AAPI Health Research Group
Health in the Asian American Pacific Islander Communities:
An Historical, Social and Medical Perspective
Spring 2011
Location: 200 Wheeler
Time: Wednesdays 7-9pm
2 Units, Pass/Not Pass
Coordinators & Advisors
Marilyn Wong, M.D., M.P.H., Professional Coordinator & Advisor
Michelle S. Lough, Student Coordinator
Harvey Dong, Ph.D., Faculty Sponsor and Advisor
Co-Facilitators:
Michelle S. Lough (Lead),
Julie Huynh, Michael Murata,
May Liang, Fay Saepharn,
Yang Lor, Pang Vang,
Office Hours: TBA
Description:
A healthy community can only exist within a healthy society. The vision of this course is to strive to improve the health of the Asian American Pacific Islander communities through research and service within the community and through social activism in society. The course also strives to promote activism and foster student leaders in the community.
Objective:
As many of us go into the field of health, it is important for future professionals to have an early understanding of the community that we will serve. This course aims to achieve that by engaging in discussions on health in the Asian American Pacific Islander communities. The goal of the class is to broaden the students’ perspective in health, especially public health and to understand the cross section of health and the Asian American Pacific Islander communities.
Furthermore, this course aims to deepen and broaden the knowledge base of health within the diverse AAPI communities and to raise the awareness of the need for research. The class will be conducted through the following methods:
-Facilitated lectures
-Guest lecturers, such as AAPI community health leaders, physicians, clinicians, researchers, professors and other community medical professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area
-Film and video
-Presentations and activities
-Reading and discussions
AAPI Health Research Group
The course aims to address health issues in the Asian American Pacific Islander community through the following five areas:
1. Diversity of the Asian American Pacific Islander Communities
2. Historical/Social perspective
3. Epidemiological perspective
4. Medical perspective
5. Social change
Course Policies:
1) Attendance and Participation – Because this class meets only once a week and has many guests
speakers, it is imperative for the students to attend every class session for their own enrichment and the quality of discussions and out of respect for our guest speakers. Attendance will be taken every week. Students are allowed one unexcused absence and one excused absence. For the latter, the student must let the student coordinator know a week in advance with a legitimate reason.
Also, students will be split up into smaller groups during most class days and have mini-discussion sections. Students will be expected to do the readings before class and be prepared to discuss them during mini-sections.
2) Assignments – The assignments in the class will revolve around developing an understanding of health,
public health, and the AAPI community. In this way, there will be three areas of focus for students:
a. Students are expected to complete weekly readings before class from the assigned reader.
b. Students are to complete homework assignments when given. This includes weekly journal entries for reflection purposes. Entries can be a short paragraph to a page.
c. Students are expected to complete a 3-4 pg. final paper.
Grading:
Attendance = 30%
Mini-Discussion Section = 25%
Assignments (Journals) = 15%
Final Paper = 30%
Schedule:
Note: Subject to change during the course of the semester
1 / 1/26 / Marilyn Wong, MD, MPH
Michelle Lough / Intro: AAPI health issues and challenges; how historical, social and political forces shape health
(pp. 9-23) / Influences on Health: Broadening the Focus
2 / 2/2 / Documentaries / History of AAPI communities
(pp. 24-50) / 1) Takeuchi & Young: Overview of Asian
and Pacific Islander Americans pp.25
2) AAPI Health Forum’s history of
Filipinos (pp.29)
3) Kwang & Miscevic: Chinese in America (pp.35)
3 / 2/9 / Harvey Dong, PhD / History grid: social and political highlights that shaped the community and its health
(pp.51-78) / 1) UCI Southeast Asian Archive - Documenting the Southeast Asian Refugee Experience pp.52
2) Hien Duc Do: The New Migrants from
Asia (pp.52)
3) Cambodia walks a fine line pp.67
4) API Health Forum 2003 Hmong in United States (pp.73)
4 / 2/16 / Candice Wong, MD, PhD / Epidemiology: challenges in AAPI data collection
(pp.78-85) / 1) Wong, Candice. Engaging Community in the Quality of Hypertension Care Project with Hmong Americans.( pp. 79)
5 / 2/23 / Ricky Choi, MD, MPH
Fay Saepharn / AAPI childhood obesity
(pp.86-109) / 1) Au, Loretta, et al. Prevalence of
Overweight and Obesity in Chinese
American Children in New York City
(pp. 87)
2) Asian Outlook Obesity Threatens the Future of All Asian Youth ( pp. 95)
3) Fay Saepharn “Overweight and Obesity in Asian American Pacific Islander Children and Adolescents” (pp.101)
6 / 3/2 / Albert Yu, MD, MBA / Hepatitis B
(pp.110-114) / 1) The Asian Liver Center, Stanford University “What is Hepatitis B?”
