Stanford Report: The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, spoke at SCPKU today and said study abroad allows students to realize that countries all have a stake in each other's success. Following her remarks, she held a conversation with students on the Stanford campu via SCPKU's Highly Immersive Classroom. Read more.
Maternal mental health issues are pervasive in rural China, yet community-based interventions are scarce. To address this gap, we developed the Thinking Healthy Extended Program, a nonspecialist-led intervention designed to promote mental health among female caregivers of children under the age of three, including mothers and grandmothers, in resource-constrained areas of China. Drawing on an adapted Stages of Implementation Science framework, this study describes the Exploration and Installation phases of a four-phase intervention development process. During the Exploration phase, we assessed caregivers’ mental health needs and preferences for intervention delivery through in-depth interviews. The Installation phase comprised three stages: developing the overall curriculum structure, identifying and validating curriculum topics, and integrating these topics into a comprehensive curriculum based on feedback from interviews, focus group discussions, and cognitive walkthroughs. The development process took place from 2022 to 2024 in a prefecture in southwestern China and involved 73 caregivers of children aged 6-36 months. The resulting 24-session curriculum integrates simplified cognitive reframing techniques, behavioral activation, caregiving skills, and peer support. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a systematic and participatory approach to developing a mental health intervention for low-resource populations.
Theories of democratic diffusion predict that exposure to liberal democracies fosters support for political liberalism, while recent studies on Chinese overseas students suggest studying abroad generates backlash against liberal values. Using a unique four-year longitudinal dataset of nearly 1,000 Chinese college students in China and the United States, we examine how studying abroad shapes students’ ideology, attitudes, and identity. Our findings challenge both perspectives. Students who study in the United States are already more politically liberal, market-oriented, and cosmopolitan, and less nationalistic than their peers upon departure, underscoring the importance of selection. Ideological preferences remain remarkably stable throughout college, regardless of location. However, support for China’s political system and affective identification with Chinese national identity declines among students in both countries from 2022 to 2023, with a greater decline among students in the United States. These results show that selection, home-country shocks, and host-country context jointly shape overseas students’ political attitudes.
The following is a guest article written by Dr. Jacob Vazquez, Interim Associate Dean of Instruction and Agribusiness Faculty member, and past Fellow of Stanford’s EPIC Community College Faculty Fellowship, one of several teacher professional development programs offered by SPICE.
My interest in agriculture started in high school, through my involvement in Future Farmers of America (FFA). That interest deepened later on, working in agriculture finance at Farm Credit, and eventually leading to my current role teaching Agribusiness at Butte College, where I get to share my passion for agriculture and agribusiness with our students.
My involvement with SPICE began through Stanford Global Studies’ EPIC Community College Leadership Program, where fellows were charged with developing global curricula for use in community college classrooms. Butte College is a rural community college in Northern California, where rice is one of the region’s most valuable commodities. I teach Agricultural Economics, a general education class taken by both agriculture majors and non-majors, and I wanted the curriculum modules to connect the agriculture we grow here in Northern California to something produced elsewhere in the world.
I built the modules around rice, comparing the industry in Butte and Glenn Counties to the industry in Japan. The two differ significantly in scale and farming method, but the crop carries economic and cultural weight in both places. With SPICE’s support and connections with the U.S. Consulate Fukuoka, part of the modules included Zoom interviews that connected students with Japanese rice farmers, including the owner of an organic farm in Saga Prefecture and a former musician who now farms rice and is developing a rice-based ice cream.
Those connections, particularly with the U.S. Consulate Fukuoka, led me to the Fulbright Specialist Program in collaboration with Kyushu Sangyo University (KSU), where SPICE has an existing program through their Stanford e-KyuSan-U Program. This past June, I traveled to Fukuoka as a Fulbright Specialist for a project titled “Seeds of Change: Empowering Community with Food Education.” Over two weeks, the itinerary included close collaboration with KSU students, faculty, and administration, a tour of a rice cracker manufacturing facility, and a public lecture on agribusiness and sustainability, among other events.
