“I do not want my research to decorate bookshelves.”
That’s what Ying Guo frequently says about her work. Instead, she hopes that what she accomplishes will have a real-world impact and contribute to safe, healthy, and happy lives for children and families.
Guo is undertaking exactly that kind of research through a partnership with Boys Town Nevada. She is evaluating how the nonprofit child and family service organization works to improve the lives of at-risk students in Clark County schools.
An assistant professor in the School of Public Health, Guo’s current research evaluates the effectiveness of the Boys Town LIFT School Support Program and its impact on students’ mental and behavioral health.
The LIFT program serves over 7,000 at-risk students across 71 schools in the Clark County School District. In a district that has struggled with issues like violence in schools and a high rate of students chronically missing classes, LIFT seeks to intervene in the lives of students before they suffer mental and behavioral health challenges or experience problems like abusing substances.
Guo’s work evaluating the effectiveness of the program will help inform educators, administrators, parents, students, and policymakers of the program’s benefits, according to Patrick Tyler, senior director of the Child and Family Translational Research Center at Boys Town National Research Hospital.
“She conducted the research in a rigorous and timely manner so that it could get back to practice and be used for students, families, and educators as soon as possible,” Tyler said of Guo. “Most importantly she conducted the research with the desire to promote the health and well-being of children, families, teachers, and the community as her primary concern.”
For her work, Guo has been awarded UNLV’s 2026 Community Engagement Award for Community-Based Research, one of four universitywide awards administered each year by the UNLV Office of Government and Community Engagement.
How She Got Involved
Guo became involved with Boys Town as a postdoctoral research scholar in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Prior to that, her research focused on adolescent substance misuse and prevention.
After arriving at UNLV in 2022, she met with the local chapter of Boys Town to discuss how to apply her research to helping children and families in Southern Nevada.
The Boys Town School Support Program was developed in 2018 and became a critically important support for students, parents, and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But prior to Guo’s involvement, no rigorous and comprehensive evaluation of the Boys Town LIFT intervention had been conducted, according to Francisco Sy, a professor in the School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Global Health.
“Her research is urgently needed in the district, where over 80% of students come from underserved backgrounds and have elevated rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and substance use,” Sy said.
Guo’s evaluation assessed the program’s impact on students’ behavioral health and academic outcomes. It identified a 52% reduction in unexcused absences, while also identifying areas where the program could improve.
The work underscores Guo’s deep dedication to community-engaged research, Sy said.
“Her ability to bridge academic research with community needs, engage diverse stakeholders, and navigate complex systems highlights her exceptional problem-solving skills and commitment to impact-driven research rather than personal gain.”
But for Guo, the research is one small step toward a larger, systemwide change and impact she hopes to accomplish.
The type of research Guo seeks to undertake can often be slow, painstaking, and must overcome hurdles, like limited staff and a lack of funding. But that time and effort is worth it to bolster the children and families that make up the backbone of society, she says.
“When you plant a seed in the soil, it doesn’t mean you’ll immediately get fruit on the tree,” she says. “It takes so many years to grow. I want to invest my time toward a long-term goal that has impact in the community.”
About the Community Engagement Awards
The UNLV Office of Government and Community Engagement administers annual awards that recognize students, staff, and faculty for their exceptional Carnegie-defined academic community engagement in the areas of service-learning, community-based research, faculty/staff community outreach activity, and student service. Learn more about the Community Engagement Awards.
