About
“There are a lot of studies that show that culturally sensitive approaches to health care improves patient care. As health care providers, we must bridge the divide between the culture of our healthcare system and the beliefs and practices that make up a patient’s value system.”
Dr. Eunice Lee, an associate professor with the UCLA School of Nursing, also serves as program director for the school’s Doctoral Programs. She has long studied the development and testing of culturally targeted, community-based interventions to improve breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer screenings among aging and minority women, especially Korean-Americans. Lee is the architect of a culturally sensitive, community-based educational program called KIM-CHI (Korean Immigrants and Mammography: Culture-Specific Health Intervention). The program has proven successful in inducing more Korean-American women to get mammograms. This is a good thing, as this demographic has one of the highest rates for breast cancer and are less likely to get routine cancer screenings. The program targets participant husbands, as they traditionally make decisions in Korean-American households. The wives were more willing to schedule screening appointments once their husbands understood and encouraged their participation. Dr. Lee is now preparing to test the paradigm of including spouses of Thai and Mexican women. Lee has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in recognition of her sustained research and scholarship in cancer screening and early detection. Areas of Scholarly Expertise and Interest Breast cancer screening, minority cancer screening, cross-cultural instrumentation, KIM-CHI
Faculty Research and Clinical Expertise
Research: Gerontological psychiatric nursing, depression, caregivers for older adults with dementia; Disease prevention, breast/cancer screening among minority/Korean women; Culturally sensitive intervention for improving cancer screening; cross-cultural instrumentation.
Clinical: Geriatric and psychiatric nursing
Professional Activities
1997-2003: Member, Gerontological Society of America (GSA)
1997-2010: Member, Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS)
2000- Present: Member, American Public Health Association (APHA)
2010- Present: Member, Western Institute of Nursing (WIN)
2010- Present: Member, UCLA Comprehensive Cancer Center
Education
Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, BS, 1982, Nursing University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, MS, 1994, Geriatric Psychiatric Nursing Rush University, Chicago, IL, 1995, Post-Master’s Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (GNP) Rush University, Chicago, IL, 1999, PhD, Geriatric Psychiatric Nursing The University of Iowa College of Nursing, Iowa City, Iowa, 1999-2011, Postdoctoral Fellowship (NIH T-32 NR07058), Research Training in Gerontological Nursing
Grants
PI, Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in Korean Americans, Mentored Research Scientist Award, National Institute of Nursing Research (1 K01 NR08096), 2001-2005
PI, A Culture-Specific Intervention for Breast Cancer Screening in Korean American Women, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, Center for Reducing Risks in Vulnerable Populations (CRRVP) (Funded by NINR), 2005-2006
PI, Korean Immigrants & Mammography — Culture-Specific Health Intervention (KIM-CHI), National Cancer Institute (R01 RCA127650A), 2007-2012
PI, A web-based Korean Immigrants & Mammography-Culture-Specific Health intervention (KIM-CHI, UCLA School of Nursing Intramural grant), 2010-2012
Co-PI, Cervical Cancer Prevention for Vietnamese and Korean American Women in New Mexico: Feasibility of Utilizing Ethnic Beauty Salons for Cervical Cancer Screening Education (PI: Jongwon Lee, Oncology Nursing Society Foundation Small Grant), 2012-2014
Publications
Lee, E., Farran, C. J., Tripp-Reimer, T., & Saddler, G. (2003). Assessing the Cultural Appropriateness of the Finding Meaning Through Caregiving Scale for Korean Caregivers. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 11(1), 19-28. NIHMS291859
Lee, E., & Farran, C. J. (2004). Depression among Korean, Korean American, and Caucasian American family caregivers. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 15(1), 18-25. NIHMS291854
Lee, E., Fogg, L. F., & Sadler, G. (2006) Factors of Breast Cancer Screening Among Korean Immigrants in the United States. Journal of Immigrant Health, 8(3), 223-233. NIHMS47386
Lee, E. E. (2006). Commentary to “Benefits of and Barriers to Dietary Sodium Adherence. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 28(2), 183-184.
Lee, E., Tripp-Reimer, T, Miller, A., Sadler, G., & Lee, S. (2007) Korean American Women’s Beliefs about Breast and Cervical Cancer and Associated Symbolic Meanings, Oncology Nursing Forum, 34(3), 713-720. NIHMS47385
Lee, E. E., Fogg, L.F., & Menon, U. (2008). Knowledge and Beliefs Related to Cervical Cancer and Screening Among Korean American Women. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 30(8), 960-974. NIHMS291828
Choi, H., Fogg, L., Lee, E., & Wu, M. (2009). Evaluating differential item functioning (DIF) of the CES-D scale according to caregiving status and cultural context in Korean women, Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 15, 240-248. NIHMS291867
Eun, Y., Lee, E., Kim, M., & Fogg, L. (2009). Breast cancer screening beliefs among older Korean women: Are they different from younger Korean women? Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 35(9), 40-50. NIHMS 291829
Eun, Y., Gu, M., Lee, E., Choi, K., & Chon, M. (2009). Factors related to breast cancer screening using mammography and clinical breast examination of Korean Women over 40 Years of age. Journal of Korean Academy of Adult Nursing, 21(6). http://www.ana.or.kr/paper/?lkind=33&read=on&num=947&srch_key
Ju, S., Wiiber, J., Miller, A., & Lee, E. (2011). Lifestyle Physical Activity Behavior of Korean American Dry Cleaners Couples, Public Health Nursing, 28(6), 503-514.
Lee, E., Eun, Y., Fogg, L., & Lee, S. (2012). Age-Related Differences in Health Beliefs Regarding Cervical Cancer Screening among Korean American Women. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 23 (3), 237-245.
Lee, SY, & Lee, E. (2012). Korean Americans' Beliefs about Colorectal Cancer Screening, Asian Nursing Research, Available online 16 October 2012.