Shawn Van

Shawn Van is a postgraduate associate at XRPeds. His interest lies in the intersection of mental health research, relationship science, immersive technology, and scalable interventions. At XRPeds, Shawn is leading a mixed-method pilot study evaluating a digital peer-to-peer mental health program. He is also supporting the development and research of a VR-based assessment tool to predict nicotine use among youth through analyzing physiological and psychosocial data.

Shawn received his Master of Public Health from Yale, where he supported a large-scale implementation of LGBTQ-affirmative therapy in low-resource, community settings. His other experiences include leading the development of remote monitoring solutions as an assistant product manager and developing market assessment tools for UNICEF staff working in rural communities. Outside of research, Shawn is passionate about aerial dances, swimming, and mindfulness.