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One experience drew on a different part of my background: running a flag football clinic at KSU for local children, drawing on my own experience playing football at Fresno State and coaching at Butte College.
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One of the most meaningful moments of the visit was touring Meisho Farm in person, the same farm my students and I had previously engaged with only virtually. Seeing the operation firsthand with and reconnecting with its owner, Akira Shojima, gave me a much fuller picture of how Kyushu’s organic farming model works, something I never thought I would be able to experience when I started the fellowship.
I also had the chance to visit U.S. Consulate Fukuoka with Principal Officer Virsa Perkins and KSU Professor Kaori Miura; photo below. What began as a simple curriculum project grew into an incredible experience. I feel so grateful to SPICE, the Fulbright Program, and Kyushu Sangyo University for these opportunities, and I look forward to future collaborations connecting agriculture on both sides of the Pacific.
Jacob Vazquez delivering public lecture at Kyushu Sangyo University | Photo courtesy of Jacob Vasquez
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Stanford Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) Fellow Dr. Jacob Vazquez shares reflections on his EPIC Fellowship and Fulbright experience in Japan.
This article was written by Dr. Susan J. Duggan, initial Coordinator of the Western Europe Project at SPICE (1988–1990). In its early years, SPICE comprised several separate area-focused projects. This is the eighth of several articles—focusing on the 50-year history of SPICE—that will be posted this year.
Happy 50th Birthday to SPICE! I am honored to be part of this special group of multi-talented, internationally experienced educators and innovators.
I came to SPICE in a roundabout way. After studying in France and Italy during my undergraduate years at Stanford, I did my first master’s degree in Political Science (international relations) at Université Laval in Québec in 1980. My thesis was on the political role of educational exchange in Québec’s desire for sovereignty (from Canada). Upon returning to my home in California, I landed a job as the Project Associate at the “Bay Area and the World Project” hosted at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco and sponsored, among others, by Stanford University. In that small, windowless office Dr. Ron Herring discovered me researching the connections between the Bay Area and other countries; and promoting those connections through our publications and conferences with businesses, local governments and educators. He convinced me to come back to Stanford to get my Ph.D. That was the beginning of my SPICE connection, though it would be another six years before I officially worked for SPICE.
Initially, I pursued a second master’s degree in Education at Stanford. That is when I met Dr. David Grossman at the Center for Research in International Studies (CRIS), the predecessor to the Institute for International Studies (IIS), now FSI. I have fond memories of working on a research project looking at young U.S. students’ perceptions of Germany and Germans. David was there in Berlin when I began my field work for my dissertation in 1985. David and Ron encouraged me throughout my pre-SPICE time to explore the role of educational exchange, not only for students, but also for teachers.
Ron recruited me to be the initial coordinator of the newly founded Western Europe Project in 1988. I had just finished my dissertation at the Graduate School of Education at Stanford on the political role of educational exchange between Germany and the United States and was eager to work with the SPICE folks on curriculum development for K–12 students and teachers. Dr. Judy Wooster had just assumed the leadership of SPICE. I had a lot of fun working with this bright group of creative folks!
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In the summer of 1989, Ron asked me to help coordinate and run a study tour of American teachers to Western Europe. SPICE and the California International Studies Project (CISP) sponsored the tour. I had experience having co-founded the “Berlin-California Teachers Exchange” in 1985 with friend, colleague, and teacher Flex Ninow from the Internationale Lehrerkonferenz Berlin. In our 1989 tour (photo above courtesy of Sue Duggan), 12 brave teachers spent 24 intense days in Berlin; southern Germany (Weinstadt); Strasbourg; and on to Zeeland, Amsterdam and North Holland in the Netherlands.