(pp. 111)
7 / 3/9 / Julie Huynh
Michael Murata / Cosmetic surgery in AAPI community – meaning of beauty
(pp.115-153) / 1) Malena Amusa Asian Women Face ‘Model Minority’ Pressures pp. 116
2) Eunice Park Starving in Silence (pp.120)
3) Julie Huynh “The Westernization of Beauty and Its Health Consequences” pp.126
4) Joseph K. Wong Aesthetic Surgery in Asians (pp.134)
5) Michael M. Murata “Cosmetic Surgery and Asian Americans” (pp. 148)
8 / 3/16 / Shoshana Arai, PhD, RN
Pang Vang / Tuberculosis
Thalassemia
(pp.154-175) / 1) Trends in tuberculosis incidence--United States, 2006. MMWR Morbidity Mortality Wkly Reports, 2007; 56:245-50. (pp. 155)
2) Vichinsky, Elliott P. Changing Patterns of Thalassemia Worldwide (pp.161)
3) Pang Vang “Inadequate Knowledge of Thalassemia among Southeast Asian Students at UC Berkeley” (pp.168)
9 / 3/23 / SPRING BREAK / No reading / No reading
10 / 3/30 / Lillian Chiang, PhD
May Liang
Yang Lor / Mental health among AAPI immigrant youth and SEA college students
(pp.177-215) / 1) Delores C.S. James Coping With a New Society: The Unique Psychosocial Problems of Immigrant Youth ( pp. 178)
2) May Liang “Stress in Recently Immigrated Chinese Youth”
3) Khanh Van T. Bui First- Generation College Students at a Four Year University: Background Characteristics, Reasons for Pursuing Higher Education, and First-year Experience (pp.196)
4) Yang Lor “The Experience of Southeast Asian American College Students at UC Berkeley” (pp. 205)
11 / 4/6 / Stephen Chen, MD, MPH / Integrative medicine; acupuncture
TBA / Reading TBA
12 / 4/13 / Pam Tau Lee, PHN / Health of Chinatown restaurant workers
(pp.217-237) / 1) Minkler M, Lee P. Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Design and Initiate a Study on Immigrant Worker Health and Safety in San Francisco’s Chinatown Restaurants. (pp. 218)
1) Jenny Hsin-Chun Tsai, Mary K. Salazar Occupational Hazards and Risks Faced by Chinese Immigrant Restaurant Workers (pp. 229)
13 / 4/20 / Winston Wong, MD, MS / Health care reform and the AAPI community
(pp.238-250) / 1) Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care “The Case for Universal Health Care in the United States”( pp 239)
14 / 4/27 / Art Chen, MD
Elizabeth Sy
Wendy Ho, MPP
Michelle Lough / Social change panel
(pp.251-257) / 1) Asian Health Services
2) Elizabeth Sy “How sex work helped me come to terms with my cultural identity”
15 / 5/4 / Marilyn Wong, MD, MPH
Michelle Lough / Conclusion, evaluation, planning, retreat, potluck / No reading
Supplemental Readings:
Intro to API health
Annie Fadiman “War” from The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, 1998, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. ISBN: 0-37-26781-2
Aspinall, PJ. Who is Asian? A category that remains contested in population and health
research. Journal of Public Health Medicine. 2003, 25(2), 91-97. (PMID: 12848395)
(PDF available)
Infectious disease
Zaidi IF, Crepaz N, Song R, et al. Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS among Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. AIDS Education Prevention 2005; 17:405-17. (PMID: 16255637) (PMID: 16255637) (PDF available)
Mental Health
Nunez GR. Culture, demographics, and critical care issues: an overview. Critical Care Clinics, 2003; 19:619-39, v-vi. (PMID: 14601711) (PDF available)
Social Changes
Averbach AR, Lam D, Lam LP, Sharfstein J, Cohen B, Koh H. Smoking behaviours and attitudes among male restaurant workers in Boston's Chinatown: a pilot study. Tobacco Control 2002; 11 Supplement 2:ii34-7. (PMID: 12034979) (PDF available)
Note: The schedule is subject to change during the semester.
AAPI Health Research Group