Minn. researcher wins $13.6M grant to study Asian American healthA lack of language proficiency and distrust of Western medicine have historically prevented many Asian Americans from joining health studies. Because of this, many maternal and environmental health studies do not even include Asian Americans as a separate category, even though the group makes up 6 percent of the U.S. population. This underrepresentation creates an incomplete story and a need that Dr. Ruby Nguyen, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, is working to fill.
Sahan Journal recently interviewed Dr. Nguyen, who won a $13.6 million grant to include a cohort of 780 pregnant Asian Americans from the Twin Cities metro area in a national program examining environmental factors affecting child development. So far, Dr. Nguyen's research team has already unveiled several findings and disparities, including one that suggests boys of pregnant parents with higher levels of chemical exposure are more likely to exhibit language delays and genital abnormalities.
Calif.’s plan to rebrand prisons doesn’t consider climate change "The People's Plan for Prison Closure," a detailed report by Californians United for a Responsible Budget, calls for the state's governor to close 10 prisons by 2025. The report outlines several reasons for decarceration: prisons are systemically racist, prisons exacerbate environmental hazards, and there is a greater need for investment in post-pandemic relief funds. Prism’s story notes that in response to the report earlier this year, the state's governor unveiled his proposal to reform San Quentin, the oldest men's prison in the state. Advocates who recently spoke to Prism say the decision is confusing especially at a time when California's prisons already face a host of environmental and climate injustices.
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University of associate professor Dr. Ruby Nguyen recently secured a $13.6M grant to include 780 pregnant Asian Americans in a nationwide study, aiming to uncover health disparities within specific Asian American communities