Yali Deng, MSW, PhD candidate, is a suicide researcher and health service researcher. Her long-term research goal is to reduce suicidal behaviors among young adults and improve the accessibility and quality of mental health services.
Previous education
MSW, Nanjing University
BSW, Shenzhen University
Significant accomplishment
Yali has expertise in suicide research and prevention, behavioral health service evaluation, and quantitative methods. During her PhD, she has published nine peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals (e.g., Journal of Community Psychology, Prevention Science, Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research) and submitted three manuscripts currently under review. Yali was also a recipient of Jeongseok Kong & Sunmi Jin Memorial PhD Scholarship in 2022.
Research experience
Yali has made great contributions to several foundation- and federal-funded projects. Working on a project funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, she examined the utilization of an anonymous online screening and dialogue platform (Interactive Screening Program, ISP) using de-identified ISP counselor-user dialogue data. These research experiences, coupled with her experience as an online peer supporter for Chinese college students, shaped her interest in developing and evaluating programs that incorporate digital platforms and nontraditional mental health providers (e.g., trained peers) in suicide prevention for young adults.
Yali has expertise in behavioral health services research in real-world settings. Working on a NIDA-funded project, she gained extensive experience in dealing with longitudinal administrative data from emergency departments and community-based agencies. Through this project, she was deeply involved in a community-academic partnership where she worked with a community agency to propose practice-based research questions and discuss data coding and research implications for the agency.
Teaching Interests
In Spring 2024, Yali independently taught Social Work Research class (hybrid, MSW-level) at UMSSW. She has served as a teaching assistant in Mental Health and Social Policy class (in person, MSW-level) in 2023. In addition to these two classes, she is interested in teaching Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Statistics and Data Analysis, Program Evaluation.
Selected Publications
Deng, Y. & Rose, T. (2024). Examining Dimensions of Help-seeking Intentions and Associations with Personal Mental Illness Stigma among Racial and Ethnic Minority Immigrants. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23154
Deng, Y., Frey, J. J., Osteen, P. J., Mosby, A., Imboden, R., Ware, O. D., & Bazell, A. (2024).
Engaging Law Enforcement Employees in Mental Health Help-Seeking: Examining the
Utilization of Interactive Screening Program and Motivational Interviewing Techniques.
Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-024-01384-0
Witmer, A. M., Deng, Y., Mojtabai R., Wilcox, H. C., & Aluri, J. (2025). The Association
between College Enrollment and Suicide Attempts by Race and Ethnicity. Prevention Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-025-01771-5
Frey, J. J., Deng, Y., Osteen, P. J., Imboden, R., Mosby. A., Ware, O. D., Bazell, A., & Phillips,
R. (2024). How Are Motivational Interviewing Techniques Associated with U.S. Healthcare
Employees’ Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors When Using the Interactive Screening
Program. BMJ Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2024-001293
Deng, Y., Li, X., Liu, L., & Chui, W. H. (2021). Suicide Attempts and Perceived Social Support
among Chinese Drug Users: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem and Depression. International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), 208. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010208