The participants focused on two main themes for eventual curriculum development: “Communities, Regions, Nations” and “Conflict and Cooperation.” Mind you, this was the summer of 1989. The study tour focused on Western Europe and what would evolve, eventually, into the European Union. They heard, of course, analyses and speculation about Eastern Europe and Soviet aspirations. In retrospect, what an honor it was to hear from so many European teachers, politicians, political scientists, and regular folk about their perceptions of a 1989 version of Western Europe. No one among our many European interlocutors imagined that the Berlin Wall would fall just a few months after our departure creating a huge change in the political, economic and educational landscape of all of Europe.
In the early months of 1990, I felt compelled to return to Berlin to gather fresh insights about the Fall of the Berlin Wall (which had happened on November 9, 1989, just three and a half months after our return from the SPICE Study Tour). I imagined how hearing from real Germans about an actual historical event could inspire American high school students studying German. I pitched the idea to Judy Wooster along the lines of “Where were you when Kennedy was killed?” I wanted to hear from a variety of Berliners—from the East and West—about where they were when they heard the news of the Berlin Wall being taken down. Remember, there were two parallel walls that bisected the city of Berlin. For some, they only knew the existence of a divided city. For others, they had strong memories of the Wall being built, starting on August 13, 1961. I bought a Sony Walkman and a ticket to Berlin. I was able to line up interviews with various people, from politicians, to teachers, to a pub owner, and even a Berliner in her 60s who not only remembered when the Wall was built, but what happened during the Berlin Airlift (1948–1949) in her hometown. I came back to SPICE with precious recordings of remembrances and personal connections to one of the biggest changes in the latter part of 20th century Europe.
Possibly because of the Study Tour and the inspiration to record the voices of Berlin after the Wall fell, I felt drawn to return to Germany. The Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung (Foundation) created a new program in 1990 called the “Chancellor Scholars” bringing young, professional Americans to Germany to witness the unfolding of a new version of Europe. I was recruited to be in the initial group. I could not turn that down. With reluctance mixed with anticipation to experience a “whole” Germany, I left my position at SPICE in September 1990. I was pleased to leave the Berlin Perspectives curriculum unit in the capable hands of my successor, and even more pleased that that unit still exists today.
I have always considered myself lucky to have been part of the developing times of CRIS, IIS, and SPICE. I enjoyed smart, fun, creative colleagues who really cared about the world, education, and each other. Dr. Steve Thorpe, formerly the coordinator of the SPICE China Project, and I finished our PhDs around the same time and have stayed in touch all these years. Dr. Ron Herring is “Uncle Ron” to my daughter, Coral. Gosh, even the SPICE folks survived the Loma Prieta Quake together in the basement of Littlefield Center at 5:04 p.m. on October 17, 1989!
Photo above: Governor Neil Abercrombie of Hawai‘i, Dr. Susan Duggan, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative, and Senator Daniel Akaka, 2013 | courtesy of Susan Duggan.
I have enjoyed a career mostly in international education. After SPICE and the Humboldt year, I started an international study abroad program in formerly Eastern European countries. I became the Senior Research and Policy Consultant to the National Security Education Program and ended up on the founding team that created the Boren Scholarship Program. Later, as Senior Strategist, I helped shaped The Language Flagship, now comprised of 14 U.S. universities with language and cultural studies in South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Morocco, and Kazakhstan. Toward the end of my career, I had the great pleasure of re-connecting with the K–12 sector as I created and ran many state Language Summits to create Language Roadmaps for those states. At times I have branched into the areas of high tech and agricultural tech innovations, but always with an international connection. I feel my early years at SPICE prepared me well for working with a variety of people in education, business, and government, all with creativity and integrity.
With gratitude, I wish SPICE—and all those involved with this wonderful program—a very happy 50th anniversary!
