2022 Stein Institute's Jackuelyn Harris Award for Excellence in Aging Research

Congratulations to Kevin Yang, recipient of the 2022 Stein Institute's Jackuelyn Harris Award for Excellence in Aging Research!

Yang was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama and graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Biology. After graduating, he took two gap years working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a nursing home and on an inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit in Los Angeles. These experiences inspired him to pursue a career in geriatric psychiatry. During his time in medical school at UCSD, he was involved with the MSTAR program where he worked with Dr. Alison Moore and Dr. Chris Kauffman to evaluate the prevalence and use characteristics of cannabis among older adults in San Diego. Their research resulted in multiple publications and media appearances and solidified Kevin's desire to become an academic clinician. He has continued to conduct aging research through Dr. Alison Moore and Dr. Benjamin Han's lab, further investigating the risks and benefits of cannabis use in older adults using epidemiologic data and qualitative analyses. He also received the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) Honors Scholar Award in 2021. He recently graduated and received his MD degree from UCSD in 2022 and will be starting his psychiatry residency at UCSD. He hopes to continue conducting aging research throughout residency and beyond and plans to become a geriatric psychiatrist.