Provost's Colloquium

The SEA US, HEAR US Study: Using research and data to provide visibility to invisible Americans

Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.
Location - The Orchard Conference Center

Please be sure to RSVP by Monday, March 25, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.
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Research and Sponsored Programs, with support from the Jerome Richfield Memorial Fund, organizes each year an event that celebrates a CSUN faculty member engaged in high quality, high-impact research, where they are named as the Richfield Memorial Fellow. The Fellow presents a lecture at the Provost’s Colloquium Series, which is designed to highlight and celebrate the scholarly achievements of our faculty, and to provide an opportunity for socialization among faculty, administrators, students, and staff.

We are happy to announce that this year’s 2024 Jerome Richfield Memorial Fellow is Dr. Patchareeya P. Kwan from the department of Health Sciences.  Dr. Kwan completed her doctorate degree in Health Behavior Research at the University of Southern California. Trained in mixed methods research, she studies health disparities and health equity among Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in the Southern California region. Her work in health disparities has been funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).  The Richfield Memorial Fellow celebrates a CSUN faculty member engaged in high-quality, high-impact research. Dr. Kwan will present a lecture in the spring semester as part of the Provost's Colloquium Series.

A reception to honor Dr. Kwan is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. located in The Orchard Conference Center. If you would like to attend, please register here. (Limited capacity) Please be sure to RSVP by Monday, March 25, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

Requests for accommodation services (e.g., sign language interpreters or transcribers) must be made at least five (5) business days in advance. Please contact Deanna A Maidy (deanna.maidy@csun.edu) by March 25, 2024. 

Presentation abstract:

Data about Southeast Asian Americans (SEA) are limited, oftentimes aggregated with other Asian American groups, homogenizing health outcomes across the Asian diaspora and limiting targeted assistance efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing health disparities among SEA and without adequate data to inform best practices, many become invisible Americans who have difficulties navigating a health care system that inadvertently excludes them. The primary purpose of the NIH-funded SEA US, HEAR US Study is to understand and address multi-level social, ethical, and behavioral implications of COVID-19 among disaggregated SEA groups (Cambodians, Filipinos, Thais, and Vietnamese) in Greater Los Angeles. The secondary purpose is to use our research and related findings to bring visibility to the needs of SEA and advocate for change in how data among marginalized populations (not just SEA) are collected, analyzed, and disseminated. Using a Community-Partnered Participatory Research (CPPR) approach, community members and leaders from the 4 SEA groups participated in interviews and/or longitudinal surveys guided by the community. Qualitative data provided critical insights on the gaps in access and utilization of services surrounding COVID-19 among SEA. Quantitative data reveal concerning rates of mental health and racism/discrimination. Administering the study alongside community leaders and other researchers emphasized a need to advocate for data equity among minoritized populations. Besides health needs, this $1M endeavor highlighted a need to approach research among minoritized communities with improved understanding of the cultural nuances that exists because uninformed approaches oftentimes lead to wrong/incomplete conclusions about the minority groups.

Previous Fellows