Looking back at the long list of pages on Canvas, I feel so accomplished about finishing the Design Thinking into Action: Teen Wellbeing course. From the first “Introduce Yourself” video we filmed, edited, and shared with our classmates, to the final prototype presentation, every module showed me a different way to think about teen wellbeing and how our skills could create real, meaningful change.
What made this course so special was that learning wasn’t restricted to the weekly virtual classes. The resource pages for each module on Canvas created a great balance between theory and practice, input and output. We learned about topics like the teenage brain, managing academic stress, creating a body map, and purpose learning. We didn’t just write essays as in a traditional class. We created prototypes with step-by-step exercises leading up to our final project. My favorite part was the design thinking process: empathizing with a real person, defining a need statement, brainstorming wildly, prototyping, and iterating based on feedback. The prototype I created, called the “Dream Door,” was designed for a friend who feels lonely and disconnected from peers and frustrated by surface-level conversations. The “Dream Door” is a small box with a bell and color-coded prompts to help her start deeper conversations with classmates. While creating the prop for my friend, I also learned to solve my own wellbeing challenges through the same process. When I gifted the finished product to my friend, her excited reaction felt better than any grade. That’s the magic of this design thinking course. When we truly empathize with someone, understand their needs, and listen to their feedback, we can see the physical results our ideas have on them.
I left this course with a toolbox I’ll use for life, for studying, for friendships, for future projects.
I participated in this course during a particularly challenging time. When the course began, I was overseas for an exchange program. Then I returned to China to prepare for AP exams, which felt like an ever-present gray cloud looming over me. Instead of adding to my stress, this course helped me navigate it more clearly. One of my favorite classes with a Stanford scholar, Dr. Cari Costanzo, combined anthropology with our connection to our bodies through an exercise called body mapping, a creative and reflective piece of art that pushed us to reflect on important aspects of our lives. When I added drawings of the AP exams in the thought bubble above my head on my body map, I realized they were my current, main priority. In this course I also learned that the concept of “failing forward” and pacing ourselves aren’t just nice ideas; they are ways to sustain our busy lives. After the Stanford e-China course ended, as I was taking an exam back in my regular school in China, I wrote about the concept of “failing forward” in my essay. I literally smiled in the middle of the exam because I was so excited to apply what I’d learned.
I also loved the small, surprising moments, like drawing my body map and realizing I could create a stickman with my arms and legs because I’ve been drawing them since primary school. I also loved writing a reflection of my views on life and education and noticing that my love for roller coasters and seeking thrilling experiences actually drives how I approach learning.
I left this course with a toolbox I’ll use for life, for studying, for friendships, for future projects. I’m leaving with gratitude. Thank you to Stefanie Orrick, Carey Moncaster, and the whole Stanford e-China team for creating a space where teenagers can be creative, vulnerable, and ambitious all at once.
The following reflection is a guest post written by Nathan Chan, an alumnus and honoree of the 2021 Stanford e-China Program, which is accepting student applications until September 1, 2022.
Cathy at the Summer Palace in Beijing | Photo courtesy of Cathy Fang
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High school student Cathy Fang, an alumna of the Stanford e-China course, Design Thinking into Action: Teen Wellbeing, shares how the program enlightened the way she thinks about making meaningful change. Cathy is currently a student at Chongqing Yucai Secondary School.
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Cathy performing in a production of Billy the Kid, where she played the role of Mary Meacham
The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), funded by the Freeman Foundation, is a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in elementary and secondary schools nationwide. NCTA is a premier provider of professional development on East Asia.
From July 6 to 9, 2026, SPICE Teacher Professional Development Manager Naomi Funahashi and Event Coordinator Sabrina Ishimatsu hosted a summer institute for middle school teachers, most of whom are teaching in California. Fifteen teachers enrolled. SPICE was so grateful for their active participation and for sharing their reflections and insights on subject matter content and pedagogical content knowledge.
