Caltech Welcomes New Leadership in Student Wellness Services
Step into Dr. Saeromi Kim's office and you will need a moment to absorb the multicolored symphony that greets you. Vibrant artwork adorns each wall, and a bookshelf and cozy couch complete the vibe; it is a room that feels like a warm embrace.
Dr. Saeromi Kim, Director of Counseling Services
Dr. Kim, who uses she/her and they/them pronouns interchangeably, is Caltech's new director of counseling services in Student Wellness Services (SWS), and the deep sense of care they radiate is immediately evident. They began on July 1, taking on leadership of Counseling Services, which provides therapy and mental health resources to undergraduate and graduate students. Since then, Dr. Kim says, she has been focused on getting to know the Caltech community.
"I am coming from UCLA, where I worked for 13 years," Dr. Kim says. "Clearly, Caltech is a different scale, but I come with a lot of experience that I hope to be able to use here as well. Caltech is very unique as a campus, so I have a lot of learning to do. I'm on a ‘listening tour,' just trying to understand what it's like to be here as a student, as a staff member, as a faculty member."
Dr. Kim previously served as assistant clinical director at UCLA's Counseling and Psychological Services, where they helped lead a team of mental health providers and developed programming in support of student wellness. Prior to her leadership role at UCLA, she served for six years as a staff psychologist. In addition, she has worked in the counseling centers at Wellesley College, Rhode Island College, and Connecticut College and holds a PhD in clinical psychology.
At Caltech, Dr. Kim oversees a team of five clinicians as well as a part-time psychiatrist.
"The staff here is exceptionally compassionate," Dr. Kim says. "In just my first few weeks, I have noticed how much they care. They really want to be of support to students in whatever way they can, and that's my standard too. I feel lucky to be among this group."
Dr. Kim says they hope the Caltech community can also get to know them in a meaningful way, in part by understanding their background.
"I grew up in Venezuela," Dr. Kim says. "My parents are Korean, but we moved to Venezuela when I was 5, and then I came to the States as an international student. So, I'm Korean-Venezuelan-American."
Dr. Kim says she came out as queer in college, which influenced her choice to stay in the United States after graduating with her bachelor's degree.
"It becomes more complicated deciding where to call home when your identities change or evolve," Dr. Kim says. "Part of my immigration history is coming out and, since this preceded marriage equality, I did not have legal recourses to marry my US citizen partner and stay in the country. I obtained 11 different visas to remain in the country and keep our family together. I am very aware of how laws can impact people differentially.
"I freely talk about my background and my life experiences," Dr. Kim says. "For the community, it's good for us to be vulnerable, to be open, to share identities, and to invite others to do that too. To show up as fully as we can."
In addition to building connections with the Caltech community, Dr. Kim says one of their first priorities as director of counseling services is to maintain a robust support network for students' mental health.
"I hope to deeply understand the needs of this community and see where there are gaps and how we might creatively tackle some of those gaps around wellness, around resilience, and around supporting some of our most vulnerable students," Dr. Kim says.
Dr. Stephanie Long, Medical Director
Dr. Stephanie Long joined Caltech as the Institute's new medical director, beginning her leadership of Health Services in January. Health Services provides medical care for undergraduate and graduate students with a focus on primary care, triage services, and laboratory testing. The Health Services team includes five licensed health care professionals, as well as several nonclinical staff who support the operations of SWS.
Dr. Long brings a wealth of expertise and care to her role. Before joining Caltech, she was director of student health services at the Claremont Colleges. She also served as a regional medical director of Planned Parenthood and in several other health care leadership and clinical roles. She holds an MD and an Executive Master of Public Administration degree. Dr. Long says these experiences have informed her approach to her work at Caltech.
"It's always been part of my practice to work with younger folks," Dr. Long says. "I have a background in sexual and reproductive health, and I'm really interested in folks' identity development and in supporting people with medical needs through different transitions, like coming to campus as undergraduates, going into their first jobs, or starting graduate school."
In addition to assessing opportunities to strengthen existing resources, she hopes to invest in new services like long-term birth control, hormone therapy, and trans-inclusive care. Dr. Long also says she aims to work closely with students to develop health services and solicit their feedback.
"I really enjoy building services for our STEM community," Dr. Long says. "I'm looking forward to being able to partner with students, get involved with the student governments, and ensure that all our services have an inclusive lens and meet students' needs."
As part of the ongoing evolution of SWS, Drs. Kim and Long both say they are excited to work with each other and with students to develop inclusive, effective, and dynamic health services.
"I care about student voices a lot," Dr. Kim says. "I'm excited about the parts where we can be creative, where students can share more about what their unique needs are."
"With Dr. Kim's arrival and both of us participating in a lot that's going on in the community, I'm looking forward to co-creating and to ensuring we're developing best practices across the campus," Dr. Long says. "We are here to support students on their own health journeys and to make sure they have everything they need to succeed."
