Race/Ethnicity Minority Students Success and Mental Health
Dr. Wu’s work centers on helping race/ethnicity minority students and students with disabilities prepare for and obtain gainful employment, which can be an effective strategy to reduce income inequality and improve upward mobility. Strategies to combat systematic bias and achieve racial equality should be a high priority in the counseling profession.
Health Promotion, and Positive Psychology
Dr. Wu’s research focuses on health promotion intervention for people with disabilities, which have the potential to improve their secondary health and mental health conditions, employment status, and quality of life. Understanding the barriers and facilitators of health promoting behaviors is necessary to develop effective health promotion behavioral interventions for this population. Being healthy is a critical condition for optimal functioning and full integration into all aspects of society and community participation, including work, and independent living.
Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Application
Dr. Wu’s work focuses on developing and validating rehabilitation and mental health counseling interventions to improve psychosocial and employment outcomes of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Dr. Wu has contributed to the RRTC-EBP VR evidence-based practice technical manual at UW-Madison. She also co-authored a book chapter on evidence-based practice and research utilization in Tarvydas and Hartley’s Handbook for the Professional Practice of Rehabilitation Counseling as well as a book chapter on strategies for reducing prejudice toward people with disabilities. Her research has been published in referred articles.
Test Construction and Research Methodology
Dr. Wu’s research involves the development and validation of psychological measures to be used as public health and rehabilitation surveillance instruments in clinical settings. Additionally, she is interested in the effectiveness of positive psychology and health promotion interventions in improving health attitude, literacy and engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Her contribution to the field includes three book chapters in Strauser, Tensey and Chan’s handbook for Assessment in rehabilitation and mental health counseling and several refereed articles.
