Congratulations to Sunha Choi, one of seven recipients of the 2017 Undergraduate Faculty Research Mentor of the Year Award! She was the top mentor in the College of Social Work. Choi is an assistant professor and Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar in the College of Social Work.

Both of Choi’s student nominators credit her for far exceeding what might be expected of a typical professor. For Holly Hill, this amounted to years of education in a single semester:

“When I signed up for Honors Social Work Research with Dr. Choi, my knowledge of the entire research process did not go much further than what I had learned from elementary school science projects. Dr. Choi has taught me everything about research from definitions of terms, to how to form a research question, how to design research and how to calculate and interpret the results. She has taught me the importance of research and the impact that it can have on creating change in social work practice, policies and, on a larger scale, in agencies and in communities.”

Haley Emitt praises Choi’s emphasis on student growth, writing, “Dr. Choi has helped me become confident in my own abilities, because when I ask her a complex question, she helps me process through the question so that I can answer it myself, instead of just giving me an easy answer. Dr. Choi has encouraged me to think outside the box and has truly strengthened my understanding of research,” and that “Dr. Choi has always made me aware of outside research presentation or publication opportunities.”

Additionally, both nominaters note Choi’s skill at fostering a strong, supportive classroom experience for all students.

Sunha Choi received an MSW and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. Her work has studied disparities in healthcare among foreign-born adults. She’s been featured twice in Tennessee Today and received awards from the Gerontological Society of America and the Aging and Public Health section of the American Public Health Association.