The first three days featured subject matter content lectures on topics commonly taught at the middle school level in California. These included lectures on “Chinese Dynasties” and “The Silk Road” by Dr. Clayton Dube, Senior Fellow at the USC U.S.-China Institute, and “Tokugawa Japan” by Professor Ethan Segal, Michigan State University, who received his PhD from Stanford. SPICE is a partner site of the USC U.S.-China Institute, one of seven National Coordinating Sites of the NCTA. Dr. Clayton Dube is Director Emeritus of the USC U.S.-China Institute, and SPICE now works with Glenn Osaki, Director, and Crystal Hsia, Program Specialist, of the USC U.S.-China Institute.
I have been very inspired by all the interactive meetings. Each truly serves as a model for creating engaging lessons for our students… There were so many interesting and relevant topics such as the different dynasties, the role and expectations of women, and cultural exchange!—Elena Giron, Elizabeth Learning Center, Cudahy, California
As a K–8 Mandarin teacher, I’m always looking for meaningful ways to help my students understand how Chinese language and culture have influenced other parts of East Asia. After today’s session, I began thinking about how I might incorporate elements of Japanese history, culture, or art into my Mandarin curriculum while still keeping Chinese language learning at the center.—Shu-Chen Lin, San Domenico School, San Anselmo, California
The first three days also featured demonstrations of SPICE curricula that focused on pedagogical content knowledge. These included demonstrations of Japanese Art in the Edo Period, by Karen Tiegel, Middle School Division Head at The Nueva School and a former SPICE Curriculum Writer; Along the Silk Road, by Rylan Sekiguchi, SPICE Manager of Curriculum and Instructional Design; and Angel Island, Chinese American Voices, the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, and What Does It Mean to Be an American?, by Jonas Edman, SPICE Instructional Designer.
I will definitely incorporate the SPICE Silk Road curriculum into my teaching. I especially appreciate the interactive nature of its online resources, which make the content more engaging and accessible for students. The curriculum provides meaningful opportunities for students to actively explore the history, geography, and cultural exchanges of the Silk Road rather than simply learning through lectures or textbooks. I can see these resources helping my middle school students build a deeper understanding of the topic while keeping them motivated and engaged.—Jenn Wu, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, San Francisco, California
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On day four, three authors of young adult novels (from top to bottom in image above)—Van Hoang, Judy I. Lin, Waka T. Brown—were featured on a panel titled, “Incorporating Asian American Literature and Voices into Middle School Curricula.” Including the Asian American experience in SPICE/NCTA seminars has been requested by many teachers and also supports the NCTA as it “strives to develop global citizenship based on the principles of cross-cultural understanding, equality, and justice.”
I loved being part of the summer cohort with SPICE… I was really inspired by the authors’ panel, as I had never heard from authors, especially ones who are so relatable. I love how they intertwine their identity and history and can create such cool stories.—Morgan Johnson, Kenmore School, Arlington, Virginia
Following the institute, each teacher will develop and share an original lesson plan inspired by the knowledge and resources gained throughout the seminar. Some of the themes and concepts that were shared by the lecturers, authors, teachers, and SPICE staff included diaspora, cultural relevance, the master narrative of history, diverse perspectives, and empathy; and SPICE hopes that one or more of these themes will be incorporated into their lessons.
SPICE is especially grateful to President Graeme Freeman and Vice President Shereen Goto of the Freeman Foundation for their support of the NCTA since 1998 and to Crystal Hsia of the USC U.S.-China Institute for her unwavering support and collaboration.
The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) is pleased to announce that James Fearon will serve as the next co-director of the institute’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), effective September 16, 2026.
Fearon is currently the Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, a professor of political science, and a senior fellow at FSI, where he is affiliated with both CISAC and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. In 2021 and 2022, he served as a senior advisor in the U.S. Department of Defense, working primarily on the 2022 National Defense Strategy and its implementation within the Department.
