Meichun Mohler-Kuo

Dr. Meichun Mohler-Kuo is a distinguished public health scholar and epidemiologist whose work focuses on social determinants of mental health, adolescent and child health, and addiction behaviors within community and institutional contexts. With a career that spans globally across institutions in the United States, Switzerland, and Taiwan, Dr. Mohler-Kuo brings over three decades of interdisciplinary academic, research, and leadership experience in public health, mental health, and epidemiology. Currently a Professeure HES ordinaire at the Institut et Haute École de la Santé La Source in Lausanne, Dr. Mohler-Kuo previously held notable roles at the University of Zurich, including Director of the Competence Center for Mental Health and Leader of the Research Unit in Mental Health and Social Epidemiology. She has also served as a senior research scientist, associate professor, and PhD supervisor, shaping public health education and advancing global mental health research agendas. Dr. Mohler-Kuo earned her Sc.D. and M.S. from the Harvard School of Public Health, specializing in Maternal and Child Health, with minor fields in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Her doctoral research on the longitudinal effects of poverty on children's behavioral and emotional health laid the foundation for her lifelong commitment to social epidemiology. She further deepened her expertise through postdoctoral training in psychiatric epidemiology and social determinants of health, working with prominent initiatives such as the “Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods.” Her research portfolio includes pioneering work on alcohol use among adolescents, mental health quality of life in children, and survey methodology, particularly in the Swiss context. As a former scientific director of the Harvard College Alcohol Study, Dr. Mohler-Kuo has contributed significantly to understanding institutional and societal factors influencing youth substance use and mental well-being. In Switzerland, she led multiple population-based studies investigating mental health, health behaviors, and the effects of social environments on vulnerable groups. Dr. Mohler-Kuo is a recognized expert in social epidemiology, mental health services research, and child and adolescent health. Her academic excellence has been widely acknowledged through appointments at the University of Zurich, University of Basel, and as a faculty member in the Swiss School of Public Health Plus. She has supervised numerous PhD and postdoctoral scholars, fostering the next generation of public health researchers. A respected editorial and scientific voice, she serves as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Public Health and a reviewer for top-tier journals, including Addiction, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, and Journal of Adolescent Health. She is also a valued member of international public health and psychiatric epidemiology societies. Dr. Mohler-Kuo exemplifies academic leadership with her integrative research on behavioral health, social inequalities, and health survey methodology. Her career reflects a commitment to translating complex epidemiological data into actionable knowledge that shapes healthcare systems, public health interventions, and mental health services worldwide.