Welcome to Y. Catherine Han, PhD, Assistant Professor
November 5, 2024
By: Julie A. Bednark
We are delighted to welcome Y. Catherine Han, PhD, who joins the faculty of Northwestern University Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Outcomes and Measurement Science.
Catherine holds a PhD in Psychology from Northwestern University, as well as an MS in Psychology and MS in Statistics.
Before her current role, Catherine was a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University in MSS under mentorship of Aaron Kaat, PhD and Richard Gershon, PhD, where her work focused on building scoring models and norms for the NIH Infant and Toddler (“Baby”) Toolbox. Her PhD was completed under the mentorship of Paul Reber, PhD and her graduate research focused on understanding auditory perceptual-motor implicit learning and memory consolidation.
Catherine’s research interests focus on assessing memory and motor processes across the lifespan, such as skill knowledge retention and consolidation. To investigate these processes, her work has delved into innovating methodologies and experimental design to assess these constructs. She has an interest in increasing accessibility of tools to assess these constructs across the lifespan, such as through psychometric validation and scoring development of cognitive assessment tools (e.g., NIH Baby Toolbox, NIH Toolbox). Catherine is also particularly interested in investigating whether clinical groups differ in memory and motor processing, which both helps identify whether the assessments being tested have clinical utility as well as provide insight into the mechanisms supporting these domains.
Catherine reflects: “I joined MSS in 2023 as a postdoctoral scholar to contribute to the development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox. The supportive environment and collaborative atmosphere in MSS were major reasons for me to want to continue working here, and I was also pleased to find that MSS’ mission and values resonated with my own. I felt fulfilled working here as a postdoctoral scholar, and I am thrilled and honored to continue to work here as faculty.”
We look forward to the contributions Catherine will make in advancing equity, innovation, and impact in health, both through her research and as a valued member of our community. Welcome Catherine!