Intergenerational healing Lab Mission
The ROOTS Research Lab seeks to advance understanding of contemplative practices and their potential for individual growth, collective healing, and societal transformation. We study processes and opportunities for healing from historical and intergenerational traumas among BIPOC communities, particularly those with historical displacement and diaspora.
Within this realm, our focuses include honoring the impact of integrating community-level interventions, spirituality, and ancestral knowledge. Our work centers community engagement and the centering of Indigenous knowledge systems to co-create and develop research projects that can make long-term, meaningful impact.
Interested in joining ROOTS? We are always welcome to involve any students or community members interested in collaborating with us, whether it is joining a current project or dreaming of a new one. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch.
Current Studies
Current studies include the Virtual WEALTH (Wellness, Emotional ALignment, and inTergenerational Trauma) and the Hmong Women Mental Health (HWMH) research program.
Virtual WEALTH seeks to offer an online version of the WEALTH Program for healing historical trauma among Vietnamese Americans, and HWMH seeks to understand the role and influence of spirituality in shaping Hmong women’s relationship to mental health care in the U.S.
Selected Publications
Recent Works from the ROOTS Research Lab Team
To, M.N., Beltrán, R., King, K. (2026, in press). Contemplative Practices for Healing Historical Trauma among BIPOC Populations: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Public Health (14) 1834789
To, M. N., Sliva, S., & Valdovinos, M. (2025). Exploring the impacts of engaged mindfulness on women residents in a community corrections facility: a narrative analysis. Contemporary Justice Review, 28(4), 395–408.
To, M. N., Nicotera, N., & Wang, K. (2025). To Move or Not to Move: Factors of Mind–Body Practice Engagement in a Population-Based Study. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 31(4), 358-366.