May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! AAPI Heritage Month highlights the diversity and achievements of the AAPI community. May was chosen to commemorate the first group of Japanese people who immigrated to the U.S. in May of 1843, as well as to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May of 1869. 90% of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
This year, the Federal Asian Pacific American Council announced the theme for this year is “Advancing Leaders through Collaboration.” Collaboration across organizations and embracing diversity cultivates a sense of unity to promote an openness for dialogue and understanding inclusivity.
Below is a list of upcoming events IFH is attending or hosting during AAPI Heritage Month.
Lunar New Year event hosted by Livingston Chinese Association, Livingston, NJ
Saturday, May 7
IFH providing health information, blood pressure screenings, and information about Asian research studies
AAPI Heritage Month Community Wellness Day hosted by RWJ University Hospital, Piscataway, NJ
Saturday, May 14
IFH providing health information, blood pressure screenings, and information about Asian research studies
Celebrating Traditional AAPI Meals
Tuesday, May 10
IFH celebrates AAPI Month with an exciting virtual presentation. We welcome Shailja Mathur, MS, MEd, RDN, Family and Community Health Sciences Educator and Community Liaison at South Asian Total Health Initiative (SATHI) at Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Shailja will discuss the history of AAPI Heritage Month, health disparities in AAPI communities, ingredients common in traditional AAPI recipes, and convenient tips and tricks for integrating healthier foods into your diet. Lisa Lanza, PhD, MPH, RDN, CLC, Research Project Coordinator at IFH, will also join the presentation to discuss the importance of nutrition to overall health and wellbeing. This presentation will celebrate the foods you know and love, while sharing ideas for creating a more healthful routine.
Register to attend: https://go.rutgers.edu/r9uiytc2
Or, join us on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/RutgersIFH
Annual Asian American, Native Hawai’ian, and Pacific Islander Health Research Conference
Wednesday, May 4 – Thursday, May 5
Bei Wu, MPI of Rutgers NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity (CAHPE – P50) and Jinyu Liu, Rutgers Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR – P30) scientist, are participating in this conference hosted by the NIH Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health Scientific Interest Group (NIH AANHPI-HSIG). The conference will celebrate AANHPI heritage month, highlight AANHPI research achievements, and assess research needs.
The current AGENDA for the two-day virtual conference can be found at AANHPI-HSIG Annual Conference (Agenda) | Events Registration (cancer.gov)
Registration for the Annual NIH AA and NHPI Health Research Conference is FREE, and the conference is open to the public. The meeting registration link can be found at https://events.cancer.gov/nih/AANHPI-HSIG-Annual-Conference/registration.
Panel Discussion with Victor Dzau
Tuesday, May 31
Victor Dzau, President, US National Academy of Medicine will join panel discussion.
Stay tuned for more information about this event.
RUTGERS.EDU