How long have you been a member of AACE?
I've been a member since 2019.
What is your current position and where do you work?
Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Global Partnership and Engagement
How long have you been doing research in the field of cancer education?
I have over 20 years of working in cancer education and 16 years of research in cancer education.
How did your interest in the field of cancer education begin?
Prior to a career in academia, I worked as a health educator and community health worker. For close to a decade, I educated refugee and immigrant women about breast and cervical health and early detection measures and navigated women from the community into the clinic for mammograms and Pap testing. I also worked on tobacco prevention and cessation programming, educating youth, families, and community organizations about tobacco-related cancers.
Describe some of your research as it relates to cancer education?
I have built a nationally recognized, impactful research program focused on cancer education and improving cancer screening and prevention in refugee and immigrant populations through deep community engagement. Central to my work is building long-standing relationships in communities that have been marginalized in health sciences research, including minoritized communities like the Hmong, Cambodian, Lao, Vietnamese, and Bhutanese. Community stakeholders as collaborative partners are integral in my research. I have worked with stakeholders from diverse communities to co-develop contextually and culturally relevant education materials to support and improve cancer prevention and early detection. In addition, I strive to ensure that all materials used in my research are culturally salient, appropriately translated, and disseminated back to communities.
My scholarly record has advanced the field of cancer education through more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, the development of an innovative, culturally tailored cancer education and screening program, research capacity building in marginalized communities, and securing major federal and foundation funding. Most notably, my NCI-funded study provided tailored research ethics training to community stakeholders and community health workers who do not normally engage in research, nurturing a new generation of diverse community scientists. This adapted research ethics training replaced the traditional, academically focused Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) in my community-engaged studies. The training was tailored for non-academic research staff with low English proficiency and limited research experience. We achieved this by adopting a culturally informed approach that incorporated factors such as the community makeup, language barriers, education levels, and the local community context. This training was approved by the Institutional Review Board at my former university and has been published and shared with the community-engaged research community. In addition, my American Cancer Society-funded study provides culturally tailored educational navigation intervention to increase breast and cervical cancer screening in four intergenerational Southeast Asian immigrant populations (Filipino, Khmer, Lao, and Vietnamese women).
What motivates you to continue to do research in cancer education?
My dedication to cancer education research is deeply rooted in my foundational experiences as a health educator and community health worker, where I witnessed firsthand the critical importance of reaching immigrant women with life-saving information about breast and cervical health. This early work, spending nearly a decade navigating women from underserved communities to essential screening services, helped shape my understanding of both the challenges and possibilities in addressing cancer disparities.
What continues to motivate my research is the transformative power of genuine community engagement. I've built my nationally recognized research program on the foundation of deep, lasting relationships with marginalized communities. My commitment extends beyond research to true partnership, where community stakeholders are integral collaborators in developing culturally relevant health programs and research studies.
Do you have any advice for individuals interested in pursuing a career in cancer education?
My advice for those pursuing a career in cancer education stems from my own guiding principles. First, know your purpose - your "why." For me, this purpose crystallized in my commitment to making a difference in refugee and immigrant communities, populations often underserved by traditional healthcare systems. Second, identify your core values. My fundamental values of making a difference in the communities that I serve and being of service have shaped every aspect of my career, from my early work as a health educator to my current research and leadership roles. Finally, let these principles guide your decisions and actions. When I face challenging choices in my work, I always return to these core values: Am I truly serving the communities who need it most? Am I adapting my research to build community resilience? Am I using my skills to their fullest potential to make a meaningful difference? This alignment between purpose, values, and action creates not only personal fulfillment but also lasting impact in cancer education and the communities we serve.