Maintaining accessible substance abuse treatment is a priority for public health, so it is important to study how language and geographic barriers can affect how patients seek this kind of care. Los Angeles County is the home of the most Asian Americans than any other county in the United States. While Asian Americans are the highest growing minority group in Los Angeles County, they have also been found to underutilize substance abuse treatment services. Research suggests that culturally competent care, such as matching providers and clients by language, could increase service use. Little is known about if Chinese Americans, the largest Asian ethnic group in LA County, have sufficient access to linguistically matched substance use treatment services. Thus, this study will further research on Asian American substance use treatment needs by identifying if sufficient, accessible substance abuse treatment services in Chinese in LA County are offered.

We will use census data to break down neighborhoods in LA County with the highest concentrations of Chinese speakers. GIS is a computer-based tool that will allow us to calculate the mean distances between the locations of the populations of interest and the nearest treatment centers that offer Chinese language support. If you are passionate about equitable substance use treatment access, are interested in analyzing healthcare disparities from a geographic/statistical perspective, or have experience in using GIS or programming with R, this study will be a great fit for you!

Research Associates: Miah Chao, Catherine Wang, Anne Wang, Nina Zhang, & Luna Takahashi

Since the United States Surgeon General’s declaration of firearm violence as a public health epidemic, it has become increasingly urgent to take action against gun violence and advocate for meaningful solutions across the nation. This initiative begins in our own community, Los Angeles County. In 2019, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health launched the Countywide Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), designed to address the root causes of gun violence and offer a variety of community-based intervention programs. The project team will primarily focus on evaluating these programs and assessing disparities in gun violence across different Service Planning Areas (SPAs) and demographic groups, such as race and ethnicity. In addition to traditional academic research, the team will also engage in policy research, including the creation of policy memos on various topics related to gun violence and beyond.

Our research project aims to evaluate geographic access to key gun violence intervention strategies, including trauma centers and community programs, within Los Angeles County. Specifically, we will focus on the impact of green spaces and park programs on gun violence rates. Furthermore, we plan to investigate the disproportionate impact of gun violence on the Hispanic community in Los Angeles County. Despite representing only 40% of California's population, Hispanics account for half of the state's firearm homicide victims. In contrast, non-Hispanic white residents make up 36% of the population but only 13% of firearm homicide victims.

We are seeking individuals passionate about reducing gun violence and interested in policy research. The ability to adapt to changing project directions is essential, as with any research project. Ideal candidates will have strong writing and problem-solving skills, a familiarity with California and Los Angeles gun violence policies, and a keen interest in the issue. Experience with statistics and geospatial analysis is highly desirable but not required. Additionally, team members will collaborate with the Bruin Policy Institute, providing opportunities to contribute to public health policy memos, including those focused on gun violence prevention.

Research Associates: Sophia Adkins, Evalyse Estradaflores, Charlie Bland, Yuvraj Walia, & Jocelyn Hebish

The University of California system requires all students to have health insurance. While this is an important step towards facilitating health equity on campuses, this does not necessarily equate to equal coverage and access to care for all students. In particular, UC SHIP allows students to access services directly at Ashe, whereas having another insurance plan necessitates traveling farther off campus or even waiting to return home to seek care. In our study, we aim to rigorously examine health service utilization differences among students enrolled and not enrolled in UC SHIP. Additionally, this project will seek to make various assessments of student healthcare acquisition. For example, our survey intends to also evaluate if and to what extent students are willing to delay care in addition to assessing UC student health literacy. 

This project is ideal for those interested in health equity, healthcare economics, and policy, particularly with respect to student health. Prior experience with statistical analysis (e.g. R) is desirable, but not essential. More important is the willingness to acquire and improve these skills.

This project is part of a larger study with two components (see Health Insurance and Healthcare Acquisition Decision-Making project). The quantitative project will field a survey to assess differences in utilization and reported obstacles in receiving healthcare with respect to insurance coverage. The qualitative project will interview students to illustrate and analyze the decision-making process and experiences of students navigating the UC healthcare and health insurance system.

Research Associates: Natalie Teng, Asha Patel, Ryan Mirin, Doyeon Han, & Emma He

Faculty Mentor: Daniel Eisenberg, Professor of Health Policy and Management

The CDC defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others”. For many students beginning college, it is a transition towards managing one’s own health and healthcare. This transition implies obstacles for healthcare acquisition. For example, prior research has identified several barriers to selecting and using a health plan among undergraduate students, including limited health insurance literacy, expense of coverage, complexities and obscure enrollment processes, and institutional complexities and bureaucracies. Through audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews, our research project intends to illustrate in rich detail the obstacles that college students face when seeking to navigate a new healthcare and health insurance system with particular emphasis on how UCLA students make decisions about their health insurance and their healthcare acquisition behavior. Additionally, this project intends to contribute additional assessments of the quality of healthcare delivery at UCLA.

This project is ideal for interested in how differences in health literacy and cultural health capital create differential outcomes in health. Prior experience with qualitative research (e.g. conducting semi-structured interviews, analyzing transcribed audio) is desirable, but not essential. More important is attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and a desire to improve research skills.

This project is part of a larger study with two components (see Cultural Health Capital and Literacy: Healthcare Acquisition and Health Insurance). The quantitative project will field a survey to assess differences in utilization and reported obstacles in receiving healthcare with respect to insurance coverage. The qualitative project will interview students to illustrate and analyze the decision-making process and experiences of students navigating the UC healthcare and health insurance system.

Research Associates: Danibel Kasbari, Melia Kenny, Kayla Le, Niki Shiva, & Hannah Butalid

Faculty Mentor: Daniel Eisenberg, Professor of Health Policy and Management

To view the full presentation, please click HERE.

To view the full presentation, please click HERE.