Community Health Talks
Please join us for a monthly series of Community Health Talks by our very own Stanford CARE Faculty! Community Health Talks present the exciting opportunity for anyone to learn about cutting edge medical technology, social disparities in health, precision medicine, and much more.
2021 Talks
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and COVID-19 (支氣管炎, 肺氣腫及冠狀病毒疾病)
February 4th, 2021, 10 AM PST
The COVID Vaccine - Perspectives & Expectations with Dr. Aruna Subramanian
February 6th, 2021, 6 PM PST
Join us and Dr. Aruna Subramanian for a discussion of the COVID-19 vaccine, in collaboration with Crack the Wellness Code.
Deliberations on a topic that is absolutely the need of the hour. While Frontline Health Community are being administered the COVID vaccine, anxiety among Seniors and all other members persist. Ranging from efficacies to various forms of expectations on this vaccine are being debated. Dr. Aruna Subramanian sets the perspective on this critical and impact generation process of COVID vaccine administration.
Dr. Aruna Subramanian is a Clinical Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She is extensively featured in the Popular Press for her ground breaking work in COVID, and we are sure the audience will be thrilled to hear her perspective on vaccines. Her clinical focus is on Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases, which includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Infections in patients who are immunosuppressed.
Crack the Wellness Code seeks to improve the wellbeing of 100,000 challenged South Asians in Bay Area (lacking right and timely information, resources and networks) in 5 years through affordable holistic solutions, focusing on preventive care, lifestyle, diet and best practices, and combining evidence based Western and Eastern Wellness therapies.
Role of Data in Diversity: Genetics and Real World Data with Dr. Latha Palaniappan
February 10, 2021, 8 AM PST
Join us, Dr. Latha Palaniappan, and other experts for a discussion of the role of data in diversity, in collaboration with The MRCT Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard.
This seminar focuses on practical approaches and shared experiences for improving diversity in clinical trials. Each webinar will highlight a topic covered in the MRCT Center’s “Achieving Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Clinical Research” Guidance Document and Toolkit.
Dr. Latha Palaniappan MD, MS, is an internist and clinical researcher. Her research has focused on the study of diverse populations, chronic disease and prevention. Dr. Palaniappan specifically seeks to address the gap in knowledge of health in Asian subgroups and other understudied racial/ethnic minorities. She is the Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Biobank and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE).
Heart Disease in Asians with Dr. Kebbie Josan
February 23rd, 2021, 7 PM PST
Join us and Dr. Kebbie Josan to discuss heart disease in Asians and effective ways to prevent and treat heart disease in South Asians!
South Asians (people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka) have a higher risk of heart and vascular disease than any other ethnic groups.
Dr. Kiranbir Josan, MD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and a board certified Cardiologist. She enjoys
practicing all areas of cardiology with a special interest in primary and secondary prevention, valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmia management. Her current clinical and research focus includes taking a comprehensive approach to managing a patient's cardiometabolic health. She is also interested in digital health technologies and how they can be used to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
The Increased Risk of Gastric Cancer in Asians with Dr. Joo Ha Hwang
March 18th, 2021, 7 PM PST
Join us and Dr. Joo Ha Hwang to discuss the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disease in Asian populations!
Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide and is diagnosed in 27,000 Americans each year. In the United States, this burden falls disproportionately on ethnic minorities and immigrant communities, especially Asians. There exists no coherent national strategy for the early detection or risk attenuation of gastric cancer, even among identified high-risk groups. The under-recognition of gastric cancer risk among minority communities may be one of the most significant unaddressed healthcare disparities in the United States. There is a need for a national dialogue on strategies to decrease morbidity and mortality from gastric cancer in the United States, especially among the most vulnerable populations.
Dr. Joo Ha Hwang, MD, PhD is a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and a board certified gastroenterologist. He specializes in early detection of gastrointestinal malignancies including esophageal cancer, gastric (stomach) cancer, pancreatic cancer, bile duct cancer and colon cancer. Dr. Hwang has both a clinical and research interest in improving the early detection of gastric cancer. His research group uses both epidemiologic and translational approaches to understand risk factors for gastric cancer, and develop biomarkers to improve the early diagnosis of gastric cancers. He also directed public policy efforts to increase recognition of gastric cancer risk among high-risk populations, and serve as the Chairperson of the Asian American Stomach Cancer Disparity Task Force.
Alcohol-Induced Facial Flushing and Health Implications with Dr. Eric Gross and Dr. Che-Hong Chen
April 13th, 2021, 7 PM PST
Join us for a webinar with Drs. Eric Gross and Che Hong Chen for a discussion of the health risks and implications of facial flushing.
Facial flushing and increased heart rate after alcohol consumption is frequent among Asians. Approximately 560 million people, or 8% of the world population, suffer from this unpleasant response. This phenomenon is caused by a genetic deficiency of the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) gene which plays a critical role for alcohol detoxification. Contrary to a misunderstanding that alcohol flushing is a sign of “good health”, this reaction is a sign of acetaldehyde accumulation which is toxic. Our presentation is aimed to explain the biological cause of the alcohol flushing reaction and the related health issues for those carrying the alcohol flushing gene.
Dr. Eric Gross is an anesthesiologist developing non-narcotic cardiac-safe pain therapeutics. The Gross Lab is designing next generation analgesics that are safe to use for those with cardiovascular disease. Dr. Gross's previous basic science research background involves examining the mechanism of how opioids and volatile anesthetics protect tissue from ischemia-reperfusion injury and what are the molecular mechanisms involved both through in vivo and cellular models of ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Dr. Che-Hong Chen is a molecular biologist and geneticist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Chen’s research is highlighted by the discovery of a class of novel enzyme modulators of aldehyde dehydrogenase. Some of these small molecule modulators are potent enzyme activators for the variant East Asian-specific dysfunctional ALDH2, which causes the alcohol flushing syndrome. Dr. Chen is now actively promoting public health education, cancer prevention and the awareness of health risks associated with harmful alcohol use and alcohol flushing caused by ALDH2 deficiency in Taiwan and East Asia.
