Van Phan

Community Field Researcher

Van Phan (he/him) is a Community Field Researcher for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. Van is a doctoral candidate from the University of South Carolina's (UofSC) Clinical-Community Psychology program and specializes in conducting applied, community-engaged research. Throughout his matriculation at UofSC, Van has worked in collaboration with several community organizations, such as Children's Trust of South Carolina and United Way of the Midlands, leading and assisting with community needs assessments, program development, partnership evaluations, coalition building, and more. Van's main research interest revolves around civic engagement and development for disadvantaged and underserved populations. As the son of Vietnamese refugees living in the South, Van developed a passion for social justice, empowerment, and citizen participation and collaboration at an early age - values core to community psychology.

In his free time, Van enjoys binging television shows, cooking, walking his dog, and trying out new, hole-in-the-wall restaurants.