Dr. Andrew Kim

Biography

Andrew Wooyoung Kim is a biological anthropologist whose work focuses on the lifecourse and intergenerational health consequences stemming from historical trauma. He investigates the biological mechanisms, including genetics, epigenetics, HPA axis function, inflammation, and vascular function, that underlie intergenerational effects of psychosocial stress related to political violence and apartheid. Currently, Dr. Kim is engaged in a large project called 'Birth Thirty', which is a birth cohort study based in Soweto and Johannesburg, South Africa. This study involves collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of the Witwatersrand and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, exploring how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted community settings and psychiatric hospitals. His research is underpinned by a strong commitment to analyzing health inequities and promoting resilience and healing in historically marginalized communities. Dr. Kim held a postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at Massachusetts General Hospital after receiving his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from Northwestern University in 2020. He also maintains honorary appointments at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, reflecting his ongoing collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council. His research interests include intergenerational trauma, mental health, biocultural anthropology, and critical decolonial approaches to biological anthropology.

Research Interests

Experience