Eun Ok Im

About

Dr. Eun-Ok Im is a Professor and Maureen Healy Decherd Chair at The University of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing. She holds a PhD in nursing from UCSF, along with an MSN from UCSF and a BSN from Seoul National University in South Korea. Dr. Im is an internationally recognized methodologist and theorist specializing in global women’s health, particularly the experiences of midlife women. Over her career, she has successfully secured NIH funding, including multiple R01s, R21, and R61/R33 grants, supporting her extensive research efforts. Her pioneering work in the use of computer and mobile technologies for nursing research began in the late 1990s, leading to groundbreaking contributions in Internet-based research methodologies, the application of fuzzy logic for complex data analysis, and the development of tailored interventions using machine learning and AI technologies. Dr. Im has developed situation-specific theories that are now considered a major type of nursing theories, emphasizing sensitivity to individual health and illness experiences. Her research has significantly impacted the field, guiding the development of targeted interventions and advancing theoretical frameworks in nursing science. Dr. Im has authored approximately 450 publications, including over 250 refereed journal articles, and has mentored more than 200 students and researchers. Her leadership extends to national and international service roles, such as serving as president of the Asian American…

Research topics

• Sociology
• Medicine
• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Nursing
• Political Science
• Medical education
• Family medicine
• Internal medicine
• Anthropology

Selected publications

• Digital humanistic program to manage premature frailty in young breast cancer survivors with gender perspective

  npj Digital Medicine · 2025-01-16 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Premature frailty is a critical challenge for young breast cancer survivors (YBCSs), impacting their health and perpetuating gender inequality through heightened vulnerability and marginalization. While digital health shows promise in frailty screening, its effectiveness for comprehensively managing frailty remains inconclusive. This randomized controlled trial, registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200058823), tests the "AI-TA" program's efficacy on premature frailty and qua…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Why is it Difficult to Recruit/Retain Asian American Family Caregivers in a Virtual Intervention?

  Western Journal of Nursing Research · 2025-03-18 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Virtual interventions using computers and mobile devices have increasingly been developed and tested among racial and ethnic minorities in recent years. Yet, few virtual interventions have been developed for Asian American midlife women who are family caregivers of persons living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, little is known about the feasibility of recruiting this specific group of racial/ethnic minority midlife women to a virtual intervention study. OBJECTIVE: The pur…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Issues in Using Four Languages in a Culturally Tailored Technology-Based Intervention Study

  CIN Computers Informatics Nursing · 2025-02-06 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  To provide culturally competent care for racial/ethnic minorities, it is important to provide information and coaching/support in the languages that users can understand. However, issues in using multiple languages, especially in culturally tailored technology-based intervention research among racial/ethnic minority cancer survivors, have rarely been discussed. The purpose of this article is to discuss the issues in using four different languages among Asian American breast cancer survivors with…

  PublisherDOI

• Research Funding, Social Responsibilities, and Nursing Knowledge Generation

  Advances in Nursing Science · 2025-04-01 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  With all the news on recent political changes including the drastic upcoming changes in the National Institute of Health (NIH),1-3 I was thinking of the impact of research funding on nursing knowledge generation. Indeed, research grants have been essential for nurse scientists and scholars to survive in the academia because they have great impacts on their promotion and tenure process.4 Subsequently, nurse scientists and scholars have tried to ensure grant funding for their research programs and…

  PublisherDOI

• Essential Competencies in Nursing Leadership From Asian Leaders’ Perspectives

  Advances in Nursing Science · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  The literature on nursing leadership tends to be mainly based on Western perspectives and models, which could be viewed as an imperialistic and colonialist aspect of nursing knowledge development. Furthermore, leadership competencies and skills could differ across countries due to variations in cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this discussion paper is to identify essential competencies of leaders from Asian nurse leaders' perspectives and provide suggestions for future nursing leadership. Fo…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01NR008926

  NIH · $1.2M · 2011

• NIH Grant R01NR007900

  NIH · $1.8M · 2009

• NIH Grant R01NR010568

  NIH · $1.8M · 2013

Frequent coauthors

• Wonshik Chee

  The University of Texas at Austin

  426 shared

• Eunice Chee

  North Carolina State University

  242 shared

• Xiaopeng Ji

  184 shared

• Yaelim Lee

  National University of Singapore

  156 shared

• Sangmi Kim

  Guy's Hospital

  121 shared

• Hsiu‐Min Tsai

  Taiwan Nurses Association

  107 shared

• Qing Yang

  Duke University

  92 shared

• Reiko Sakashita

  89 shared

Awards & honors

• 2014 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Award from…
• 2020 Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) O…
• 2022 SNRS Distinguished Researcher Award
• 2022 FNINR Faye Glenn Abdellah Research Leadership Award
• 2023 Oncology Nursing Society Distinguished Research Award

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