Kelly Baek, PhD

Assistant Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology

Contact Information

Email kbaek@llu.edu
Phone 909-379-7583
Fax 909-379-7594

Department of Social Work and Social Ecology, Office 201E
Loma Linda University
1898 Business Center Dr., San Bernardino, CA 92408

Degrees and Certifications

  • PhD, Social Policy and Social Research - Loma Linda University, 2018
  • MSW, Social Work - Wayne State University, 2009
  • Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor for adults

Areas of Specialization

  • Mental health
  • Culturally-sensitive interventions
  • Program development and evaluation
  • Community-based research

Professional Memberships

  • National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

Recent Publications and Presentations

Publications

  • Baek, K., Oritz, L., Alemi, Q., Mann, S., Kumar, A., & Montgomery, S. (2020). Factors influencing formal and informal resource utilization for mental distress among Korean Americans in southern California. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01050-1
  • Baek, K., Mann, S. K., Alemi, Q., Kumar, A., Newman, P., Montgomery, S. (2018). Impact of heart disease risk factors, respiratory illness, mastery, and quality of life on the health status of individuals living near a major rail yard in southern California. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, 2765. doi. 10.3390/ijerph15122765.
  • Alemi, Q., Siddiq, H., Baek, K., Sana, H., Stempel, C., Aziz, N., & Montgomery, S. (2017). Effect of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms in 1st- and 2nd-generation Afghan-Americans. Journal of Primary Prevention, 1-14. doi: 10.1007/s10935-017-0492-5.  
  • Alemi, Q., Stempel, C., Koga, P. M., Smith, V., Danis, D., Baek, K., & Montgomery, S. (2017). Determinants of health care service utilization among first generation Afghan migrants in Istanbul. International Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 14, 201. doi. 10.3390/ijerph402020201.
  • Alemi, Q., Stempel, C., Baek, K., Lares, L., Villa, P., Danis, D., & Montgomery, S. (2016). Impact of post migration living difficulties on the mental health of Afghan migrants residing in Istanbul. International Journal of Population Research, vol. 2016, Article ID 7690697, 8 pages. doi:10.1155/2016/7690697.
  • Calvo, R., Ortiz, L., Villa, P. & Baek, K. (2018). Latinxs in social work education: A call for action. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 38(3), 264-276.

Presentations

 

  • Baek, K., Freeman, K., & Montgomery, S. (2020, October). Evaluation of the community resiliency training innovation project in San Bernardino County. Paper presented at the meeting of the 148th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, San Francisco, CA.
  • Lister, Z., Freeman, K., Baek, K., Ngo, M., Chia, D., Montgomery, S. (2020, October). Implementation of a wellness program within a large healthcare facility. Paper presented at the meeting of the 148th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, San Francisco, CA.
  • Ngo, M., Freeman, K., Baek, K., Truong, S., Lister Z., & Montgomery, S. (2020, October). Impact of a low-dose wellness intervention on decreasing stress among healthcare professionals. Paper presented at the meeting of the 148th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, San Francisco, CA.
  • Truong, S., Baek, K., Freeman, K., & Montgomery, S. (2020, October). Evaluating the effectiveness of the community resiliency model intervention on veterans. Paper presented at the meeting of the 148th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, San Francisco, CA.
  • Chia, D., Ngo, M., Baek, K., Freeman, K., & Montgomery, S. (2020, August). Effect of low-dose intervention on burnout for healthcare professionals in clinical settings. Poster presented at the meeting of the 128th Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D. C.
  • Truong, S., Baek, K., Freeman, K., Huelett, B., Ngo, M., & Montgomery, S. (2020, August). Analyzing the impact of a low-dosage intervention for PTSD symptoms among healthcare professionals. Poster presented at the meeting of the 128th Annual American Psychological Association Conference, Washington, D.C. 
  • Baek, K., Mann, S. K., Alemi, Q., Kumar, A., Ortiz, L., Evans, C., & Montgomery, S. (2019, November). Factors that impact mental health of Korean American church leaders in southern California. Poster presented at the meeting of the 147th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Chara, R., Kumar, A., Mann, S., Chara, G., Baek, K., Singh, R., Roberts, L., & Montgomery, S. (2019, November). Exploring Punjabi-American women's gender-role experiences in southern California. Poster presented at the meeting of the 147th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Mann, S. K., Kumar, A., Baek, K., Mann, R., & Montgomery, S. (2018, November). Cross-cultural aging perspectives: Exploring health equities among diverse older adults in Southern California. Poster presented at the meeting of the 146th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, San Diego, CA.
  • Montgomery, S., Mann, S. K., Baek, K., Montgomery, C., Sherzai, D., & Montgomery, S. (2018, November). Exploring cognitive needs, perceptions, and barriers to resource-seeking among monolingual Spanish-speaking Latino older adults. Paper presented at the meeting of the 146th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, San Diego, CA.
  • Kaur, H. P., Mann, S. K., Baek, K., & Montgomery, S. (2017, August). Aging & mild cognitive impairment exploring cognitive health awareness and needs among diverse older adults. Poster presented at the meeting of the 17th Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine Research Symposium, Loma Linda, CA.
  • Mann, S., Baek, K., Mann, R., Montgomery S., & Montgomery, S. (2017, August). Cross-cultural aging experiences, sleep quality, and depression. Poster presented at the meeting of the 17th Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine Research Symposium, Loma Linda, CA.
  • Baek, K., Ortiz, L., & Alemi, Q. (2016, November). Korean mental health perspectives and experiences in the United States. Paper presented at the meeting of the 62nd Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
  • Villa, P., Baek, K., Lares, L., & Ortiz, L. (2016, November). Autoethnography in social work education: Process and method. Paper presented at the meeting of the 62nd Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
  • Baek, K., Mann, S. K., Alemi, Q., Ibrahim, D., Soret, S., Spencer-Hwang, R., & Montgomery, S. (2016, November). Exploring the impact of quality of life, heart disease, and respiratory illness on health status in a low-income community in southern California. Paper presented at the meeting of the 144th Annual American Public Health Association Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Alemi, Q., Baek, K., Siddiq, H., & Montgomery, S. (2016, March). Effect of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms in 1st- and 2nd-generation Afghan-Americans. Paper presented at the meeting of the 76th Society for Applied Anthropology, Session on Dietary and Health Issues among Refugees, Vancouver, BC.
  • Baek, K., Siddiq, H., & Alemi, Q., Montgomery, S. (2016, February). Afghan-American perceptions of diaspora community problems, underlying causes, and solutions: A qualitative study. Paper presented at the meeting of the 19th Annual American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Community Engagement

  • Mental health consultant for Korean Seventh-day Adventist churches (2018-present)
  • Research mentor for Center for Health Disparities & Molecular Medicine (CHDMM) students (2017-present)