Elaine Jeon is a doctoral student at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Her research examines how AI and social media shape mental health stigma, support, and help-seeking among young people. Using mixed methods and participatory approaches, she collaborates with communities on mental health issues that directly impact their lives.

Her dissertation investigates how Asian American youth discuss mental health in relation to identity and culture, and how they engage with social media platforms and conversational AI to explore support and navigate help-seeking. Elaine also contributes to research on suicide prevention, sexual health, and environmental justice.

Before joining Annenberg, Elaine earned her MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and studied global affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University. She previously worked as a management consultant in Asia and the Middle East and as a researcher at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Global Health Equity in Boston. Elaine holds a BA in economics from Amherst College. Outside of research, she enjoys playing Ultimate Frisbee and cooking Korean food.