Medical researchers need you
An initiative aims to reduce disparities in research participation among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Issue #35
Hi all —
The last two months of live audio conversations on Twitter Spaces have spurred really great discussions and engagement with folks across different Asian American communities. We’ve talked everything from addressing hate crimes to building your own table in Hollywood to reflecting on the last year in politics and what’s ahead. A tweeted quote from Wajahat Ali’s new book went somewhat viral (“I’m about as American as chicken korma, apple pie & chai, but even after 40 years, I’m still told to ‘go back.’”) ahead of our interview in late January.
This week, we hosted a discussion that is near and dear to my heart — literally and figuratively — on heart health for South Asians. February is American Heart Month, highlighting that heart disease remains the #1 cause of death for all Americans. South Asians, in particular, are disproportionately affected worldwide. So many in my own family as well, possibly just like many in yours, too.
A big thanks to Dr. Alka Kanaya of UCSF and the MASALA Study, as well as Dr. Kevin Shah of University of Utah Health, for lending their expertise to the community. You can hear our conversation archived on Twitter for the next month.
While researchers continue to work hard to better understand why heart disease and other cardiovascular ailments affect South Asians at disproportionate rates, another takeaway from the conversation is that more Asian American volunteers are needed for medical research participation in the United States. Researchers need more data!
These details via Dr. Kanaya about the CARE initiative:
The goal of this registry is to include more Asian Americans in research studies — and this registry is a way for investigators to reach people who are interested in learning about their study. We ask about 25 questions related to the individual’s socio-demographic characteristics and health, and then we tailor the people to meet the needs of a research study. For example, if someone is doing a study on smoking cessation, we would only give them names of current smokers who they can reach. The individual can decide whether or not they wish to participate in the study—no obligation.
Learn more via careregistry.ucsf.edu
Happy (early) Valentine’s Day…
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Vignesh Ramachandran (@VigneshR)
Co-founder of Red, White and Brown Media
Upcoming Twitter Spaces conversations
Past audio conversations are archived on Twitter for a month.
Dec. 9: The year in Asian American politics 2021 — with Axios’ Shawna Chen and AAPI Victory Alliance’s Varun NikoreDec. 13: Misinformation on private messaging apps — with PBS NewsHour’s Saher Khan and Disinfo Defense League’s Jaime LongoriaDec. 29: The year of South Asian Americans 2021 — with comedian Rajiv SatyalJan. 4: Grieving during the pandemic — with The New York Times’ Ryan MacJan. 13: Following up on all that anti-Asian hate — with Stop AAPI Hate’s Manjusha Kulkarni(Listen to recording)Jan. 20: Building Muslim representation in pop culture — with /Pillars Fund’s Kashif Shaikh(Listen to recording)Jan. 27: Building your own seat at “the table” in Hollywood — with “Definition Please” director Sujata Day(Listen to recording)Jan. 28: “Go back to where you came from” and other South Asian American experiences — with author Wajahat Ali(Listen to recording)Jan. 31: One year of the Biden administration and South Asian Americans — with IMPACT’s Neil Makhija and Sarah Shah(Listen to recording)Feb. 1: Casting Brown people to play Brown people — with writer Taz Ahmed and writer/director Fawzia Mirza(Listen to recording)Feb. 3: How to cover Asian Americans with nuance — with Jeong Park/LA Times, Srishti Prabha/India Currents(Listen to recording)Feb. 9: Why South Asian Americans face disproportionately higher risks of heart disease — with Dr. Alka Kanaya and Dr. Kevin Shah(Listen to recording)Feb. 17 - noon ET: How to break the “bamboo ceiling” in the workplace — with former Sodexo executive Rohini Anand
Feb. 18 - noon ET: Why children’s books are finally getting more representation — with author/actor/producer Sheetal Sheth
Feb. 22 - 10 p.m. ET: The guy behind NBC’s “This Is Us” music — with musician Siddhartha Khosla
Feb. 23 - noon ET: The need to disaggregate data about Asian Americans — with UC Riverside’s Karthick Ramakrishnan and University of Maryland’s Janelle Wong
Feb. 28 - noon ET: Telling our own stories — with author Laura Gao and “Angry Asian Man” Phil Yu (more guests TBA)
Schedule is subject to change. More conversations to come in March.
How do you tune into Twitter Spaces conversations? It’s free! We try to keep them to about 30 minutes. The experience is better on Twitter’s app for iOS or Android smartphones where you can listen and request to speak in any Space. Think of it like an audio-only Zoom conversation. Red, White and Brown’s Twitter Spaces conversations are all accessible via @VigneshR’s profile on Twitter:
Your Thoughts
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