Yusen Zhai
Assistant Professor
- Gainesville FL UNITED STATES
- College of Education
Yusen Zhai’s research focuses on AI and machine learning and health policy to promote mental health outcomes and suicide prevention.
Contact More Open optionsBiography
Yusen Zhai is an assistant professor of counselor education. His research examines the impact of AI, health policy and social determinants on mental health, learning outcomes and disparities. He develops machine learning–based predictive models to identify risks for mental health conditions and suicide, with the aim of improving early detection and support. His work emphasizes data-driven approaches to prevention and intervention that inform both counseling practice and policy. In addition, Yusen studies how AI can transform clinical practice, counselor training and education to advance innovative solutions in mental health care and delivery.
Areas of Expertise
Media Appearances
Is your college student at risk for anxiety? New UAB AI model can tell
AL.com online
2025-02-12
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Education and Human Sciences have developed a tool to assist counselors in identifying college students at heightened risk of anxiety and depressive disorders — and offering proactive solutions. This AI model was created to confront health disparities and educational inequities, amid a rise in mental health issues reported among American college students.
COVID-19 vaccine rollout phases linked to decreased anxiety and depression in US adults
News Medical online
2024-08-14
In a recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, researchers evaluated whether the various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine rollout phases impacted the prevalence of depression and anxiety at the population level among adults in the country.
PTSD Has Surged Among College Students
The New York Times print
2024-05-30
Post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses among college students more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, climbing most sharply as the coronavirus pandemic shut down campuses and upended young adults’ lives, according to new research.
Interpersonal relationships making positive impacts on your mental health
WBRC FOX6 News online
2024-05-25
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and leaders at UAB are talking about the importance of interpersonal relationships. An interpersonal relationship is the bond between two people. Having strong connections can help decrease stress levels, provide emotional support, and help navigate difficulties.
Mental health among kids: Expert shares signs you should look for to promote your child's well-being
WVTM 13 online
2024-05-22
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and local counselors want you to talk more about self-care and well-being with your kids. According to Dr. Yusen Zhai, professor and Director of UAB's Community Counseling Clinic, older adults and kids are among the groups seeing an increase in mental health problems.
Mental health leaders at UAB learning how AI can help with counseling
WBRC FOX6 News online
2024-05-21
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Leaders at UAB are in the test stages of utilizing artificial intelligence to help assist mental health counselors. Dr. Yusen Zhai is the director of UAB’s Community Counseling Clinic. He said AI can help identify people who may be at risk for certain disorders. The early detection can prevent the disorder from becoming worse. Right now, Zhai and his team are using data available to test models that would, in theory, assist counselors in making decisions about treatment plans, medication and coping strategies.
Social
Articles
Machine learning predictive models to guide prevention and intervention allocation for anxiety and depressive disorders among college students
Journal of Counseling & DevelopmentZhai, et al.
2024-10-21
College student mental health has been a critical concern for professional counselors. Anxiety and depressive disorders have become increasingly prevalent over the past decade. Utilizing machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), we developed predictive models (i.e., eXtreme Gradient Boosting [XGBoost], Random Forest, Decision Tree, and Logistic Regression) to identify US college students at heightened risk of diagnosable anxiety and depressive disorders.
Impact of phased COVID-19 vaccine rollout on anxiety and depression among US adult population, January 2019–February 2023: a population-based interrupted time series analysis
The Lancet Regional Health - AmericasZhai, et al.
2024-09-01
Existing research lacks information on the potential impacts of multi-phased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine rollouts on population mental health. This study aims to evaluate the impact of various COVID-19 vaccine rollout phases on trends and prevalence of anxiety and depression among US adults at a population level.
Trends in Diagnosed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder in US College Students, 2017-2022
JAMA Network OpenZhai & Du
2024-05-30
We aimed to assess trends in prevalence of diagnosed PTSD and ASD among US college students from 2017 to 2022, a period marked by escalated societal stressors and global health crises. Understanding these trends is crucial for the development of targeted, trauma-informed intervention strategies to address the urgent needs of this population during a critical developmental stage.
