhao, S., Li, M., Chen, W., Rennie, B. J., & Hsiao, Y. (in press). Parental experiences and perspectives of healthcare providers’ genetic testing recommendations for their children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3262
- Zhao, S., Ming, L., Chen, W., Zhang, Z., Kramer, J., Takacs, D.S., Magaña, S., Chen, L. (in press). A narrative review of genetic testing for children with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-023-00406-1
- Tedross, M., Wang, H., Heigl-Maza, C., Russell, R., Young, C., Kramer, J., Martinez, D., Chen, W., Robbins-Furman, P., Page, R., Montalvo-Liendo, N., & Chen, L. (2023). Pregnant Latinas' perspectives on pursuing expanded carrier screening: “It is better to know than not.” Journal of Genetic Counseling. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1696
- Chen, W., Johnson, H., Nelson, A., & Fleming, R. (2022). Effects of cardiovascular arousal on emotional experience. Stress and Health, 38(5), 870-878. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3140
- Li, M., Zhao, S., Chen, W., Huang, T., Chen, L. (2022). Knowledge and attitudes toward genetic testing for Autism Spectrum Disorders among parents of affected children in Taiwan. Genes, 13(2), 239. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13020239
- Zhang, Z., Kramer, J., Wang, H., Chen, W., Huang, T., Chen, Y., Tseng, T., & Chen, L. (2022). Attitudes toward pursuing genetic testing among parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in Taiwan: A qualitative investigation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 6774. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010118
- Chen, W., Nelson, A. M., Johnson, H. B., & Fleming, R. (2021). Effects of self-affirmation on emotion and cardiovascular responses. Stress and Health, 37(2), 201-212. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2986
- Chen, W., Zhao, S., Stelzig, D., Nimmons, K. M., Dhar, S. U., Eble, T. N., Martinez, D., Yeh, Y., & Chen, L. (2021). Family health history-based cancer prevention training for community health workers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 60(3), e159-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.09.019
- Chen, W., Zhang, Z., Wang, H., Tseng, T., Ma, P., & Chen, L. (2021). Perceptions of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) etiology among parents of children with ASD. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 6774. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18136774
- Zhao, S., Chen, W., Dhar, S., Eble, T., Kwok, O., & Chen, L. (2021). Pursuing genetic testing for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: What do parents think? Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30(2), 370-382. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1320
Recent National and Regional Conference Presentations with Students
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Courses
- PSYC 4307 Health Psychology
- PSYC 3386 Human Sexuality
- PSYC 4393 Senior Seminar
- PSYC 3304 Psychological Research Methods
- PSYC 3104 Psychological Research Project
- PSYC 4304 Physiological Psychology
- PSYC 6302 Research Methodology
- PSYC 6304 Advanced Statistics: Analysis of Variance
- PSYC 6314 Advanced Statistics: Regression
- PSYC 6308 Graduate Seminar in Psychology
- PSYC 6309 Advanced Physiological Psychology
- Accepting:
- Master’s Thesis/Project Students
- Graduate Research Assistants
- Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Independent Study or Research