Our team
Education
National Taiwan University, Taiwan
PhD, Health Policy and Management
Harvard University, Boston, USA
MSc, Health Policy and Management
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
MBA, Risk Management & Insurance (Major: Actuarial Science)
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
BBA, Risk Management and Insurance
Faculty Bio
Shu-Fang Shih, PhD, MSc, MBA, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Administration at the Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to her current appointment, she was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the Michigan School of Public Health from 2018 to 2020 and a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, College of Education at the National Taiwan Normal University, where she won two excellence teaching awards, from 2012 to 2018.
Dr. Shih has a diverse background in business, risk management and insurance, actuarial science, and health policy and management. The goal of her research is to provide empirical evidence that supports the design and implementation of human- centered, technology-driven, and integrated health and social care models to improve population health and promote health equity. In relation to this goal, she has conducted research on issues associated with health literacy, health equity, maternal and child health promotion, program development, implementation, and evaluation of school- based, community-based, and workplace health interventions. She is versed in using large-scale quantitative data in health services and policy research as well as employing mixed methods in instrument and intervention development, and program evaluation. She has an affinity with community-engaged and implementation science research and likes to work closely with community partners – healthcare provider organizations, community agencies, start-ups, etc. – to identify critical health problems and solutions.
Dr. Shih has a strong track record in research, marked by recognition and substantial research funding. Notably, she received the Young Investigator Research Award in support of her research on maternal health literacy in Taiwan. Over a six-year period from 2012 to 2018, she had the opportunity to lead or co-lead more than 20 research projects in Taiwan, receiving support from esteemed government agencies such as the National Science and Technology Council (the equivalent of the US NIH in Taiwan), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Health Insurance Administration, Health Promotion Administration, the National Health Research Institutes, and a local Department of Health.
During her tenure at the University of Michigan, she received four awards and grants from various centers and offices related to research and teaching such as the Center for Human Growth and Development, the Office of Global Public Health, the Edward Ginsberg Center, and the National Center for Institutional Diversity. In 2020, Dr. Shih successfully secured funding from the National Science Foundation to collaborate with colleagues in Michigan on a project addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in multiple countries. Furthermore, her research related to maternal and child health and well-being at VCU has been supported by grants, including the Dean's Seed funding (2021), Child Health Research Institute (2021-2023), and VCU Breakthrough Fund Award (2023-2025). Through the Breakthrough Fund Award, Dr. Shih collaborates with interdisciplinary teams across education, medicine, and social work disciplines to address the emotional well-being of service providers in early childhood, aligning her work with the One VCU Research Strategic Priorities Plan. Dr. Shih has several funding applications currently under review by the NIH and other funding agencies.
Selected Publications
- Patel, K. N., Shih, S.-F., Bondugula, C., Carroll, N. W., Karim, S. A., Ford, E. W., Lee, S.-Y. D. (2023). Compliance with the Hospital Price Transparency Policy in the U.S. Journal of Hospital Management and Health Policy, Vol. 7. (contribution equivalent to the first author).
- Carroll, N. W., Shih, S.-F., Karim, S. A., Lee, S.-Y. D. (2023). Hospital Finances During Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Washington State Hospitals. Advances in Health Care Management. Research and Theory at the Intersection of Grand Health Care Challenges (in press).
- Shin, S., Choi, C., Shih, S.-F., Tomlinson, C., Kimbrough, T. (2023). A Hospital-Based Infant Safe Sleep Intervention and Safe Sleep Practices Among Young Women: A Prospective Longitudinal Study. Matern Child Health J., Jun 12. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03716-2.
- Williams, C. D., Shipman, J., Shih, S.-F., Wynn, A. +, Elias, M. C. +, & Valrie, C. R. (2023). Black Adolescents’ Racial Discrimination and Suicide Behaviors: Testing Perceived School Safety as a Protective Moderator. Journal of Research on Adolescence, July 26. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12877 (advance online publication).
- Hou, C.-H., Shih, S.-F., Pu, C. (2023). Adherence of those with Self-reported Glaucoma in the United States to Eye Examination Visits. J Glaucoma, Mar 22. doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000002213.
- Shih, S.-F., Yeh, Y.-T., Bouton, M., & Price, S. K. (2021). Factors Associated with Clustering of Health-related Behaviors amongst Emerging Adults in Taiwan. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 61:3, 127-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/14635240.2021.1994443
- Shih, S.-F., Wagner, A. L., Masters, N. B., Prosser, L. A., Lu, Y., & Zikmund-Fisher, B. J. (2021). Vaccine Hesitancy and Rejection of a Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. Frontiers in Immunology, 12, 558270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.558270
- Lee, S.-Y. D., Iott, B., Banaszak-Holl, J., Shih, S.-F., Raj, M., Johnson, K. E., Kiessling, K., & Moore-Petinak, N. d. (2021). Application of Mixed Methods in Health Services Management Research: A Systematic Review. Medical Care Research and Review, June; 79(3):331-344. doi: 10.1177/10775587211030393
- Huang, W.-H., Shih, S.-F., Lin, C.-L., & Liu, C.-H. (2020). Pregnant Women’s Attitudes and Decision-making Regarding Prenatal Down Syndrome Screening and Diagnosis: Scale Development and Validation. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 20(1), 407. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03093-6 (co-first author)
- Masters, N. B., Shih, S.-F., Bukoff, A., Akel, K. B., Kobayashi, L. C., Miller, A. L., Harapan, H., Lu, Y., & Wagner, A. L. (2020). Social Distancing in Response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. PLOS One, 15(9), e0239025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239025