He is the author of several highly influential studies of the causes of interstate and civil war, signaling and bargaining in interstate disputes, and deterrence theory. Earlier this year he published the book Worse than War: The Global Costs of Violence (Princeton University Press), co-authored with Anke Hoeffler, that estimates and compares the prevalence and costs of war with the prevalence and costs of interpersonal violence. His current work includes research on how U.S. and Chinese defense postures affect risks of escalation in the western Pacific; AI and the stability of nuclear deterrence; and the organizational design of defense bureaucracies. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002, and the National Academy of Sciences in 2012. He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and joined Stanford as an associate professor in 1998.
“Jim Fearon will be a superb co-director of CISAC,” said outgoing co-director Scott Sagan. “He is one of the nation's finest scholars on bargaining in crises, the causes of interstate and civil wars, and global trends in forms of violence. He combines this scholarly expertise with keen policy interests in Pentagon budgeting, grand strategy, and nuclear weapons. What a great mix of interests and expertise to address international security in a changing world.”
Scott Sagan with former U.S. Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, another longtime member of the CISAC community. | Light11B
Sagan has served as the co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) from 2021 to 2026, though his legacy and influence at CISAC extends well beyond the last five years. He previously served as CISAC co-director from 1998 to 2012. In 2021, he returned for another term of leadership service alongside Rodney Ewing, a geologist whose multidisciplinary research led to the development of techniques to predict the long-term behavior of materials used in radioactive waste disposal. Sagan and Ewing led the center together until Ewing’s passing in 2024.
CISAC’s co-director leadership structure has been in place since its founding in 1983, and reflects the belief that it takes scholars from different disciplines with different experiences, ideas, strengths, and interests to solve the most pressing security problems.
“We’re in a new global era where security, technology, geopolitics, and policy are more interconnected than ever before,” said Colin Kahl, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. “CISAC is crucial to understanding that intersectionality and producing the knowledge we need to create a safer and more secure world. Scott has led this center with incredible vision, and I am fully confident that Jim, with his unique talents and expertise, will lead CISAC and its community into its next era of growth and world class research.”
CISAC’s mission is to produce policy-relevant research on international security problems, teach and train the next generation of security specialists, and inform policymaking in international security.
Things are changing fast in international security affairs. But CISAC has long been the place for high-quality research at the intersection of science, technology, and the politics of international security.
James Fearon
Co-director of CISAC
Under Ewing’s and Sagan’s leadership, CISAC has expanded to include new programs and initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Policy Lab, led by Oriana Skylar Mastro, whose mission is to disseminate leading academic knowledge on Indo-Pacific security issues to policymakers and build connections between scholars and industry that promote innovation and strengthen regional security and prosperity. Similarly, the new India-U.S. Security Studies Fellowship allows engineers, scientists, historians, and social scientists the opportunity to focus on issues related to Indian and U.S. security issues in collaboration with the CISAC community.
“It's not clear how the U.S. and global partners can best deal with the complex security dilemmas emerging on the horizon,” said Sagan. “But that’s the role of independent thinking inside a university. We’re independent from bureaucratic inertia. We’re nonpartisan. We’re free to figure out what policies and strategies will lead to a more secure and peaceful world. That’s the goal.”
CISAC’s fellowship and teaching programs are instrumental in training the next generation of security studies specialists.
“CISAC showed me how to be a rigorous and curious academic committed to building community,” said Luis Rodriguez, a former CISAC fellow now teaching at George Mason University.
Ethan Lee (BS, ‘23) feels similarly. Currently an associate in the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program at Harvard’s Belfer Center for International Affairs, Lee is an alum of CISAC’s undergraduate honors program, which was established in 2000 as a way of providing Stanford seniors from all disciplines the opportunity to conduct rigorous, scholarly research on international security issues.
“As a student, I felt both challenged and supported at CISAC,” recalled Lee. After graduation, Lee and Sagan co-authored an article on U.S. public opinion, law, and the use of military force against Iran, which is forthcoming in the journal Security Studies. “I have benefited tremendously from Scott’s generosity, and I know I'm just one of many students who have.”
