Jiying Ling

I have dedicated over a decade to developing and evaluating school- and home-based bio-behavioral interventions aimed at reducing obesity and promoting mental, emotional, and behavioral health among economically marginalized parent-child dyads. My research focuses on leveraging existing techniques and innovative theoretical frameworks to actively engage parents or guardians in fostering resilience and whole child health during early childhood development. Over the years, I have developed and tested three successful interventions: FirstStep2Health (NIH/NINR R21, $426,250), Happy Family, Healthy Kids (Michigan Health Endowment Fund, $425,618), and Eat My ABCs (Michigan Health Endowment Fund, $250,000). These interventions targeted the intergenerational pathways to promote lifestyle behaviors, prevent obesity, and improve mental well-being. Building on this foundation, I secured the largest single-researcher grant in the College of Nursing’s 73-year history: a NIH/NCCIH UG3/UH3AT012521 ($5,769,062) in 2023 August. This study will determine the effects of a 16-week school- and home-based Food-Body-Mind intervention on the mental, emotional, behavioral, and physical health of 400 low-income parents-child dyads across 50 rural and urban daycare centers. National and international recognition of my impact in innovative research includes >$12 million in funding (>$7 million as the contact PI), 110 publications (citations=1971, h-index=24, i10-index=51), 200+ presentations, and numerous prestigious awards. In 2022, I was named as a fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.