About

Dr. Hyekyun Rhee is a Professor at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. Her research program is focused specifically on asthma in adolescents, supported by several large clinical trials funded by the NIH. Her work emphasizes developing and evaluating innovative asthma self-management interventions that leverage unique developmental opportunities presented by adolescents and utilize cutting-edge technologies to reduce the disease's burdens. She has developed an automated device for asthma monitoring (ADAM) using advanced signal processing technology, which has been patented in the U.S. as a Respiratory Disease Monitoring System and successfully launched as a consumer device. Currently, she is leading the development of two technology-based asthma management aids in collaboration with colleagues at UT Austin.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Developmental psychology
• Public relations
• Gerontology
• Nursing
• Internal medicine
• Geography
• Psychiatry
• Immunology
• Clinical psychology
• Physics
• Psychotherapist

Selected publications

• Associations Between Social Isolation and Social Determinants of Health in Patients With Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study Using 2022 HINTS Data

  Cancer Nursing · 2026-03-17

  articleSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Social isolation is increasingly recognized as a major public mental health issue that can negatively affect the quality of life and health outcomes among individuals with cancer. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the social determinants of health (SDoH) factors associated with social isolation among patients with cancer in the United States. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey, including 3593 patients with cancer. Twenty SDoH-related variables were categorized based on the Healthy People 2030 SDoH framework. Binary logistic regression was used to examine associations between SDoH factors and social isolation. RESULTS: Among the sample, 55.4% of respondents reported experiencing social isolation. Social isolation was significantly associated with delayed or unmet medical care (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-1.59), lack of reliable transportation (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.06-2.25), a weaker sense of belonging to one's ethnic group (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.31-2.61), being White (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.07-4.73), and frequent healthcare visits (OR, 6.73; 95% CI, 3.91-11.77). CONCLUSION: Multiple SDoH factors were significantly associated with social isolation in patients with cancer. These findings highlight the importance of integrating social risk assessment and community-based support into oncology care. IMPLICATIONS FOR ONCOLOGY NURSING PRACTICE: Clinicians should assess transportation barriers and healthcare accessibility to identify patients at risk for social isolation. Incorporating community resources and culturally responsive social support programs may help mitigate social isolation and improve the quality of life and health outcomes of individuals with cancer.

  PublisherDOI

• Peak Flow Meter and Spacer Use in Adolescents with Asthma: More than Just Ownership

  Children · 2026-02-22

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Background: Effective self-management is essential for optimizing asthma control. Although peak flow meters (PFMs) and spacers are recommended to support self-management, the associations between device use patterns and asthma outcomes remain unclear. This study aims to examine the ownership and use of devices among adolescents with asthma and their associations with asthma exacerbations in the past 12 months and asthma control. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 373 inner-city adolescents with asthma were analyzed. Participants reported PFM or spacer ownership and their frequency of use. Exacerbation history was determined based on oral corticosteroid use, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits in the past 12 months. Asthma control was assessed using the Asthma Control Questionnaire. Chi-square tests and independent t-tests were used to examine associations among device ownership, use frequency, asthma control, and exacerbations. Results: Ownership rates were 36% for PFMs and 61.6% for spacers. Ownership of both devices was negatively associated with asthma exacerbations in the past year (all p < 0.001). Regular use was reported by only 15.2% of PFM owners and 40.2% of spacer owners. Regular users did not differ from infrequent users in exacerbation history but reported significantly poorer asthma control (PFM: p = 0.007; spacer: p < 0.001). Conclusions: Adolescents’ ownership of peak flow meters and spacers remains suboptimal, and the routine adoption of these devices is limited. Adolescents with exacerbations in the past year were more likely to own devices but use them infrequently. Regular use was associated with poorer asthma control, suggesting reactive rather than preventive use. Findings highlight the need for improved education on preventive device use, enhanced training in proper use, and proactive integration of devices into adolescent asthma self-management.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Asthma Symptom Self-Monitoring Methods for Children and Adolescents: Present and Future

