Tracy Chu
Assistant Professor
Health and Nutrition Sciences
Location: 4135 Ingersoll Hall
Phone: 718.951.5000 x6287
Fax: 718.951.4670
Email:
Tracy Chu is a medical sociologist who joined Brooklyn College in 2009 and is also appointed to the CUNY Graduate Center's Doctorate of Public Health program. She received postdoctoral training as a National Institute of Mental Health Fellow in Mental Health Services at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy & Aging Research at Rutgers University. She also holds a Master of Public Health degree (MPH) and an MA in sociology. At Brooklyn she has taught Personal & Community Health, Epidemiology, Principles of Health Science, and Honors Directed Research at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level she has taught Intro & Advanced Health Policy, Program Evaluation in Community Health, Research Seminar III, Master's Paper, and Master's Thesis. Dr. Chu's areas of active research include health and well-being among immigrant survivors of political violence and torture, and infant mortality, specifically suffocation-associated infant injury deaths. Dr. Chu is a native New Yorker.
Education:
Post-Doctoral Training, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy & Aging Research, Rutgers University - 2009
PhD, Graduate School & University Center (CUNY) - 2008 (Sociology)
Areas of Expertise:
Social construction of illness, race and ethnicity, immigration, urban sociology, mental health, maternal and child health
Books and Publications
Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., Keatley, E., & Rasmussen, A. (2013). Navigating intimate partner conflicts among West African immigrant families in New York City. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Abuse, 22(2), 109-126. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2013
Chu, T., Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Keatley, E., & Rasmussen, A. (Under review). Cultural community support among forced and voluntary West African immigrants in New York City. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2013
Chu, T., Hackett, M., & Navpreet, K. (Under review). Exploring contextual risks related to the physical environment among sleep-related infant injury deaths in New York City, 2004-2010. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2013
Chu, T., Keller, A., & Rasmussen, A. (Revise & resubmit). The strength of weak ties: Ethnic network experiences of African immigrant survivors of political violence in New York City. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2013
Crager, M., Chu, T., Link, B., & Rasmussen, A. (2013). Forced migration and psychotic symptoms: An analysis of the National Latino and Asian American Study. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2013
Rasmussen, A., Chu, T., & Akinsulure-Smith, A.M. (Under review). A grounded theory of family conflict and community among West African immigrants in New York City. (Books and Publications: Forthcoming Publications) 2013
Chu, T., Keller, A., & Rasmussen, A. (2012). Post-migration factors as predictors of PTSD outcomes among immigrant survivors of political violence. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2012
Rasmussen, A., Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., & Keatley, E. (2012). "911" among West African immigrants in New York City: A qualitative study of disciplinary practices and perceptions of child welfare authorities. Social Science and Medicine, 75(3), 516-525. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2012
Rasmussen, A., Crager, M., Baser, R.E., Chu, T., & Gany, F. (2012). Onset of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression among refugees and voluntary migrants to the United States: A retrospective comparison across migration history. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25, 1-8. (Books and Publications: Peer Reviewed Article) 2012
Chu, T. [Contributor]. (2011, June). Special Section: Sleep-related injury deaths among infants younger than one year old. In Report from the Child Fatality Review team: Understanding child injury deaths. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Fortin, P., Stayton, C., DiGrande, L., Yau, R., Hackett, M., & New York City Child Fatality Review Team. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2011
Chu, T. (2009). United States Refugee Policy and Practices. In J.A. Warner (Ed.), Battleground: Immigration (pp. 710-721). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. (Books and Publications: Chapter) 2009
Chu, T. (2005). Book Review [Review of the book Asian American Women: The Frontiers Reader, edited by L.T. Vo, M. Sciachitano. S.H. Armitage, P. Hart, & K. Weathermon]. Amerasia Journal, 31(3), 213-216. (Books and Publications: Book Review) 2005
Chu, T. (2005). Colonized (Involuntary) vs. Immigrant (Voluntary) Minorities. In P.G. Min (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Racism in the United States. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. (Books and Publications: Other Article) 2005
Awards, Honors and Fellowships
Professional Staff Congress - CUNY Research Award, Cycle 43. Risk factors for sleep-related infant injury deaths in NYC, 2004-10. (Grants and Fellowships) 2012
