Jing Zhang

Dr. Jing Zhang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Kent State University. She is affiliated with the Healthy Communities Research Institute and focuses on sociocultural factors affecting marginalized families. Her research emphasizes interventions to mitigate contextual risks and promote resilience through family systems approaches.

• Education: Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech (200?), M.S. in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences (University of Florida), B.S. in Economics (Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, China).

Research interests include health/behavioral outcomes of vulnerable populations, contextual risk factors, parenting processes, and advanced statistical methods like latent growth modeling. Recent work addresses housing instability and substance use among homeless young mothers, with randomized controlled trials evaluating intervention efficacy.

Publications highlight longitudinal studies on youth outcomes, acculturative stress, and suicide prevention. Awards include the 2024 Featured Researcher from Kent State's College of Education and multiple grants from Virginia Tech and the University of Florida.

Grants and advising: Her funded projects investigate housing policies and family interventions. No specific advisees listed, but her research teams collaborate on clinical trials and community-based programs.

Labs/Teams: Active within the Healthy Communities Research Institute, focusing on translational research to address societal inequities through evidence-based interventions.