  Children · 2025-07-29 · 2 citations

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Asthma is the leading chronic condition in children and adolescents, requiring continuous monitoring to effectively prevent and manage symptoms. Symptom monitoring can guide timely and effective self-management actions by children and their parents and inform treatment decisions by healthcare providers. This paper examines two conventional monitoring methods, including symptom-based and peak expiratory flow (PEF) monitoring, reviews early efforts to quantify respiratory symptoms, and introduces an emerging sensor-based mHealth approach. Although symptom-based monitoring is commonly used in clinical practice, its adequacy is a concern due to its subjective nature, as it primarily relies on individual perception. PEF monitoring, while objective, has shown weak correlations with actual asthma activity or lung function and suffers from suboptimal adherence among youth. To enhance objectivity in symptom monitoring, earlier efforts focused on quantifying respiratory symptoms by harnessing mechanical equipment. However, the practicality of these methods for daily use is limited due to the equipment's bulkiness and the time- and labor-intensive nature of data processing and interpretation. As an innovative alternative, sensor-based mHealth devices have emerged to provide automatic, objective, and continuous monitoring of respiratory symptoms. These wearable technologies offer promising potential to overcome the issues of perceptual inaccuracy and poor adherence associated with conventional methods. However, many of these devices are still in developmental or testing phases, with limited data on their clinical efficacy, usability, and long-term impact on self-management behaviors. Future research and robust clinical trials are warranted to establish their role in asthma monitoring and management and improving asthma outcomes in children and adolescents.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Mediation of Psychological Capital in Youth Experiencing Homelessness

  Nursing Research · 2024-02-08

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Youth who experience homelessness engage in behaviors that place them at high risk for disease and injury. Despite their health risk behaviors, these youth display psychological capital, positive attributes of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism that motivate them to engage in health-promoting behaviors such as safer sex. However, this array of positive psychological attributes has not been studied in this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVES: The specific aim of this analysis was to determine whether factors of psychological capital mediated the relationship between background risk factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, educational attainment, reason for being homeless, sexual abuse history, and HIV status) and outcomes of condom intention, safer sex behaviors, and life satisfaction among youth who participated in a longitudinal intervention study. METHODS: Using a Solomon four-group design, 602 youth were recruited from drop-in centers in two large cities (Columbus, Ohio, and Austin, Texas) to participate in a brief intervention that included outcomes of enhanced communication skills, goal setting, safer sex behaviors, drug refusal skills, and life satisfaction. Using an autoregressive, cross-lagged, longitudinal mediation model, we tested the direct and indirect effects of background factors, psychological capital, and intervention outcomes. Models were tested for the intervention group alone and the total sample. RESULTS: There were no significant direct or indirect effects of background factors on intervention outcomes among the intervention group, and the model fit was poor. There were also no significant mediating paths via factors of psychological capital and poor model fit for the combined group. DISCUSSION: Findings provide important information about intrinsic strengths of youth experiencing homelessness and psychological capital as a significant construct for understanding health behaviors among disadvantaged and underserved youth. The lack of significant mediation effects may have been due, in part, to the lack of a robust measure of psychological capital. Further study with various background factors and outcomes would contribute further to our understanding of how best to support this population.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An Empowerment-Based Intervention for Chinese Immigrant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: Feasibility and Acceptability

  Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association · 2024-08-18 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern, particularly in vulnerable populations such as Chinese immigrant women. AIM: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an empowerment-based intervention integrated with relaxation and self-compassion techniques for Chinese immigrant women experiencing IPV. METHODS: The present study was a part of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). A total of 50 Chinese immigrant women who had experienced IPV in the past year were recruited online and randomized to either the intervention or the control group. The intervention group engaged in seven weekly sessions delivered with a phone call and a mobile application. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through surveys and interviews to evaluate intervention adherence, participants' perceptions, and areas for improvement. RESULTS: 64% of the participants completed each weekly session, demonstrating favorable intervention adherence. The intervention was perceived to be helpful by most participants, with reported decreases in stress, anxiety, fatigue, pain, and family conflicts, and with reported improvements in emotion regulation and self-compassion. However, technical issues with the mobile platform and lack of personalization were identified as limitations. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention for Chinese immigrant women experiencing IPV and warrants a full-scale RCT to determine its efficacy. It will be essential to personalize the intervention and reduce any barriers to participation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Trends and Gaps in Digital Precision Hypertension Management: Scoping Review

  Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2024-12-16 · 12 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite effective treatments, most people with HTN do not have their blood pressure under control. Precision health strategies emphasizing predictive, preventive, and personalized care through digital tools offer notable opportunities to optimize the management of HTN. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to fill a research gap in understanding the current state of precision health research using digital tools for the management of HTN in adults. METHODS: This study used a scoping review framework to systematically search for articles in 5 databases published between 2013 and 2023. The included articles were thematically analyzed based on their precision health focus: personalized interventions, prediction models, and phenotyping. Data were extracted and summarized for study and sample characteristics, precision health focus, digital health technology, disciplines involved, and characteristics of personalized interventions. RESULTS: After screening 883 articles, 46 were included; most studies had a precision health focus on personalized digital interventions (34/46, 74%), followed by prediction models (8/46, 17%) and phenotyping (4/46, 9%). Most studies (38/46, 82%) were conducted in or used data from North America or Europe, and 63% (29/46) of the studies came exclusively from the medical and health sciences, with 33% (15/46) of studies involving 2 or more disciplines. The most commonly used digital technologies were mobile phones (33/46, 72%), blood pressure monitors (18/46, 39%), and machine learning algorithms (11/46, 24%). In total, 45% (21/46) of the studies either did not report race or ethnicity data (14/46, 30%) or partially reported this information (7/46, 15%). For personalized intervention studies, nearly half (14/30, 47%) used 2 or less types of data for personalization, with only 7% (2/30) of the studies using social determinants of health data and no studies using physical environment or digital literacy data. Personalization characteristics of studies varied, with 43% (13/30) of studies using fully automated personalization approaches, 33% (10/30) using human-driven personalization, and 23% (7/30) using a hybrid approach. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review provides a comprehensive mapping of the literature on the current trends and gaps in digital precision health research for the management of HTN in adults. Personalized digital interventions were the primary focus of most studies; however, the review highlighted the need for more precise definitions of personalization and the integration of more diverse data sources to improve the tailoring of interventions and promotion of health equity. In addition, there were significant gaps in the reporting of race and ethnicity data of participants, underuse of wearable devices for passive data collection, and the need for greater interdisciplinary collaboration to advance precision health research in digital HTN management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: OSF Registries osf.io/yuzf8; https://osf.io/yuzf8.

  PublisherDOI

• Cultural Adaptation of Child Discipline Measures for Puerto Rican Mothers: Enhancing the Cultural Sensitivity of Parenting Assessments

  Children · 2024-08-29 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Puerto Ricans (PRs) face significant challenges in accessing essential parenting resources and support due to language barriers and lack of culturally appropriate healthcare services, perpetuating health disparities. Cultural adaptation of psychosocial measurement tools is crucial for promoting health equity and improving health outcomes. This study describes the cultural adaptation of two parenting discipline assessment measures for use with Spanish-speaking PR mothers of 2-4-year-old children. METHODS: = 20) to pretest the semi-finalized Spanish measures and assess mothers' understanding of survey items. RESULTS: Mothers had a mean age of 28.6 years. Most were married/cohabitating (70%), had a high school diploma or GED (90%), and a household income of less than $40,000 (68%). Indexed children's mean age was 2.9 years, with most identified by mothers as female (60%). Feedback from the adaptation committee and pretesting participants led to specific changes like rephrasing culturally specific terms and adjusting examples to better fit the daily experiences of PR mothers. Most mothers found the Spanish version of the measures to be clear and culturally relevant. This cultural adaptation process addressed translation inconsistencies and design issues, and better captured culturally relevant discipline practices. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging communities in measurement adaptations ensures culturally and linguistically tailored measures that respect participant preferences, strengthen partnerships, and enable interventions to address health disparities, thereby promoting child health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Self-Compassion, Health, and Empowerment: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial for Chinese Immigrant Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

