Hillary Nicole Peregrina, MA, MSW (she/her/hers) is a doctoral student committed to using developmental perspectives to address mental health disparities among immigrant and refugee adolescents and emerging adults. She obtained her Master of Arts in Social Work (Clinical Concentration) from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She also previously earned a Master of Arts in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Loyola Marymount University.

Prior to entering the field of Social Work, she taught Ethnic Studies courses at San Francisco State University and San Francisco Unified School District through Pin@y Educational Partnerships. Her social work experience encompasses a range of youth development roles including administrative non-profit research/program evaluation and counseling services for children and adolescents ages 8-18.

Her central research questions focus on the impact of racial discrimination and critical racial consciousness on various developmental outcomes including mental health, ethnic/racial identity, family processes, civic engagement, and racial solidarity. She has previously published on various public health issues that impact Asian American communities across the lifespan including family social support for chronic illness among older Asian Americans, and civic engagement among emerging young adults. Her research interests are an interdisciplinary blend of her experience in Social Work and Ethnic Studies. Ultimately, she hopes to use various forms of research to advocate for health equity, translate findings into public policy recommendations, and inform clinical and community-based interventions.

Selected Publications: 

Peregrina, H. N., Bayog, M. L. G., Pagdilao, A., Bender, M. S., Doan, T., & Yoo, G. J. (2024). Older Chinese and Filipino American Immigrants with Type 2 Diabetes and their Adult Child: A Qualitative Dyadic Exploration of Family Support. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 39(2), 151–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-024-09505-w

Park, M., Woo, B., Jung, H.-M., Jeong, E., Choi, Y., Takeuchi, D., & Peregrina, H. N. (2024). COVID-19, Racial Discrimination and Civic Engagement Among Filipino American and Korean American Young Adults. Emerging Adulthood, 12(2),236-251. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968231224098

Peregrina, H. N., Maglalang, D. D., Hwang, J., & Yoo, G. J. (2023). A qualitative exploration of the continuum of help-seeking among Asian American breast cancer survivors. Social Work in Health Care, 62(10), 345–358. https://doi.org/10.1080/00981389.2023.2244012

Peregrina, H. N., Yoo, G. J., Villanueva, C., Bayog, M. L. G., Doan, T., & Bender, M. S. (2022). Tiwala, Gaining Trust to Recruit Filipino American Families: CARE-T2D Study. Ethnicity & disease, 32(1), 49–60. https://doi.org/10.18865/ed.32.1.49

Maglalang, D. D., Peregrina, H. N., Yoo, G. J., & Le, M. N. (2021). Centering Ethnic Studies in Health Education: Lessons From Teaching an Asian American Community Health Course. Health education & behavior: the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 48(3), 371–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981211009737