For Immediate Release
February 26, 2009
APIAHF Leadership and Programmatic Work Highlighted at Third National Summit
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Dr. Ho Luong Tran, president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) was today awarded the Office of Minority Health (OMH) 2009 Minority Health Community Trailblazer Award for her outstanding leadership and contributions toward improving the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders (AAs and NHPIs). The award was presented at OMH's Third National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health.
As President and CEO of APIAHF, Dr. Tran has helped to create the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Alliance and the National Council of API Physicians, and led the development of A Blueprint for the Health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Under Dr. Tran's leadership APIAHF has partnered with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Health Through Action (HTA), the first cooperative effort between a private foundation and a national AA and NHPI organization. This $16.5 million community investment is providing local communities with the funding, training, and technical assistance to address the ethnic-specific health issues in AA and NHPI communities.
"I am honored to accept this award on behalf of APIAHF and all our partners who have worked everyday to ensure that meaningful progress is made to ensure addressing the specific needs of our communities at the local and national level," said Dr. Tran. "We have made great progress in improving the health and well-being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, but there is much work to be done. Together we can and will strengthen the ability of our communities to address health needs and to improve social, economic, and physical environments now and in the future."
Throughout her compelling journey as a physician in Vietnam to war refugee to successful public service administrator, Dr. Tran has been involved in almost every aspect of health care delivery. Active in her community of refugees and new immigrants, she was elected President of the Vietnamese American Community in Illinois. She chaired both the State of Illinois Governor's Advisory Council on Asian Affairs and the city of Chicago Mayor's Council on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. She also served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Tran holds a doctor of medicine degree with a specialty in Pediatrics and a Master's degree in Public Health, focusing on Community Health Services.
The OMH National Summit will host a meeting of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Advisory Committee on Minority Health (ACMH). HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt appointed APIAHF Deputy Director Dr. Marguerite Ro to serve a four-year term on the ACMH, which advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services on ways to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations, and on the development of goals and program activities within the Department.
Before serving as deputy director of APIAHF, Dr. Ro was an Assistant Professor at Columbia University where she held appointments in the College of Dental Medicine, the Mailman School of Public Health and the Center for Community Health Partnerships. She was the Senior Health Policy Analyst for the W.K. Kellogg Community Voices Initiative and has conducted program management and evaluation for the American Legacy Foundation and the Community Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. Dr. Ro has authored numerous publications on issues including Asian American health, community health workers, men's health, mental health, and oral health. Dr. Ro received her Masters and Doctorate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
In addition to receiving the Minority Health Trailblazer award, Dr. Tran was chosen to give a presentation during a plenary session on language access from a health care provider's perspective. APIAHF staff were also chosen to present key lessons about eliminating health disparities during the Summit. APIAHF senior policy analyst Taunuu Ve'e-Remmers presented her work on advancing a national health agenda for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities by supporting a leadership advocacy body. APIAHF chronic disease program director Roxanna Bautista provided key lessons learned in developing an Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Cancer Support Group Mentorship Program as a means to provide community based organizations, health clinics, social service organizations, and cancer survivors/advocates with the opportunity to develop local cancer support groups and develop and strengthen leadership skills.
There are more than 15.5 million AAs and NHPIs in the United States, which is roughly equal to the combined populations of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and New Orleans. Since 2000, the Asian American population, which includes more than 14.6 million people, has grown by more than 23 percent, making it the fastest growing racial group in the country. In the same time period, the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community, which is almost a million strong, has grown by more than 13 percent. If these rapid growth trends continue, AAs and NHPIs are expected to exceed 35 million people by 2050.
Established in 1986, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) is a national health policy and advocacy organization whose mission is to enable Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders to attain the highest possible level of health and well-being.
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