Members of the 2014-2015 CISAC Honors Students cohort on a visit to the CIA to discuss their thesis topics with analysts. | Darren L. for the CIA
Alumni of CISAC’s undergraduate honors program and fellowships go on from Stanford to create a global network of policymakers.
“When I take students to the Pentagon or to think tanks in Washington, you meet our former fellows and honors students,” says Sagan. “In major universities across the country, the political science departments and the international security research centers are populated with scholars who came through Stanford. That's a legacy about which all the directors at CISAC should be very proud.”
Looking to the future, incoming co-director James Fearon acknowledges that while there are very real challenges ahead in international relations, there are also increased opportunities for scholars at places like CISAC to make an impact for good.
“Things are changing frighteningly fast in international security affairs, in alarming ways that are often linked with effects of rapid technological change,” Fearon acknowledges. “But CISAC has long been the place for high-quality research at the intersection of science, technology, and the politics of international security. I am excited by the opportunity and am greatly looking forward to working with a fantastic set of scholars building on this tradition in a new international context.”
To learn more about Fearon’s research and how geopolitics and technology are intersecting across borders, listen to the latest episode of the World Class podcast, hosted by FSI Director Colin Kahl.
Fearon’s co-director will be announced in November 2026.
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Pei-Chia’s research explores the complexity of intersecting social inequalities in everyday life, shaped by macropower dynamics such as globalization and international migration.
Anthropic, OpenAI, and the New Frontier of Artificial Intelligence in National Security
The heads of national security policy at OpenAI and Anthropic join Colin Kahl on the World Class podcast to discuss how AI is changing national security strategies and the nature of U.S.-China competition.
Background Mental health problems among young children have become a common public health issue worldwide. As the family plays a crucial role in creating a favorable environment for children’s mental health, the parenting style of caregivers is a key factor related to children’s mental health issues. This study aims to examine the associations between parenting styles of primary caregivers and the mental health of their primary school child in rural China and identifies the factors that may influence the adoption of different parenting styles.
Methods Data were collected from 1,298 primary school children (aged 9–11) and their primary caregivers in northwestern China. The primary caregivers completed the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The cognitive development of children was measured using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition, and the non-cognitive development of children was evaluated using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional. We performed descriptive statistics, linear regression analysis, and multivariable regression analysis.
Results Our data showed that 17% of the sampled children exhibited total difficulty problems. The results indicated that authoritative parenting style was negatively associated with child mental health problems. In contrast, authoritarian parenting style was positively associated with child mental health problems. Analysis of combined parenting styles revealed that the combinations that included relatively more intensive authoritative parenting styles was associated with reduced incidence of child mental health problems. In contrast, the combinations that were found to have relatively more authoritarian parenting styles were associated with higher rates of mental health issues among children. Demographic characteristics, such as child gender, child developmental outcomes, child attending preschools, identity of primary caregiver, and family economic status, that were associated with the adoption of different parenting styles.
Conclusions The study indicates that an authoritative parenting style is positively associated child mental health outcomes. Likewise, when authoritative strategies are more prominent within combined parenting styles, the likelihood that a child will experience mental health problems decreases. In contrast, the more dominant authoritarian behaviors are, the greater the risk of child mental health problems. Therefore, primary caregivers should be encouraged to adopt more positive parenting styles, which can help promote better outcomes of child mental health.
The following reflection is a guest post written by Sunny Park, a Fall 2020 alumna of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, which is currently accepting applications for Fall 2026.
A “smart” high school student is often defined by strong grades, perhaps alongside a few extracurricular activities to strengthen university applications. Before encountering Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), that was largely how I viewed myself.
I came across SeEJ during the COVID-19 pandemic through a Facebook advertisement. Like many students at the time, I was looking for something more engaging beyond school. I didn’t expect how much it would reshape the way I think about learning, ambition, and possibility.
