Sicong (Summer) Sun, a PhD candidate at the Brown School, has been selected as the 2020-21 Jane B. Aron/Social Work HEALS Doctoral Fellow by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation. Sun earned her MSW in 2017 from the Brown School, where her concentration was in Social and Economic Development with a specialization in Research. Her dissertation is titled “Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Wealth and Health.”
Sun’s research agenda centers on how racial inequities in wealth and financial access—as understudied social determinants—fundamentally shape downstream determinants of health. Her research interests include social determinants of health, asset building and financial capability, as well as poverty and social mobility in both U.S. and global contexts.
Her dissertation committee is chaired by Michael Sherraden, George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor and the founding director of the Center for Social Development at the Brown School.
The Jane B. Aron doctoral fellowship supports social work doctoral candidates who are engaged in dissertation research in healthcare policy and practice. The objective of the program is to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services in the U.S. by advancing the education and training of healthcare social workers. Established in 1987, the fellowship is named in a tribute to the late Jane Aron, who was a leader in healthcare policy and education.
Sun will be participating on a research panel at the “Financial Capability & Asset Building: Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps (2020-2025)” conference on September 24.