Biography

NOTE: Dr. Yang will accept new graduate students for the
2024-2025 academic year.

Dr. Yang is an Assistant Professor of Quantitative Health Psychology
in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island.
Her research interests focus on the development and adaptation of
quantitative methods and analysis tools (1) to handle missing data,
especially for longitudinal studies and clinical trials, and (2) to analyze
longitudinal data that assess changes and relationships in individual
behaviors and experiences over time (including both panel data and
intensive longitudinal data, e.g., ecological momentary assessments).
In addition, she conducts research to evaluate the psychometric
properties of patient-reported outcome measures (e.g., for assessing
fatigue and pain). Her methodological interests are largely motivated
by empirical data analytic problems and measurement issues in health
psychology. She is collaborating with scholars in
intervention/prevention science, substance use, emotion regulation,
and health behaviors. Dr. Yang is currently funded on a Mentored
Research Scientist Development Award (K01DA058715) from the
National Institutes of Health to improve statistical methods for
handling missing data in substance use studies that use ecological
momentary assessment.