Tel (65) 64074050
Email desphua@nus.edu.sg

Adolescence has long been known to be a period of storms and turbulence as a young person grows out of childhood and prepares for adulthood. This is increasingly so in this highly connected world as we are overwhelmed with information at a pace and quantity that is unprecedented. As adolescents learn to discover who they are and their place in this world, how is their well-being affected as they navigate through the complex social realities in both the physical and virtual worlds today?

Desiree Phua is a research scientist in Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (A*STAR) where she studies how the developmental challenges during adolescence and social realities of the modern society interact to affect adolescent well-being and development.

• NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (Adjunct)
• Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR (Primary)

• Adolescent Mental Health
• Social Determinants of Health

• Data literacy

• PhD (2016), Nanyang Technological University
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (2009), Nanyang Technological University

• Research Scientist, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR, 2023-present
• Senior Research Fellow, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR, 2020-2023
• Research Fellow, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR, 2016-2020

• Phua, D.Y., Chen, H., Chong, Y.S., …, & Meaney, M.J. (2023). Allostatic load in children: The cost of empathic concern. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(39), e2217769120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2217769120
• Phua, D.Y., Chew, C.S.M., Tan, Y.L., Ng, B.J.K., Lee, F.K.L., & Tham, M.M.Y. (2023). Differential effects of prenatal psychological distress and positive mental health on offspring socioemotional development from infancy to adolescence: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 11, 1221232. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2023.1221232.
• Phua, D.Y., Leong, C.H., & Hong, Y. (2020). Heterogeneity in national identity construct: Example of Singapore using network analysis. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 78, 20-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2020.05.010