Faculty Fellowship Publication Program, CUNY Office of Recruitment and Diversity, CUNY. (Grants and Fellowships) 2011
Invited Participant, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Fourth Annual Symposium, June 2010, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ. (Awards and Honors) 2010
Professional Staff Congress - CUNY Research Award Program, Cycle 41. The role of pre-migration trauma and post-migration hardships on mental health outcomes among Latino and Asian immigrants in the U.S. (Grants and Fellowships) 2010
CUNY Writing Fellowship (appointed at the CUNY School of Law), 2008-09. (Grants and Fellowships) 2008
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Mental Health Services Research, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy & Aging Research, Rutgers University, 2008-09. (Grants and Fellowships) 2008
American Sociological Association - National Institute of Mental Health Minority Fellowship Program, 2007-08. (Grants and Fellowships) 2007
Susan Rosenberg Zalk Student Travel and Research Award, Graduate School and University Center (CUNY). (Awards and Honors) 2007
Fellow, Center for Place, Culture and Politics, Graduate School and University Center (CUNY), 2006-07. (Grants and Fellowships) 2006
National Science Foundation - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, 2006-07. (Grants and Fellowships) 2006
Pluralism & Diversity Taskforce Fellowship for Minority Adjunct Faculty, LaGuardia Community College (CUNY), 2006-07. (Grants and Fellowships) 2006
National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellow, Hunter College (CUNY), 1999-01. (Grants and Fellowships) 1999
Research Activities
Research Consultant. (2009-Present). Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, NYC Department of Health. Infant Injury Deaths in NYC. 2013
Evaluation Consultant. (2010-12). Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, NYC Department of Health, and the Fund for Public Health in NYC, Inc. CDC "Communities Putting Communities to Work" Obesity Grant - Breastfeeding Initiative in New York City Hospitals [Funded by CDC Grant #1U58DP002418-01]. 2012
Data Collection Director/Analyst. (2008-10). Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, NYC Department of Health, and the Fund for Public Health in NYC, Inc. Breastfeeding Data Collection (Richmond University Medical Center & Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY) [Funded by United Hospital Fund Grant #090607I & 080604I]. 2010
Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums
Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., Keatley, E., & Rasmussen, A. (2012, November). Family conflict and community support among West African refugee families in New York. Paper presentation at the 28th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Los Angeles, CA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2012
Rasmussen, A., Akinsulure-Smith, AM, Chu, T., & Keatley, E. (2012, May). The place of public health institutions within problem-solving strategies of West African families in New York City. Paper presentation at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2012
Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., & Rasmussen, A., (2011, March). The West African Families Project: Preliminary findings. Invited presentation at Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., Rasmussen, A., & Keatley, E. (2011, August). The West African Families Project: Preliminary findings and policy implications. Invited presentation at the Mayor?s Office for Immigrant Affairs, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Rasmussen, A., & Chu, T. (2011, April). Community resilience among West African migrants to New York City. Invited presentation at the Research in Development Colloquium Series, Department of Psychology, City College (CUNY), New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2011
Rasmussen, A., Chu, T., Keatley, E., & Akinsulure-Smith, A.M. (2011, June). Community resilience and conflict among West African migrants to New York City. Paper presentation at 2011 Society for Community Research and Action biennial conference, Chicago, IL. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2011
Chu, T. (2010, March). Exotica Tibet: Ethnic negotiations of Tibetan survivors of political violence in New York City. Paper presentation at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, MA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
Chu, T. (2010, May). Urban suicide. Invited presentation at the annual Brooklyn College Science Research Retreat, Brooklyn College, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2010
Rasmussen, A., Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., & Keatley, E. (2010, May). Assessing family conflict in West African immigrant families. In D. Hinton (Chair), Culturally Sensitive Assessment of Psychologically Distressed Ethnic and Non-English Speaking Populations. Symposium presentation at the 163rd meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, New Orleans, LA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
Rasmussen, A., Chu, T., Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., & Keatley, E. (2010, October). The social ecology of solving family conflict in West African communities in New York. Paper presentation at the 9th International Conference on Urban Health, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2010