  Journal of Interpersonal Violence · 2023-10-30 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Chinese immigrant survivors of men’s violence experience both significant mental health impacts from abuse and barriers to formal services. Therefore, we examined the preliminary efficacy of an innovative mobile-based empowerment-based intervention (self-compassion, health, and empowerment; SHE) that specifically focuses on abused Chinese immigrant women in the US. This pilot study used a two-arm randomized controlled design with repeated measures. A convenience sample ( N = 50) of Chinese immigrant women who experienced past year intimate partner violence (IPV) were recruited online and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group (25 per group). We assessed IPV exposure, safety behaviors, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and self-compassion at baseline, post-intervention, and 8-week follow-up. Of 95 eligible participants, 50 (52.6%) agreed to participate and completed baseline data collection; intervention completion rate was 64%. We found a significant group and time interaction for self-judgment (a self-compassion component), with a significant reduction seen in the intervention group compared to the control group. Despite no other significant group differences observed over time, the intervention group showed consistent trends toward improvements in most outcome measures, including specific types of IPV (i.e., negotiation, psychological aggression, and sexual coercion), depressive and PTSD symptoms, self-compassion, and certain components of self-compassion (i.e., isolation and over-identification) when compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that the SHE intervention shows promise in improving the mental health well-being of Chinese immigrant survivors. However, a fully powered randomized controlled trial is warranted to determine its efficacy. Our intervention has the potential to be translated in the Chinese immigrant populations with the necessary organizational support.

  PublisherDOI

• Parents’ Experiences and Perceptions of Healthcare Transition in Adolescents with Asthma: A Qualitative Study

  Children · 2023-09-05 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Adolescence marks a significant transition from pediatric to adult healthcare, and parents play critical roles in supporting their adolescents with chronic conditions through this process. However, little is known about parents' experiences, perceptions, and needs during this healthcare transition. This qualitative study explores the experiences and perceptions of parents regarding the care transition of their 16-17-year-old adolescents with asthma. Nineteen mothers participated in either a focus group or individual interviews, and a content analysis was conducted on the data. Parents expressed negative emotions and various concerns about their teens' transition readiness and asthma management. A need for early transition training for both adolescents and parents was discussed. Overall, the complexity and challenges associated with the healthcare transition of adolescents with asthma take a toll on parents, particularly when their teens are not adequately prepared to manage asthma independently. Parents need appropriate anticipatory guidance regarding the transition and skills to navigate changing roles and negotiate asthma care responsibilities with their teens. Timely interventions and support strategies for both adolescents and parents are needed to ensure the successful healthcare transition of adolescents with asthma.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Are Mid to Late Adolescents with Asthma Ready for Transition of Care? A Qualitative Study

  Children · 2022-10-18 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This qualitative descriptive study explores experiences and perspectives of mid-to-late adolescents about growing up with asthma, and the roles of parents and providers as they transition. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit and enroll adolescents aged 16-20 years with asthma. Forty-one adolescents participated in a focus group or individual interview, and content analysis was conducted to analyze the data. The mean age of participants was 17.7 years, the majority (56%) of whom were Black. Themes that emerged included concerns about becoming an adult with asthma and its self-management, parental involvement, and communication with providers. Adolescents felt burdened by asthma, few considered becoming adults with asthma, and their future outlook was pessimistic with concerns related to worsening symptoms, inadequacy in symptom self-management and limitations on career choices due to asthma. Deficiencies in self-management were noted, parents still played major roles in adolescents' asthma care, and transition of care was seldom discussed with the providers. Mid-to-late adolescents with asthma are inadequately prepared for transition of care, and parents and providers insufficiently engage adolescents in the preparation. Parent, provider, and adolescent partnership is critical to achieve adolescent readiness for independence in asthma management and to ensure proper asthma care continuity post transition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R21NR009837

  NIH · $368k · 2009

• Developing an Automated Symptom Monitoring Device for Adolescents with Asthma

  NIH · $1.6M · 2009–2014

Frequent coauthors

• Michael Belyea

  20 shared

• Jennifer R. Mammen

  University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

  17 shared

• Arlene Butz

  Johns Hopkins University

  15 shared

• Laurene Tumiel‐Berhalter

  13 shared

• Lynn Rew

  The University of Texas at Austin

  13 shared

• Donald Harrington

  University of Rochester Medical Center

  11 shared

• Tanzy Love

  University of Rochester Medical Center

  11 shared

• Patricia J. Hollen

  University of Virginia

  10 shared

Awards & honors

• La Quinta Motor Inns, Inc. Centennial Professorship in Nursi…