Date: May 20, 2009
Location: Hilton Hotel
Gaithersburg, Maryland
On May 29, 2009 the Asian American Health Initiative welcomed local and national public health experts to Gaithersburg, Maryland for the 2009 Asian American Health Conference. The Conference was organized to sustain the momentum gained at the 2006 Conference and maintained through the publication of the 2008 needs assessment report Asian American Health Priorities: Strengths, Needs, and Opportunities for Action. In addition to offering an expert array of conceptual and substantive presentations related to Asian American health, the 2009 Conference also facilitated the AAHI strategic planning process, helping to define the organization’s long-term strategic targets and direction.
In total, more than 300 public health practitioners, including health professionals, medical care providers, community health advocates, educators, researchers, policymakers, grant makers, and community leaders and partners, gathered for the event.
The 2009 Conference served as a platform to:
- Unveil the findings of the 2008 AAHI Needs Assessment Report
- Explore the composition of Asian American health disparities
- Highlight best practice models
- Identify barriers to health parity
- Foster networking opportunities
Featured Speakers
The 2009 Health Conference kicked off with a cultural performance embodying a celebration of national Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, followed by welcoming remarks from AAHI leadership as well as local and state officials. This was followed by a substantive set of keynote plenary presenters, who articulated the current state of public health in America and the political climate for health reform. The Conference concluded with a presentation on potential future actions and an interactive panel, during which Conference attendees posed questions with specific relevance to their organizations, populations of interest, and geographic constituencies.
We welcome you to view these presentations below in either streaming video or pdf format. Enjoy!
Opening Remarks
Carlessia Hussein
Video
Director
Office of Minority Health
& Health Disparities
Department of Health
& Mental Hygiene
State of Maryland
George Leventhal
Video
Councilmember
Montgomery County Council
Chair
Health and Human
Services Committee
Morning Speakers
Marguerite Ro, DrPH
Video, PDF
Deputy Director
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
Rod Lew, MPH
Video
Founding Director
Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL)
Breakout Speakers:
Theme I: Increasing Knowledge and Raising Awareness of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Measures
Henrietta Ho-Asjoe, MPS
A Contextual Overview
of Health Promotion
Director of Community Development
Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH)
New York University
Jing Zhang, PhD
Effective Health Promotion
in Limited English Speaking
Populations
Director of Community Health
Asian Health Human Services
Swaran Dhawan,
AGSW, LCSW-C
Addressing Mental Health Needs
With the South Asian Community
Board Chair
Counselors Helping (South) Asian Indians, Inc. (CHAI)
Theme II: Expanding Access to Quality Health Care Services
Deanna Laurie Jang, JD
Towards an Asian American,
Native Hawaiian and Pacific
Islander Health Agenda
Policy Director
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF)
Amy Shek, MS
Organizational Overview and
Access to Health Care
Site Administrator
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
Shahin Sebastian
Health Services For All -
Patient Navigator Program
Program Manager
Patient Navigators Program
Cross Cultural Infotech
Theme III: Broadening Partnerships and Collaborations
Arnab Mukherjea,
DrPH(c), MPH
A Snapshot of the older
and Asian and Pacific Islander
Health Organization
Chair of Scientific Programs
Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health (API Caucus)
Noilyn Abesamis-Mendoza,
MPH
Coalition for Health Access
to Reach Greater Equity
Program Manager: Health Policy
Coalition for Asian American Children & Families (CACF)
Jeffrey Caballero, MPH
Insights on Partnerships
for National Hepatitis B Strategy
Executive Director
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)
Theme IV: Enhancing Data Collection and Reporting
Kenneth Chu, PhD
Data on Asian Ethnic Groups -
The Hidden Dragon
Branch Chief
Disparities Research Branch
Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Beverly J. Quan Gor,
EdD, RD, LD, CDE
Lessons Learned from the
Asian American Health
Needs Assessment Project
Postdoctoral Fellow
Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH)
Department of Health Disparities Research
MD Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas
Ernest Moy, MD, MPH
Transforming Data Into Action -
Lessons from the National
Healthcare Disparities Report
Medical Officer
Center for Quality Improvement & Patient Safety
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
Afternoon Sessions:
Interactive Forum:
Arthur Chen, Marguerite Ro,
Rod Lew, Jeffrey Caballero
Video
Adjunct Professor
Asian American Studies Program
University of Maryland
