Building Awareness of Gender Differences that are Important to Healthcare and Research Studies

Overview

Discussions with Five Diverse Communities

These videos were created as part of a grant to The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library from the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.

The videos are intended for use by researchers, course instructors and students. The hope is that awareness of gender issues specific to each community and across communities will improve the ways in which researchers and healthcare providers collaborate with diverse communities throughout the research and healthcare process.

The Community Faces of Utah (CFU) agreed to be a partner in this project, sharing the perspectives of each community as part of the effort to educate researchers and healthcare providers. CFU community leaders recruited women and men from each of the their communities for the video interviews.

Ethnicity included:

Topics included:

African

This group was recruited and facilitated by Valentine Mukundente. Valentine is an Employment Counselor for the Department of Workforce Services, part of the Refugee Task Force at Utah Department of Workforce Services and director of the Best of Africa Cultural Group.

The Best of Africa Cultural Group was started in October 2006 to help Africans living in Utah remember where they come from and to be proud of who they are, by engaging in their cultural traditions of activities such as dancing and making crafts. The Group also aims to increase African awareness by the people of Utah. For now, the Group consists mainly of refugees and immigrants from Rwanda and Burundi. However, all Africans are welcome to join and help.

[#]	Video	Topic
1		Complete Interviews
2		General
3		Diet
4		Mental Health
5		Substance Abuse
6		Reproductive Health
7		Work Outside of Home
8		Exercise
9		Unique Characteristics

African-American

This group was facilitated by Reverend France A. Davis of Calvary Baptist Church. Davis has served as Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church for the last 40 years. In addition to leading services and counseling his congregation, Reverend Davis also acts as advocate for many causes in the community. Davis came to Salt Lake City in 1972 as a teaching fellow and graduate student. He recently retired from his appointment as an instructor in communication and ethnic studies at the University of Utah, where he earned a Distinguished Teaching Award. Reverend Davis a member of the Utah State Board of Regents.

Located in downtown Salt Lake City, Calvary Baptist Church was organized by a small group of women in 1892. Since then the congregation has grown to 850 members. Calvary Baptist Church seeks to meet the spiritual needs of the community and to help people with education, housing, food, and health.

[#]	Video	Topic
1		Complete Interviews
2		General
3		Diet
4		Mental Health
5		Substance Abuse
6		Unique Characteristics

Hispanic/Latino

Sylvia Rickard recruited this group and the discussion was facilitated by Jeannette Villalta. Sylvia Rickard is the Director of the Utah Breast Cancer Network, former Chair of the Hispanic Health Care Task Force Conference and Field Coordinator for the National Breast Cancer Coalition for Utah and Idaho. She was one of the original leaders whose recommendations ultimately resulted in the formation of Community Faces of Utah. Jeannette Villalta is a Community Wellness Coach for the Hispanic Health Care Task Force.

The Hispanic Health Care Task Force is a non-profit, charitable organization whose aim is to decrease healthcare disparities for Utah’s Hispanic community. The group networks within the Hispanic Community and allies to provide leadership and advocacy for healthcare access. The Hispanic Health Care Task Force represents a diverse community with roots in North, Central and South America as well as Europe.

[#]	Video	Topic
1		Complete Interviews
2		Gender Roles
3		Education
4		Exercise
5		Finances
6		Mental Health
7		Reproductive Health
8		Transportation Needs

Native American

This group was recruited and facilitated by Ed Napia (who also appears as a participant in the men’s group discussion). Eru “Ed” Napia is Special Projects Manager at the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake. Napia was born into the Māori Ngapuhi Iwi (tribe) in New Zealand. As a teenager he moved to Hawaii, then later to Utah to attend the University of Utah, where he pursued a PhD in Education. During his time at the University, Napia had the opportunity to work with American Indian tribes in Utah. He became close with one Ute family and was ultimately adopted into the tribe. Napia lives with his adopted brother, Radford Cuch, an artist from the Northern Ute tribe. Radford also appears in the men’s group video.

The Urban Indian Center is a Title V Urban Indian Clinic providing health referrals, health education, and behavioral health services to the approximately 19,000 American Indians that live along the Wasatch Front. Grants from the State of Utah, the federal government, and other funders allow the Center to reach Utah’s seven tribal/ reservation communities and urban areas with prevention education, technical assistance, and trainings.

[#]	Video	Topic
1		Complete Interviews
2		General
3		Diet
4		Exercise
5		Mental Health
6		Substance Abuse
7		Transportation Needs
8		Traditional Remedies
9		Unique Characteristics

Pacific Islander

This group was recruited and facilitated by Fahina Tavake’ – Pasi, the Executive Director of the National Tongan American Society (NTAS) and Ivoni Nash, Program Director at NTAS.

NTAS is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that conducts business under an 11-member Board of Directors. It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and has been serving Pacific Islanders, with a focus on the Tongan community, since 1994. Outside of Hawaii, Utah has the largest percentage of Pacific Islanders in the nation. The majority of NTAS programs seek to decrease health disparities among Utah’s Pacific Islanders. NTAS also services the community with efforts to increase college graduation, sustain cultural preservation, improve employment opportunities, and promote good citizenship.

[#]	Video	Topic
1		Complete Interviews
2		General
3		Diet
4		Education
5		Exercise
6		Finances
7		Mental Health
8		Reproductive Health
9		Substance Abuse
10		Traditional Remedies
11		Unique Characteristics

Project Info

About the Interviewer

Heather Coulter, M.Ed., currently serves as the Community Liaison for the Community Outreach and Collaboration Core of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and as a Senior Education Specialist at the Genetic Science Learning Center. As Community Liaison, Ms. Coulter facilitates collaborations among the diverse communities that are part of the Community Faces of Utah (CFU), researchers and others who are interested in working with CFU.

Ms. Coulter has been active in the field of education for over 15 years. Her previous positions in science education and administration, including serving as a clinical faculty member at the University of Utah, involved working with students, their families, and elementary educators in communities and schools throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Through these experiences, Ms. Coulter has developed expertise in facilitating collaborations among diverse communities and with academia.

Organizations

Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library

The mission of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library is to advance and transform education, research, and health care through dynamic technologies, evidence application, and collaborative partnerships.

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