Supporting Informal Caregivers & Families of Patients with Serious Illness with Dr. Ranak Trivedi
April 24th, 2021, 6 PM PST
We are very excited to bring you CWC-ICC Spotlight Session "Supporting Informal Caregivers & Families of Patients with Serious Illness" in partnership with the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education. This session will walk you through real life stories from patient families and how to deal with them. Learn about clinical studies to be undertaken by Stanford University along with CWC-ICC. Experience the session with two eminent personalities in the panelist: speaker Dr. Ranak Trivedi and introduction by Dr. Kusum Bhat.
Weaving her personal story with her scientific expertise, Dr. Trivedi will provide an overview of the research highlighting the key roles informal caregivers (that is, family and friends) play in helping individuals with a serious illness like cancer, heart failure, and advanced kidney disease. Her work will highlight the positive and negative emotions that caregivers can experience, highlight how the healthcare system can often overlook their contributions, and provide strategies to help with managing the emotions and engaging the healthcare teams.
We look forward to seeing you at the session!
Register: http://bit.ly/CWC-SS1
How Do Your Genes Affect Your Medication Response? with Dr. Latha Palaniappan
May 18th, 2021, 7 PM PST
Join us and Dr. Latha Palaniappan to discuss how our genes affect our responses to medication
There are known differences in drug metabolism, outcomes, and side effects across racial and ethnic groups, and not everyone responds to medications in the same way. A medicine that works well for others may not work well for you, resulting in significant side effects. In the US, adverse drug reactions cause a great number of hospitalizations and are a leading cause of death in hospitalized patients. Pharmacogenomics, or individualized drug therapy, can help us prevent dangerous drug reactions by pre-identifying at-risk patients. Pharmacogenomics analyses can study your unique genetic
profile to determine which medications are likely to help you or harm you, before you even take them. Through this avenue of precision health, we can tailor medical care to every individual, and provide every patient with the right medication at the right dosage at the right time.
Dr. Latha Palaniappan MD, MS, is an internist and clinical researcher. Her research has focused on the study of diverse populations, chronic disease, and prevention. Dr. Palaniappan specifically seeks to address the gap in knowledge of health in Asian subgroups and other understudied racial/ethnic minorities. During her time at Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) as the Medical Director of Clinical Research, she led the organization-wide initiative to collect patient race/ethnicity and language information, enabling PAMF researchers to conduct disparities research using electronic health records. She was the co-founder of PRANA, a South Asian Wellness program. Her current work examines the clinical effectiveness of structured physical activity programs for diabetes management, as well as best exercise regimens for normal-weight diabetics. She was recently awarded a Midcareer Investigator Award by the National Institutes of Health to provide mentoring to junior clinical investigators in the conduct of patient-oriented research. She is currently working on implementation of evidence based genetic and pharmacogenetic testing in Primary Care Clinics as the Scientific Director of Precision Genomics and Pharmacogenomics in Primary Care. She is the Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford Biobank, designed to accelerate translatable scientific discoveries. She co-founded the Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE) at Stanford in 2018.
Introduction to Ayurveda: "The Science of Life" with Dr. Neeta Gautam
June 8th, 2021, 7 PM PST
Join us and Dr. Neeta Gautam to discuss Ayurvedic medicine, the "Science of Life."
Ayurveda ("The Science of Life") is the traditional medical practice of India and one of the world's oldest continuously practiced healing traditions. In this talk, Dr Neeta Gautam, a Family Physician and Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, will introduce you to the history, background and fundamentals of Ayurveda and how these ancient practices can be applied in today's world.
Dr. Neeta Gautam, MD received her medical degree from the Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center, in College Station, Texas. She completed her residency in family medicine at the Scott and White Hospital and Clinic in Temple Texas, and also trained as an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor at the Kerala Ayurveda Academy, USA. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Primary, Preventive, and Community Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California. She is also Director of Integrative Medicine at the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE). Her interests include prevention, integrative medicine, establishing partnerships with patients to optimize health.
2020 Talks
Japan's Innovations for an Aging Society with Dr. Fumi Ikeno
November 10, 2020, 7PM PST
Our first talk on November 10, 2020, 7PM PST will be delivered by Dr. Fumi Ikeno, Research Associate in Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University, and founder of a Japanese biodesign company. Japan is the most rapidly aging developed society in the world. Currently, the population 65 years and older in Japan accounts for approximately 29 percent of the total population, and by 2050 it will be 40 percent . As these rapid changes occur, Japan is innovating ways to solve the unmet needs of an aging society. Dr. Ikeno will discuss some of these innovations in Stanford CARE's first Community Health Talk.
Mental Health 101: When Should Parents Worry? with Dr. Shashank Joshi
December 7th, 2020, 5 PM PST
Join us and Dr. Shashank Joshi to discuss the mental health in pediatric populations.
With rates of anxiety and depression on the rise, many parents wonder: Should I be worried? Join CARE Faculty member Dr. Shashank Joshi (Stanford University) for a discussion about how parents and schools can promote youth mental wellness. In this webinar, you will learn how to identify and support students impacted by mental health concerns, and how to recognize the signs of suicidality.
Dr. Shashank Joshi, MD is Professor and Director of Training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and Director of School Mental Health at Stanford University. As both a pediatrician and a psychiatrist, he is the recipient of numerous awards in teaching, mentoring, and public service. Dr. Joshi is the lead author of the K12 Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention used by the CA Department of Education.