Chu, T. & Friedlander, J. (2009, April). War neurosis and shell shock in the U.S., 1917-1925. Invited presentation at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2009
Chu, T. & Hackett, M. (2009, December). Infant deaths in New York City: Causes and conditions. Invited presentation at the Biannual New York City Infant Mortality Review Committee, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2009
Chu, T. & Kowalska, M. (2009, April). Improving breastfeeding support in hospitals on Staten Island, NY. Invited presentation at the Research Seminar Series, Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2009
Chu, T. (2008, September). Post-migration immigration status and mental health outcomes among immigrant survivors of political violence. Invited presentation at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Invited Talk) 2008
Chu, T. (2008, August). Post-migration immigration status and mental health outcomes among survivors of political violence. Paper presentation at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Boston, MA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2008
Chu, T. (2007, August). The unintended immigrant: African survivors of political violence in New York City. Paper presentation at the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, NY. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2007
Chu, T. (2006, August). Bodies of discontent: The convergence of medicine, race and politics in the prioritizing mental health among refugee populations, 1980 to present. Paper presentation at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal, Quebec. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
Chu, T. (2006, February). Race, place and immigrant incorporation: Neighborhood characteristics of African and Tibetan asylum-seekers/refugees in New York City. Paper presentation at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, MA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2006
Chu, T. (2005, August). Public health and refugee detention: Conflicts in the social construction of the 'traumatized' refugee. Paper presentation at the 100th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, PA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2005
Chu, T. (2005, August). African immigrants in NYC: A demographic comparison of refugee survivors of torture and the larger immigrant community. Paper presentation at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Association of Black Sociologists, Philadelphia, PA. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2005
Chu, T. (2005, March). The pathology of victimhood: Mental health interventions with refugee populations, 1980 to present. Paper presentation at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Washington, DC. (Conferences, Seminars and Symposiums: Conference Presentation) 2005
Professional Leadership
Chair, Departmental Scholarships and Awards Committee. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2012
Department Representative, Faculty Council, Brooklyn College (CUNY), 2012-13. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2012
Member, Faculty Council Committee on Graduate Standards and Admissions, Brooklyn College (CUNY), 2012-13. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2012
Member, Faculty Search Committee, Nutrition (multiple lines). (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2012
Deputy Chair, Graduate Health Programs/MPH Director, 2011-12. (Professional Leadership: Organizational Leadership Position) 2011
Member, Faculty Council Faculty-Student Disciplinary Panel. (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2011
Member, Pluralism and Diversity Taskforce, LaGuardia Community College (CUNY). (Professional Leadership: Committee Service) 2006
Community Activities
Akinsulure-Smith, A.M., Chu, T., Keatley, E., & Rasmussen, A. (2011, throughout). The West African Families Project: Preliminary findings and community stakeholder feedback. Invited presentations and stakeholder feedback sessions at community-based organizations and social service agencies serving African immigrant populations: U.S. Sierra Leonean Association (Staten Island, NY); Sauti Yetu (Bronx, NY); Bronx Defenders (Bronx, NY); International Institute of New Jersey (Jersey City, NJ); Sanctuaries for Families (New York, NY); African Services Committee (New York, NY); African Refuge (Staten Island, NY). 2011
Other Professional Activities
Peer reviewer (ad hoc): American Journal of Public Health; Disability Studies Quarterly; Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health; Psychological Medicine. 2013
External Grant Reviewer, Professional Staff Congress - CUNY Faculty Research Awards (Sociology Panel). 2009
Discussant, Emerging Scholarship in Sociology. At the 3rd Annual Student Roundtable co-sponsored by the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS) and Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS), New York, NY. 2007
Moderator, Panel on Interdisciplinary Urban Health Studies. At the invited conference "The University and Urban Health: Designing Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching, Research and Service," New York, NY. 2006
