The KITH (Kinship, Intersectionality, and Transformative Health) Lab is a research group that explores culture of health for LGBTQ communities of color by focusing on determinants of life through three interrelated areas of research:
Community-engaged research with LGBTQ Asian American social movements
Effects of intersectional oppression on mental health; and
Queer and feminist of color theoretical approaches in mixed methods public health and health policy.
The team
dr. James Huynh
Stanford University ‘15; Human Biology, B.A.
UCLA ‘19; Asian American Studies M.A., Community Health Sciences, M.P.H.
UCLA ‘24; Community Health Sciences, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Selena Tran
University of Massachusetts Lowell ‘17; Psychology, B.A.
University of Michigan ‘22; Psychology, M.S.
Health Data Analyst
Albert Shim
University of Michigan ‘25; Public Health Sciences, B.S.
University of Michigan ‘26; Environmental Health Sciences, M.S.
Lab Manager
University of Michigan ‘21; Biology, Health & Society, B.S., Spanish, B.A.
University of Michigan ‘24; Health Behavior and Education, M.P.H.
University of Michigan (Current); Health Behavior and Health Equity, Ph.D.
Research Assistant
darius moore
Research Assistant
Tyler Tran
University of Michigan - Dearborn ‘24; Psychology, B.A.
University of Michigan (Current); Information, Big Data Analytics, M.S.
UCLA ‘25; Human Biology and Society, B.S., Asian American Studies, B.A.
UCLA (Current); Asian American Studies, M.A.
Research Assistant
ryan horio
Research Assistant
Thi Bao Ngan Van
University of Michigan (Current); Chemistry, B.S.
Our Projects
The KITH Lab conducted the first Vietnamese Health Needs Assessment in the state of Michigan in collaboration with PIVOT Michigan. By conducting interviews, survey distribution, and qualitative and quantitative data analysis, we have developed a policy brief informing local and state governments about the economic, social, and health needs of Vietnamese Michiganders.
michigan Vietnamese health needs assessment
The We Bloom Health Intervention project is conducted in collaboration with We Bloom Vietnam. We Bloom Vietnam has initiated a mental health counseling intervention at five high schools in a central region of Vietnam. The intervention aims to look at the effectiveness of the counseling on students’ depression, anxiety, and stress levels. In addition to this objective, the study hopes to assess parents’ and teachers’ mental health literacy.
We Bloom Mental Health Intervention
Using egocentric social network data of queer and trans Vietnamese American advocates in Orange County, we examine how personal networks (like chosen family) are associated with mental health outcomes.
QT Viet Social Network Analysis
Critical consciousness and mental health among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual people
We use data from the 2025 LGB Strengths Survey to examine how activism and critical consciousness are related to mental health and multigroup identity.
