It is understood that early screenings and detection can greatly reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with breast cancer. Although this is something that research has confirmed, there are still lower screening rates among minority groups in the United States compared to the majority group. Previous research has been conducted on this subject with the main focus being on African Americans and the issues that they face. This research expands on previous research and incorporates the perspectives and issues that refugees and immigrant groups also face regarding breast cancer screenings. Using both a qualitative and a quantitative approach, this study looked at data collected by other scholars and information provided by the different programs that this research looks into to better understand this issue. Within the African American communities, the main determinants that were observed is health insurance status, family history, socioeconomic status, and personal beliefs on mammograms. Those factors do not coincide with those shared by the refugee and immigrant groups as they shared fear and lack of knowledge as main determinants as to why they stray away from such secondary preventions of diseases. In addition to exploring the many factors that influences the rates of screening, this research also looks at programs and resources put in place to help these minority groups obtain mammograms such as Patient Navigators programs, mammogram buses, federally funded clinics, Wisconsin Well Women Program (WWWP), and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD).

The Latinx/Hispanic population in Minnesota is currently on the rise. This population may experience a number of challenges when navigating the healthcare system including language barriers, cultural barriers, economic barriers, and a lack of understanding of the healthcare system. The purpose of this study is to describe the current health care experiences of recently immigrated Latinx/Hispanic Americans living in Minnesota and indicate areas for improvement. To facilitate this research, we will use an online survey to ask participants to describe the quality of their health care, how they pay for care, how language differences affect their care, cultural differences faced, and their relationships with their providers. This research aims to explore the relationship between a traditionally underserved population and the services available to them.

With the ever growing population of Hmong Americans, this research intends to look at intergenerational differences in the perspective of mental health and how that affects health seeking behavior in this particular ethnic group. The goal of this study is to analyze various scholarly works that deal with different generations and how that affects health seeking behavior in the Hmong community. This study will also be conducted through a series of interviews and surveys through several non-profit organizations of the Hmong community in the Midwest such as the Hmong American Friendship Association and the Hmong American Women’s Association of individuals ranging from college students to adults in their fifties. Anticipated results are that there are recurring factors/themes within the intergenerational perspective of mental health in the Hmong community that deter the Hmong from utilizing mental health services such as gender, culture/traditions, substance abuse, acculturation, and more. This will aid in finding solutions to improve health seeking behaviors to ultimately strengthen treatment approaches. There is a clear lack of focus on the Hmong community, specifically with mental health. With the Hmong being such an unknown ethnic group, it’s important to look at intergenerational differences so that this population doesn't continue to underutilize mental health services. Understanding these differences will help develop a plan to overcome these obstacles and healthcare providers will be able to deliver mental health services with flexibility and accommodations.

The project examines autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Hispanic families as they navigate healthcare delivery from diagnosis through initial treatments. Our aim is to shed light on the perceptions and experiences these families go through and how we can apply that knowledge to inform practicing clinicians in order to improve cultural competence and awareness as it relates to this pervasive developmental disability. This project recognizes that only 5% of speech-language pathologists identify as Hispanic representing a “mismatch” between therapists and patients in terms of cultural background. This project will use a mixed-methods approach to examine experiences first-hand of Hispanic parents of children with ASD to gain their perspective through qualitative research including interviews and observation during three stages of healthcare practice: evaluation, treatment, and parent support. Cultural considerations will also be examined, evaluating the difference in early diagnosis vs late diagnosis and perceptions of that experience for parents of girls vs. boys in the age group of 3-9. A quantitative analysis will be conducted examining the disproportionality between healthcare providers and demographics of the Hispanic population diagnosed with ASD in Washington State. The intent is to promote more understanding about this diagnosis in Latinx populations and how it can be even more challenging navigating through the diagnostic process when English is the second language. Cultural considerations by medical providers should also be factored in about disabilities are viewed and how that information may be received by patients within the Latinx community.