Soohyun Nam, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, FAHA, FNYAM, FAAN

About

Soohyun Nam is the Gayle King Lee Professor at the Yale School of Nursing and a faculty affiliate of the Yale Institute for Global Health. An internationally recognized expert in cardiometabolic health, health disparities, and community-engaged research, Dr. Nam brings over 25 years of clinical experience as a nurse practitioner to her research and mentorship.

Her work focuses on addressing health disparities through structural and multilevel determinants of health. She has led multiple federally funded studies supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Her research incorporates lifestyle, biobehavioral, sociocultural, and psychosocial factors to improve health outcomes among marginalized populations, including racially and ethnically minoritized communities, immigrants, and underserved women.

Dr. Nam is a prolific scholar with publications in high-impact journals and features in prominent outlets such as Science. She is also a dedicated mentor, fostering the development of emerging nurse scientists and public health researchers through interdisciplinary collaboration.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Seoul National University, and both her master’s degree (Adult Nurse Practitioner) and PhD in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Interdisciplinary Training in Health Disparities Research at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Nam is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the American Heart Association.

Research Interests

Dr. Nam’s research focuses on improving cardiometabolic health outcomes by addressing multilevel factors—including individual behaviors, social networks, and structural environments. Her work emphasizes the roles of sleep, physical activity, and psychocultural influences on type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. She employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, integrating biomarkers, digital health tools, wearable technologies, and ecological momentary assessment in her studies. A key aspect of her work involves designing and implementing community-based lifestyle interventions through partnerships with multisectoral community organizations.

Current Grants

NIH/ National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

R01DK132069 (PI)

Personal and social-built environmental factors of glucose variability among multi-ethnic groups of adults with type 2 diabetes

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

R18HS029812 (PI)

Implementing mindfulness practice to advance sleep health equity among Black women

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

R01DK132069-S1 (PI)

The relationship among ambient temperature, personal and social-built environmental factors, and glucose variability among multi-ethnic groups of adults with type 2 diabetes

Selected Publications

Nam, S., Lee, M., Juul, F., Parekh, N., & Jeon, S. Ultra-processed foods and continuous glucose monitoring metrics in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 2026 Jul 28:113465. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2026.113465. Online ahead of print.

Domínguez Navarro, A, Lee, M., & Nam, S. Association between ultra-processed food consumption and depressive symptoms in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition and Diabetes  (in press).

Nam, S., Lee, M., Jeon, S., Ash, G., Weinzimer, S., & Whittemore, R. Associations between sleep quality and continuous glucose monitoring- derived metrics in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Sleep Research, Published online March 27, 2026. doi:10.1111/jsr.70331

Akyirem, S., Melkus, G., Nam, S., Wang, K., Micah, F., Ekpor, E., & Nelson, L. (2026). Diabetes-related stigma, hemoglobin A1C, and psychological and behavioral outcomes among adults with type 2 diabetes in Ghana: A structural equation modelling approach. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 2026;58(2):e70073. doi:10.1111/jnu.70073.

Akyirem, S., Wang, K., Melkus, G., Nam, S., Micah, F., Ekpor, E., & Nelson, L. Investigating the role of perceived autonomy support in moderating the association between diabetes stigma and psychological and diabetes self-management outcomes among adults with type 2 diabetes in Ghana. PLOS Global Public Health, 2026;6(2):e0006027. Published 2026 Feb 19. doi:10.1371/journal.pgph.0006027.

Ash, G., Nam, S., Mak, S., Stults-Kolehmainen, M., Haughton, A., Turek, C., Baker, J., Hieftje, K., Marks, A., Chmielewski, A., Shelver, M., Considine, E., Lukasik, J., Weinzimer, S., & Nally, L. Testing multiple delivery methods of the virtual exercise games for youth with T1D (ExerT1D) peer intervention: Protocol development and feasibility. Hormone Research in Pediatrics, Published online February 16, 2026. doi:10.1159/000550880.

Lee, M., & Nam, S.  Continuous Glucose Monitoring-Based Machine Learning Identification of Diurnal Glycemic Patterns and Diabetes Distress in Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, Published online January 18, 2026. doi:10.1177/19322968251412449.

Akyirem, S., Sarkar, S., Thompson, S., & Nam, S. (2026). A qualitative study of multilevel barriers and facilitators influencing sleep of Black women in Connecticut, United States. Ethnicity & Health, 31(2),136-157. doi:10.1080/13557858.2025.2602624

Nam, S., Tong, G., Iennaco, J., Humphries, D., Ordway, M., Lee, M., Thompson, S., Seguinot, M., Morales, F., Harriot, K., Paris, N., Bryant, K., Weidner, K., Edwards, T., & Whittemore, R. (2026). Protocol for a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation study of mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia in Black women. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 160, 108166.

Meng, X., Lee, M., Chu, L., Nam, S., & Chen, K. (2025). Discrepancies between personal and ambient temperatures at hourly scale: Insights from wearable sensors and environmental modeling. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 12,1154−1161.

Huang, S., Ash, G., Cao, J., Melkus, G., Nam, S., Jeon, S., McMahon, E., & Whittemore, R. (2025). Self-reported physical activity in Chinese American immigrants with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus. J of Cardiovascular Nursing, Published online Mar 21, 2025. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000001197.