What made SeEJ distinct was its focus on people rather than definitions. Each session featured entrepreneurs from different industries, sharing not just what they built, but how they navigated uncertainty, failure, and personal ambition. Seeing such varied paths made me realize that entrepreneurship isn’t a fixed route; it’s a way of thinking. And that was probably the moment when things shifted for me. Until then, I had always thought of my future in fairly narrow terms: choose a subject, go to university, and follow a path that already exists. SeEJ made me realize that there are far more ways to build a life, and that entrepreneurship is less about starting a company and more about taking ownership of what you want to pursue.
Since then, I’ve found myself saying yes to things I would have hesitated to try before. I’m now in my final year of studying Biology at Imperial College London, and I co-founded a biotech startup called Eidolon Therapeutics. At Eidolon, we’re pioneering microbial protein combinations to combat immunotherapy resistance and inflammation-driven toxicity in cancer. It was through my Year-in-Research program where I met my Co-Founders (i.e., my professor and post-doc supervisor), and I was so fascinated by the research they were conducting I couldn’t help but impatiently suggest building a company out of it. Since then, we’ve been working incredibly hard on making Eidolon real, including joining accelerator programs such as the Cancer Tech Accelerator, Venture Catalyst Challenge, and Conception X. Through building an early-stage startup, I’ve had the chance to meet people I once found intimidating, pitch ideas in front of large audiences, and build relationships that started from simple conversations.
I don’t think any of that came from a single moment of confidence. If anything, it came from gradually becoming more comfortable with not knowing exactly what I’m doing… and trying it anyway. Based on my journey so far, here are a few reflections for students exploring a similar path:
Be intentional about the opportunities you choose.
There are so many opportunities available as a student! SeEJ, in particular, showed me the value of learning environments where you actively engage with ideas and people. There are many programs available, but depth matters more than quantity. Choose opportunities where you can contribute, ask questions, and grow.
Focus on genuine connections!
One of the most valuable parts of SeEJ was the access to people with diverse experiences. What I learned is that meaningful connections come from curiosity and sincerity, not from trying to impress. When you approach people with a willingness to learn, they are often more open than you expect.
Stay engaged beyond the program.
The real impact of SeEJ extended beyond the sessions themselves. Following up with people, continuing conversations, and sharing your own progress helps turn short-term interactions into long-term relationships. Small, consistent effort makes a difference!
Reflect as you go.
Exploring entrepreneurship alongside academics can be exciting but also overwhelming. Taking time to reflect on what you enjoy, what challenges you, and what kind of path you want to build helps you stay grounded and intentional.
Looking back, SeEJ was a turning point not because it provided a single opportunity, but because it changed how I see opportunities altogether. It reminded me that there isn’t one path to follow, but many that you can create.
Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan: Empowering Young Visionaries to Reimagine Global Challenges for Social Good
High school student Erin Tsutsui, an alumna of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, reflects on forging friendships across Japan, embracing new world perspectives through thoughtful discussion, and transforming family heritage into a youth-led peace initiative via empathy and social innovation.
Let’s Be the Strikers: Thoughts on the 2025 Teenage Business Contest Japan
Millie Gan, an alum of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan and founder of Teenage Business Contest Japan (TBCJ), reflects on building a platform that empowers teens to use entrepreneurship and innovation to revitalize Japan’s communities.
Sunny Park at the Venture Catalyst Challenge at Imperial College London, UK. | Photo courtesy of Sunny Park
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Sunny Park, an alum of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan and cofounder of Eidolon Therapeutics, reflects on adopting an entrepreneur’s mindset, embracing opportunity, and creating one’s own path in life.
Photo above: Governor Neil Abercrombie of Hawai‘i, Dr. Susan Duggan, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Language Roadmap Initiative, and Senator Daniel Akaka, 2013 | courtesy of Susan Duggan.
