Youhung Moha Her-Xiong was born in the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand and emigrated with her family to the United States when she was four years old. She grew up in Eau Claire, WI where she attended UW Eau Claire and graduated with her Bachelor’s in Social Work. She received her Master’s in Social Work from UW Madison, and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the PhD in Social Welfare program in the School of Social Work at UW Madison. Her research interests are in health care disparities, aging, end of life care, implicit bias reduction, gender/women related issues in cultures, and racial/ethnic minority community related interventions and education.
She worked as a medical social worker at Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire Hospital, where she provided care for patients on several medical units including the critical care unit and the emergency department. She also worked as a family case worker with clients who were screened out of child protective services in St. Paul, MN. Moha gives back to her community through volunteering as a mentor to at-risked adolescents, board members to several organizations, member on several planning committees, and as a volunteer to spend time with Hmong elders who have dementia. Moha also provided free consulting services to several organizations on Hmong related topics. Moha is passionate about helping and working with people, especially with the elders. In her free time, she enjoys walking, running, biking, fishing, reading, and photography.