Work Summary
Dr. Ahn's educational background encompasses diverse fields, including a BE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Seoul, South Korea, an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, a BSN/MSN/PhD in Nursing, and an MS in Medical Sciences, all attained from the University of Florida. He combines his expertise in nursing, medicine, and computer engineering, and uses mobile and connected computer technology to optimize delivering home-based nonpharmacological intervention and improve patient-centered outcomes in chronically ill and aging populations, especially among underserved populations. His research has been continuously funded since 2011, including an NIH/NINR R01 award as PI, and has produced more than 180 peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations related to healthcare technology, health equity, symptom science, and population health and wellness.
Research Interest
I have acquired distinction in a program of scholarship focusing on the discovery and integration of knowledge about enhancing health and independence in vulnerable populations. My combined nursing, medicine, and computer engineering expertise uniquely positions me to use innovative technologies to improve pain and symptom management while also allowing me to incorporate into my research the biopsychosocial factors that influence health disparities. I have performed well as an independent researcher, practitioner, and scholar by obtaining numerous grant funds. As demonstrated in my CV, my research has been continuously funded since 2011, including NIH/NINR R01 study as PI (R01NR019051. Combination Therapy of Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Mindfulness-Based Meditation for Self-Management of Clinical Pain and Symptoms in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis. $2,895,747), and have produced >85 peer-reviewed publications, 2 book chapters, and > 80 scientific presentations related to biobehavioral neuroscience, health equity, population health and wellness, and informatics. My publications demonstrate the various methods I use to conduct research, including randomized clinical trials, biomarker analyses, mediation and moderation analyses, regression modeling, Bayesian modeling, quasi-experimental designs, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses. My excellence in research and scholarship has been recognized via invitations to serve on numerous grant review panels for the National Institute on Health, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs (chair), and grant director for the Southern Nursing Research Society. I also serve on the editorial boards for multiple journals, including Asian/pacific island nursing journal (Editor-In-Chief).
