Biography
Yvonne Leung, PhD, is an assistant teaching professor in the Analytics program. Before joining Northeastern, Dr. Leung served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She is also a Scientist at the University Health Network, the leading medical research institute in Canada, where she designs and evaluates artificial intelligence (AI)-based psychosocial and supportive care services for cancer patients to improve their quality of life and access to care.
Dr. Leung has over 15 years of experience in psychosocial and mental health research, secured over $1.3 million in personal awards and research funding. She published 44 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 70 conference talks and poster presentations in psychosocial care and health services research. Currently, Dr. Leung is leading a project funded by Pfizer using deep learning-based natural language processing algorithms to develop Chatbot solutions of automated self-care support tailored to metastatic breast cancer patients at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Next, she will deliver Virtual Reality Reminiscent therapy to residents of long-term care facilities to tackle their anxiety and loneliness, while monitoring their outcomes using wearable sensors.
Dr. Leung has expertise in administrative databases, patient-reported outcomes, psychometrics, and advanced statistical techniques including machine learning, latent structure analysis, and cluster analysis. She is also knowledgeable in qualitative analytic methods such as grounded theory, thematic and content analysis, as well as interpretive descriptive methods. She previously taught Introduction to Statistics, Research Methods, Survey Methods, and Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis to both healthcare professionals and senior analysts.
