Mindfulness for Health Equity Lab (mHEAL)
Our Mission: Advancing mindfulness and digital intervention science for youth well-being and global mental health
Lab PI: Shufang Sun, PhD, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
What We Do
Led by Dr. Shufang Sun (Associate Prof at Brown School of Public Health), our research lab is dedicated to improving the health of youth and vulnerable populations affected by early life adversity – trauma, war/conflict, discrimination and marginalization, both in the US and across the globe.
Our work acknowledges the resilience of communities and individuals we serve. We aim to develop, evaluate, and disseminate evidence-based interventions to empower individuals to improve their mental and behavioral health. Leveraging mindfulness, AI, and mobile technology, we take a co-development approach with the communities we serve to build scalable, culturally responsive solutions.
Read more about our work by clicking ‘Research’ in the menu or by clicking the button below.
Why Mindfulness?
Our research taps into the potential of mindfulness as a population and public health approach. Unlike traditional models of psychiatric care that tend to be more pathology-focused, mindfulness emphasizes on skills-building (treating wellness as a mental skill to be learned and practiced) and supports scalability.
Mindfulness refers to purposeful, present-moment awareness that arises through paying attention and being non-judgemental to one’s experience. Here’s some examples of collective wisdom from youth in our research as they understand mindfulness:
- “to reunite yourself with your surroundings”
- “getting to know who you are and loving who you are”
- “oneness with the earth and a larger sense of belonging”
- “find peace in oneself and in difficult situations”
- “being in touch with oneself”
Why AI and Technology?
Digital tools have the potential to drastically improve care access – particularly in low-resource settings and populations adversely affected by trauma and stigma. However, major gap remains for digital technology to fulfil its potential in advancing health equity. Our lab leverages advances in mobile health, chatbots, and machine learning for screening/early detection, community-involved co-design, and delivering tailored interventions.
Questions about AI safety and potential harm of digital technology remain. At the same time, we critically examine how AI and digital technologies are being used by youth and other vulnerable populations (often with limited oversight). We explore patterns of engagement with chatbots, smartphone platforms, and problematic internet use, including potential adverse effects and digital addiction. Our goal is to advance responsible development and use of AI and technologies in mental health, ensuring that emerging technologies promote, rather than undermine, agency and health equity.
News & Updates
Congratulations to our graduating students: Regan, Ken, and Jingquan Flora!
Regan is graduating with a Master of Public Health degree! She recently completed her Master’s thesis titled “Me Teaching Me: Utility and Cultural Fit of Mindfulness Training for Black Pregnant Women at Risk of Hypertension.”My thesis evaluated an 8-week prenatal...
Congratulations to Dr. Sun for receiving the Early Career Research Achievement Award
We are very excited to announce that Dr. Shufang Sun was recognized as this year’s recipient of the Division of Research’s Early Career Research Achievement Award in Life Sciences and Public Health! This award is given to distinguished scholars for conducting...
mHEAL Lab Welcomes New Student Research Assistants, Zoey and Flora!
A warm welcome to Flora and Zoey, our two new student Research Assistants, to the mHEAL team! Jingquan "Flora" Miao (she/her) is currently a social data analytics master's program (MSDA) student at Brown University. She recently graduated from Boston University with...
Mindfulness for Health Equity Lab (mHEAL)
Brown University, School of Public Health