Principal Investigator
Jane Chung, PhD, RN, FGSA
Dr. Jane Chung is an Associate Professor at Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Dr. Chung received a bachelor’s degree in nursing science and a Master's degree in nursing administration and leadership from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. She obtained a Master of Science in Health Informatics and a PhD in Nursing from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Before joining Emory University, she served as an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing.
During her career trajectory, she has received several intramural and extramural grants through various mechanisms, including the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIA). As the founder and director of the FIT lab, Dr. Chung’s research program aims to develop, apply, and evaluate technology applications to promote healthy aging among older adults including those from lower socioeconomic groups and with limited social networks. She also works on advancing the technology implementation science by exploring factors influencing the acceptability and sustained use of digital health technology among older adults and caregivers in a sociocultural context.
In recognition of the impact of her work, she has been selected as a fellow of the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship Program for Nurse Leaders and Innovators and the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). She received numerous awards, including the Mid-Career Researcher Award from the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS), Healthy Longevity Grand Challenge Catalyst Award by the National Academy of Medicine, and Geriatric Nursing Research Award from the Western Institute of Nursing. She was a fellow of the Latino Aging Research Resource Center, one of the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) funded by the NIA.
A fun fact: One of her bucket list goals is to visit all the U.S. national parks— she is always looking for her next outdoor adventure!
Project Coordinator, MPH, PMP
Chiquita Cade is a proud first-generation college graduate with a strong academic foundation in public health and biology. She earned both her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgia State University. During her graduate studies, she developed a passion for data-driven research and community health, which laid the groundwork for her career in public health research and project coordination.
Chiquita’s professional experience is rooted in community engagement and health equity. She previously served as the Project Coordinator for the Represent ATL research project, part of the National Institutes of Health’s RADx-UP initiative. In this role, she worked closely with community partners, led participant recruitment efforts, and facilitated culturally responsive data collection among Black and African American communities in Atlanta. Her work emphasized building trust with research-reticent populations and ensuring that community voices were central to the research process.
Her professional interests include prison reform, addressing homelessness and food insecurity, and ensuring that older adults remain connected, informed, and valued in an ever-evolving world.
A Fun Fact: Chiquita is a proud morning person who swears that being up before 7 a.m. unlocks secret bonus hours in the day. While others are still snoozing, she’s already enjoying the quiet, getting things done, and feeling like she’s cracked the code to time itself.
Post Doctoral Fellow
Juyoung Park, PhD, MS
Dr. Juyoung Park is a postdoctoral fellow in the Future Innovations for Technology and Aging (FIT) Lab at Emory University Nell Hodgson School of Nursing. She earned her PhD in Social Work and a Master of Science in Gerontology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Her research focuses on gerontological social work, with particular attention to the mental health of older adults, social isolation and loneliness, elder mistreatment, and health disparities in aging populations. She enjoys connecting with older adults in the community, and her time volunteering at the Koreatown Senior and Community Center in Los Angeles showed her how eager older adults are to learn and use computers, smartphones, and the internet, despite often lacking opportunities to do so. This experience inspired her to explore how digital technology can best support aging populations in achieving a better quality of life.
A fun fact: She enjoys Friday movie nights watching animated films with her family!
Doctorate Students
Daum Chung, RN, MSC
Chung is from South Korea. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing at Hanyang University and worked as a nurse for three years at a regional emergency medical center in Korea.
During her Master's program, she had the opportunity to participate in several research projects focused on older adults, where she engaged with community-dwelling and long-term care residents, dementia patients, and their family caregivers.
These experiences deepened her desire to support them not only through clinical practice but also through tech-related research. Chung felt a strong commitment to advocating for their unique needs and challenges, which ultimately inspired her to pursue a PhD.
Fun Fact: She is a huge fan of detective and mystery novels and movies!
Rajib Biswas RN, BSN, MPS, MSN
Rajib is a second-year PhD student in Nursing at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University. He completed his undergraduate degree in Nursing Science, followed by a Master’s in Population Sciences and a Master’s in Nursing in Bangladesh. Rajib's research focuses on aging, with a particular emphasis on dementia caregiving, Alzheimer's disease, and injury prevention. Through his work with the Aging Hub, he aims to explore strategies for promoting healthy aging by leveraging modern resources in a cost-effective manner.
Fun fact: He loves watching movies and traveling abroad!
Tayler Barnes
Barnes is a second-year MPH student studying Health Policy and Management. She was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, and earned her B.S. in Health Services from Augusta University in May 2024. She has conducted qualitative research on food deserts in Downtown Augusta, interviewed local organizations to explore how they addressed this public health issue.
She is excited to work with this team and explore the impact of digital health on aging populations!
Fun Fact: She danced ballet, modern, and tap/jazz for 10 years!
Christy Destin
Christy holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Epidemiology with a Certificate in Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology. She is passionate about rare diseases, cancer, the biological clock, and healthy aging. She joined this research community to deepen her knowledge and contribute to advancements in these areas. One of her main goals is to apply her skills in epidemiology to make a meaningful impact on public health and to support gerontology research.
she holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology, with a pre-med focus, and a minor in Psychology from Georgia State University. During her studies, she developed a strong foundation in the biological sciences and became deeply interested in public health, which led her to pursue further education. In addition to her academic achievements, she also volunteered at hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, assisting older adults and providing support to vulnerable populations during a critical time. This experience further fueled her dedication to improving public health and supporting aging populations.
Fun fact: She speaks three languages and am hoping to add Korean as her fourth!
Harsit Upadhya
Upadhya is a Master's student in Computer Science at Emory University's Laney Graduate School, with a strong foundation in AI, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing. His academic journey began with a bachelor's in information science and engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University, where he graduated with distinction.
His research interests lie at the intersection of machine learning and natural language processing. He has published work on improving cross-lingual understanding across multiple languages and has developed projects including an advanced scientific paper summarization system using the PEGASUS model. He is particularly passionate about improving the fundamental building blocks of deep learning.
He is looking forward to applying his expertise in AI/ML to advance our research initiatives at Fit Research, collaborating with the team to develop innovative solutions, and contributing to groundbreaking developments in our field.
Fun fact: When he is not coding or doing research, you can find him either on the cricket field trying to perfect his bowling technique or binge-watching his favorite anime series!