Piecing The Puzzle of AANHPI Mental Health: A Community Analysis of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Experiences in California

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Date

Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024
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Time

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM PST

Location

Online

Piecing The Puzzle of AANHPI Mental Health: A Community Analysis of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Experiences in California

Research continues to suggest that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have some of the lowest rates of using mental health services compared to other groups — even amid histories of discrimination and rising fears of hate crimes in recent years.    

What keeps more AANHPIs from seeking mental health care? Is it because even in their diversity, AANHPI communities share a common thread of cultural resilience?

Researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) and AAPI Data will discuss their new study of this long-standing disconnect, which combines California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data disaggregated by various AANHPI subgroups paired with contextual and historical analyses and recommendations drawn from community leaders.    

This novel approach allowed the researchers to account for the profound impacts the psychological toll from the pandemic and legacies of discrimination have had across generations of AANHPI communities.

By disaggregating data for a number of key AANHPI subgroups, they learned important information that could help lawmakers craft policy that does a better job reaching the people who need it.

Speakers will also share key insights about what tailoring mental health for AANHPI communities could look like to get more people the help they need.

Speakers

Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP
Director, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, is director of UCLA CHPR and a professor in the UCLA FSPH. She leads the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and champions better data on communities of color, better care for overlooked groups, and more.
Connie Tan, PhD
Senior Research Analyst, AAPI Data

Connie Tan, PhD, is a senior research analyst at AAPI Data. As a first-generation college student growing up in a Chinese immigrant family, she is drawn to AAPI Data’s commitment to research and policy that affect diverse AA and NHPI communities.

Fontane Lo, MPP
Deputy Director, AAPI Data

Fontane Lo, MPP, is the deputy director of AAPI Data, bringing more than 15 years of experience in applied research, strategy, and community partnerships. She has built her career around a deep commitment to using data in service of marginalized communities – to amplify their voices and fuel their advocacy efforts. Prior to AAPI Data, Lo led evaluation and learning efforts at Blue Shield of California Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, PhD
Director, AAPI Data

Karthick Ramakrishnan. PhD, is the founder and director of AAPI Data, professor of public policy at the University of California, Riverside, and co-founder of California 100. He chairs the California Commission on APIA Affairs, and serves on the Board of The California Endowment and the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee (NAC). Ramakrishnan also founded the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside and the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, an official section journal of the American Political Science Association.