Congratulations to Ph.D. Graduates Yalu Zhang, Yi Wang, and Xiaoran Wang

By
Hanna Wang
May 01, 2021

The Columbia China Center for Social Policy is proud to celebrate the graduation of three doctoral fellows in 2020-2021. We send warm congratulations on their impressive achievements and best wishes for their next adventures!

Yalu Zhang received her Ph.D. from Columbia University School of Social Work in December 2020. Her dissertation title was Consequence and Policy Response of Health-Induced Poverty among Older Adults: Evidence from the United States and China. Dr. Zhang found that health-induced poverty is prevalent among older adults in both China and the United States. These findings reveal that current public transfers and health policies are either ineffective or insufficient to reduce health-induced poverty and future reforms are necessary to enhance these policy solutions.

Yi Wang earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University School of Social Work in April 2021. Her dissertation was titled Disparities in Child Development by Parental Education. Dr. Wang investigated recent trends in socioeconomic status-related gaps in school readiness and achievement in the United States as well as disparities in child cognitive development in China. Findings from her dissertation provide implications for promoting equity of opportunities in both China and the United States.

Xiaoran Wang received her Ph.D. from Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service. Her dissertation was titled Seeking Early Intervention Services for Young Children with Autism: Chinese Parents’ Lived Experiences in Beijing and New York City. Her findings revealed that parents in Beijing strove to meet their children’s early intervention needs in the absence of social services, while parents in NYC faced the gaps between professional support and their expectations within existing social service systems.

Congratulations to Drs. Yalu Zhang, Yi Wang, and Xiaoran Wang!

Columbia Affiliations
China Center for Social Policy