Mak, S., Nally, L., Montoya, J., Marrero, R, DeJonckheere, M., Joiner, K., Nam, S., & Ash, G. An exergames program for adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A qualitative study of acceptability (2025). JMIR Diabetes, 10, e65665.

Nam, S., Otai, J., Lee, M., Whittemore, R., Omanga, E., Thompson, S., & Mudany, M. (2025). Challenges and opportunities in screening and management of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya: A qualitative study of multi-sectoral stakeholders. Global Public Health, Dec;20(1):2545952.  doi: 10.1080/17441692.2025.2545952. Epub 2025 Aug 12.

Lee, M., Ash, G., & Nam, S. (2025). Wearable devices and physical activity disparities: Insights from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey. Health policy and Technology, 14(3),101017. doi:10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.101017.

Nam, S., Jeon, S., Ordway, M., Mazure, C., Sinha, R., Yau, L., & Iennaco, J. (2024). Mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia in Black women: A pilot randomized controlled trial. J Behav Medicine,  Published online September 21, 2024.

Domínguez Navarro, A., Lee, M., Chen, Y., Batten, J., Mensah, B., & Nam, S. (2026). Continuous glucose monitoring in older adults with diabetes across care settings: A systematic review. Geriatric Nursing, Published online May 21, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2026.104075.

Sterling, M., Ferranti, E., Green, B., Moise, N., Foraker, R, Nam, S., Juraschek, S., Anderson, C., Laurent, P., & Sussman, J. (2024). The role of primary care in achieving life’s essential 8: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. Published online November 13, 2024.

Nam, S., Jeon, S., Ash, G., Weinzimer, S., Dunton, G., Parekh, N., Grey, M., Chen, K., Lee, M., Sajdlowska, A, & Whittemore, R. (2024). Personal and social-built environmental factors of glucose variability among multi-ethnic groups of adults with type 2 diabetes: Research Protocol using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Continuous Glucose Monitoring, and Actigraphy. Res Nurs Health,47(6), 608-619. doi:10.1002/nur.22420

Lee, M., & Nam, S. (2024). Telehealth utilization among patients with chronic disease: Insights from the 2022 Health information National Trends Surveys. J of Telemed Telecare, 31(10), 1418-1428.

Nam, S., Jung, S., Vlahov, D., Latkin, C., Kershaw, T., & Whittemore, R. (2023). Body mass index and obesity-related behaviors in African American church-based networks: A social network analysis, PLoS One, 18(3):e0281145.

Nam, S., Jeon, S., Lee, S., Ash, G., Nelson, L., & Granger, D. (2022). Real-time racial discrimination, affective states, salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase in Black adults. PLoS One, 17(9), e0273081.

Nam, S., Jeon, S., Ash, G., Whittemore, R., & Vlahov, D. (2021). Racial discrimination, sedentary time and physical activity in African Americans: Quantitative study combining ecological momentary assessment and accelerometers. JMIR Formative Research, June 7;5(6):e25687.

Nam, S., Griggs, S., Ash, G. I., Dunton, G. F., Huang, S., Parekh, N., Batten, J., & Whittemore, R.

(2021). Ecological momentary assessment for health behaviors and contextual factors in persons with diabetes: A systematic review. Diabetes Rese Clin Pract, Mar 10;174:108745.

Jung, S., Whittemore, R., Jeon, S., & Nam, S. (2021). Mediating Roles of Psychological Factors and Physical and Social Environments Between Socioeconomic Status and Dietary Behaviors among African Americans with Overweight or Obesity. Res Nurs Health, 44(3), 513-524.

Nam, S., Dunton, G. F., Ordway, M. R., Ash, G. I., Jeon, S., Vlahov, D., Whittemore, R., Nelson, L. E., Sinha, R., Nunez-Smith, M., & Granger, D. A. (2020). Feasibility and acceptability of intensive, real-time biobehavioral data collection using ecological momentary assessment, salivary biomarkers, and accelerometers among middle-aged African Americans. Res Nurs Health. 43(5), 453-463.

Nam, S., Jung, S., Whittemore, R., Latkin, C., Kershaw, T., Redeker, N., Jeon, S., & Vlahov, D. (2019). Social network structures in African American churches: Implications for health promotion programs. Journal of Urban Health, 96(2), 300-310.

Nam, S., Whittemore, R., Jung, S., Latkin, C., Kershaw, T., & Redeker, N. S.  (2018). Physical neighborhood and social environment, beliefs about sleep, sleep hygiene behaviors, and sleep quality among African Americans. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, 4(3), 258-264.

Joiner, K., Nam, S., & Whittemore, R. (2017). Lifestyle Interventions based on the diabetes prevention program delievered via eHealth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine, 100, 194-207.

Nam, S., Redeker, N., & Whittemore, R. (2015). Social networks and future direction for obesity research: A scoping review. Nursing Outlook, 63(3), 299-317.

Nam, S., Janson, S. L., Stotts, N. A., Chesla, C., & Kroon, L. (2012). Effect of culturally-tailored diabetes education in ethnic minorities with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 27(6), 505-18.

Nam, S., Chesla, C., Stotts, N. A., & Kroon, L., & Janson, S. L. (2011). Barriers to diabetes management: Patient and Provider Factors. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 93(1), 1-9.

Nam, S., Chesla, C., Stotts, N. A., Kroon, L. & Janson, S. L. (2010). Factors associated with psychological insulin resistance in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 33(8), 1747-1749.