Ya-Wen (Yama) Chang
QBS PhD Student
Center for Technology and Behavioral Health
Dartmouth College
I am a first-year PhD student in Quantitative Biomedical Sciences (QBS) at Dartmouth College, focusing on developing accessible and scalable interventions to improve mental health. I am currently rotating with Dr. Nicholas Jacobson at the Artificial Intelligence and Mental Health: Innovation in Technology Guided Healthcare research lab within the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health.
I am passionate about data science and mental health. My interdisciplinary research leverages computational techniques to analyze behavioral and language data from mobile sensors, intensive longitudinal studies, and social media platforms. Additionally, I am interested in the effects of psychedelics on mental wellness. Ultimately, I want to answer: can people suffering from mental illness fully recover with psychedelic-assisted therapy, and how can we support people in living a sustainable, healthy life?
Prior to my doctoral studies, I received an MA in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University and worked as a Data Scientist at the Lab for Scalable Mental Health. My work explored how digital, single-session interventions can enhance access to mental health care for marginalized populations, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals.
interests
| methods | topics |
|---|---|
NLP & generative AI | Digital mental health |
Deep learning | Intervention science |
Machine learning | Mindfulness |
Causal inference | Meditation |
Network science | Psychedelics |
news
| Oct 24, 2024 |  Moved and rebuilt my personal website from Hugo to Jekyll! |
|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2024 |  Submitted my first-authored manuscript about single-session interventions and structural stigma to a journal! Preprint |
| Sep 19, 2024 |  Published a co-first-authored paper on structural stigma and suicide among LGBTQ+ youth in Stigma and Health! |
| Aug 15, 2024 |  Officially started my first-year PhD study at Dartmouth! |