Meet our GERI Researchers | Dr Yu Chou Chuen
13 March 2024
Dr Yu Chou Chuen is a Research Fellow at GERI. At present, his research focus is on bio-psycho-social approaches to healthcare and programme evaluation. He has been involved with various studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also has research interests in advance care planning and advancing end-of-life care. He holds a PhD in Psychology and is an associate faculty at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
We speak to Dr Yu about the psychological and social dimensions of ageing, how his experiences in policy settings have shaped his work at GERI, and his recipe for research success.
Your academic background lies in psychology. How did you come into the study of ageing issues and why does this field interest you?
One of my interests in psychology is the scientific study of perceptions and attitudes, and so I am happy that I can apply my skills and knowledge and contribute to the gerontological field. It was happenstance that peers in my PhD programme introduced me to this field and I am grateful for that, given how much I have enjoyed my work at GERI.
Prior to joining GERI, you were a researcher and analyst at various government agencies. How have these experiences in policy settings shaped the way you approach your research at GERI?
Prior to joining GERI, I had the opportunity to work at the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office. These experiences allowed me to appreciate the importance of pragmatism in research—essentially, we approach research based on practical considerations, rather than theoretical ones.
I also learnt about the need to communicate complex research findings in simple terms, for instance, making highly technical research findings accessible to an intended audience. Such experiences guide me in my thinking when it comes to engaging with our stakeholders or designing studies at GERI.
You have led research on advance care planning and COVID-19 and stigma—why is this work important to you? What are your hopes for how your work could aid broader efforts to manage the growing care needs of Singapore’s older adults?
Research involving older adults during the pandemic brought home the message that advancing care of older adults involves not only biomedical aspects, but also psychological and social factors. This became apparent to me in our study on COVID-19 vaccination decisions where interpersonal influences played a big role in shaping older adults’ medical choices, and also various attitudinal-related studies in advance care planning that I am involved in. A transdisciplinary approach, bringing together medicine, humanities and perspectives beyond, is therefore needed.
I believe researchers trained in social sciences can play an important role not only from a methodological standpoint, but also contribute ideas and offer recommendations to manage the growing care needs of Singapore’s older adults.
You are active in the conference scene. Some of your contributions include serving on the Scientific Committee of the 8th International Conference on Advance Care Planning (ACP-i) 2023, and as an invited speaker at the 8th Singapore Palliative Care Conference 2023. What are your thoughts on the broader endeavour of disseminating research?
Conferences are a good way for us to disseminate our findings to the healthcare community since busy professionals may not have the time to read the many manuscripts that they receive! In addition to networking opportunities, I think conferences serve as a melting pot of ideas and inspiration not only for conducting but translating research too. Having said that, I think there are other effective approaches beyond conferences, for instance, through research briefs, technical reports and even through social media or delivering a lecture.
You have been involved in some exciting collaborations with international researchers, such as with palliative care expert Professor Marie Bakitas, as well as clinician-scientist Dr Sharon Straus from the Knowledge Translation Program, Canada. What did you find most rewarding?
I think what stood out for me about the experts I have met is the dedication and passion they have towards the field they are in! It’s infectious (no pun intented). I have also learnt about their thought processes and the multi-level approach they take in unpacking an issue using different lenses, such as scientific, societal and also lay perspectives. I am also quite impressed by their work ethic, putting in long hours and effort towards the scientific cause that they are pursuing, something that I feel I should do more of!
“Teacher-mentor” is one of the many hats that you wear both in GERI and beyond. What advice do you have for aspiring researchers or those starting out?
Over the years, I have worked with various researchers in GERI and I hope I have managed to impart some of the hard and soft skills essential for them to successfully navigate the research path. I think this is a way that more senior researchers can play a part in contributing back to the ecosystem, having benefited from good mentorship themselves. From another angle, I think playing a teaching role is important, especially for a senior researcher, as I find it helps me to hone my communication skills and keep my research knowledge updated too.
For researchers starting out, I have the following three pieces of advice:
If all you have is a knife, you can only slice. So build up your kitchenware of research methodology.
Know your recipe, but be imaginative and adaptive, since the season may not be in your favour or you may not have the right ingredients to address the research question.
Many things can go wrong. Preparing for research is like cooking. Just a little more heat or seasoning can ruin the meal. Therefore, be extremely thorough at all stages of the research process.