Dante Anthony Tolentino, PhD, RN, NI-BC, FAMIA · Assistant Professor
I study how type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) conditions take hold in Filipino and Asian American communities, and what makes them so hard to prevent and to live with.
I am an Assistant Professor at the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing, where I lead the TenJ Lab alongside a team of students and collaborators. I study type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) conditions, and how culture and everyday context, not biology alone, shape who develops them and who is able to manage them.
Much of my current work focuses on Filipino and Asian Americans, who face a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, poorer health outcomes, and lower engagement in optimal self-care than other Asian American groups. To help explain these patterns, I examine mechanisms such as colonial mentality (the internalization of colonial attitudes), allostatic load (the biological burden of chronic stress), and financial toxicity, alongside applications of digital health and artificial intelligence.
My professional background spans clinical and informatics roles. I completed my PhD at the University of Arizona and a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research at the University of Michigan through the National Clinician Scholars Program, and I am a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Qualitative, quantitative, and community-consulted research on type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic conditions among Filipino and Asian Americans, examining how people experience, manage, and access care for these conditions.
How cultural identity, colonial mentality, and everyday experience relate to health and self-management among Filipino and Asian Americans. Grounded in Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino psychology), this work foregrounds cultural context and the meanings people give to health and illness.
Grounded in clinical informatics and human-computer interaction, this work studies nursing workflows within the electronic health record and explores how digital health tools, including wearables and artificial intelligence, can better serve patients and communities.
Vibe coding for statistical analysis using large language models
Navigating type 2 diabetes care: Asian American perspectives on self-management education and support
Colonial mentality and diabetes self-management in Filipino Americans with type 2 diabetes
Filipino Americans’ social and cultural experiences of type 2 diabetes management: Cultural paradox, ownership, and success definition
Experiences of Filipino Americans with type 2 diabetes during COVID-19: A qualitative study
A cross-sectional study on social determinants of mental health during COVID-19 among adults in California
Determinants of American adults’ use of digital health and willingness to share health data with providers, family, and social media
Applying computational ethnography to examine nurses’ workflow within electronic health records
I teach doctoral methods and informatics grounded in the nursing metaparadigm of person, environment, health, and nursing. I treat teaching as a partnership in which students co-create knowledge from their clinical and lived experience, and I build predictable routines, a wide range of readings, and regular check-ins so every student can do their best work.
Mentoring is central to my program. I have mentored undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, served on doctoral committees including as chair, and co-authored publications and presentations with mentees, building a strong and independent training pipeline.
This is the only math class I’ve ever enjoyed. Dr. Tolentino is an exceptional teacher and did an incredible job of making statistics relevant to our research.
Dr. Tolentino made engaging with nursing theory both approachable and intellectually rewarding, which is especially impressive given that nurses are not traditionally trained to think in such highly abstract and philosophical ways.
I started this quarter feeling apprehensive about statistics, but I am finishing with a solid understanding and a strong foundation. I am extremely grateful for his support.
I welcome students, collaborators, and community partners who share a commitment to improving health, and I am glad to speak with hosts about my research and teaching.