Jenna Sung

Dr. Jenna Sung is an assistant professor in the Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Department at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, where she directs the Lab for Expanding Access for Families (LEAF). Dr. Sung’s program of research focuses on transforming mental health care systems to make evidence-based support more accessible for youth and their caregivers—especially those facing socioeconomic barriers.

More specifically, her research centers the development, evaluation, and implementation of brief, scalable digital mental health interventions—single-session interventions (SSIs). Designed to reach individuals who might not otherwise access traditional psychotherapy, these low-burden programs leverage emerging technologies to deliver responsive, accessible solutions that address systemic barriers to care. These programs serve youth, caregivers, and the broader family context, recognizing that caregivers are central to youth well-being, yet frequently face high levels of stress and limited support.

Committed to translating innovation into real-world impact, Dr. Sung designs digital interventions with deployment and user-centered design at the forefront. She has partnered with hospital systems, primary care clinics, and acute-care settings to broadly disseminate these programs and investigates the facilitators and barriers to implementation to maximize their reach and sustainability. Her work has been supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a Health Policy Research Scholar, and by the International OCD Foundation, which supports her efforts to scale caregiver-focused SSIs.

pronouns: she/her

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