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South Asian Public Health Association
SAPHA Quarterly Newsletter
FALL 2017
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About SAPHA
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SAPHA is the premier South Asian-related public health organization in America, in existence since 1999. SAPHA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of South Asians and the communities in which they live in America.
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Become a SAPHA Member!
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We invite you to join us! You can start by becoming an active part of our free listserv, joining and asking your colleagues to join SAPHA as a member, and volunteering to help one of SAPHA's committees.
Being part of SAPHA is an opportunity to network with other professionals invested in the health of South Asians in the United States and to promote the health of South Asian communities. Be sure to visit our membership page at www.sapha.org to get more information on how to become a member of this exciting organization.
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SAPHA is currently seeking dedicated professionals to join one of SAPHA's Committees:
Communications
Fundraising
Membership/ Nominations
Partnerships/Local Groups
Research
SAPHA Committees meet regularly via conference call to discuss how to advance the mission and goals of SAPHA and to better serve the South Asian community. For more information visit SAPHA'S committee's page!
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Sana Hashim
Monideepa Becerra
Syed Hashmi
Shibani Ray Mazumder
Communications Chair
Memoona Hasnain
Research Chair
Phani Veeranki
Sustainability Chair
Yousra Yusuf
Vice President
Nazeera Dawood
President
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Newsletter prepared by
Shipra Singh
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Dear SAPHA members,
Welcome to the SAPHA Fall 2017 newsletter! We hope that the year has been going well for all of our members. Please continue to follow us and feel free to leave us feedback on our Facebook page. Here are a few key updates from our end. We have finally published the long anticipated book, "The Health of South Asians in the United States: An Evidence-based Guide for Policy and Program Development" by Hasnain M, Parekh P, Nagaraj CN (editors). The book is available for purchase on amazon.com and routledge.com.
As Fall season rolls in, so does registration for the 2017 American Public Health Association (APHA) annual conference. This year the conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, and we are excited to announce that we will hold our annual event:
APHA - Chai & Chat event at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at the CNN Center, on Sunday, 6:30-8:30pm, November 5, 2017
Save the date!
For its spotlight, SAPHA is excited to feature WHOLE Fit, an Atlanta based non-profit organization that promotes health and fitness among South Asian American communities.
Lastly, we would like for you to join the dedicated team of SAPHA and become a part of improving the health of South Asian communities in the U.S. in the following capacity:
- We are accepting applications for our Board of Directors, to serve from 2018 - 2020.
- We are recruiting students for SAPHA Internship position to serve starting 2018.
Please contact Shipra Singh at
shipras@yahoo.com
if you have any questions or want to learn more, and we hope to see you all in a few months in Atlanta!
An important part of our vision includes a robust membership, and as such, we encourage you to invite your friends and colleagues who are interested in SAPHA to join us.
Sincerely,
The SAPHA Board 2017-2019
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SAPHA Fundraising Drive
Dear SAPHA members,
SAPHA is planning to launch new initiatives this year to build the next generation of healthcare professionals that address the health issues of our community. Some of these initiatives include SAPHA Mentoring Program and SAPHA Annual Online Public Health Conference.
In this context, SAPHA is organizing a fundraising drive to raise funds for these initiatives. We hope you make a donation during this fundraising drive and be an integral part of success stories of these initiatives.
You will hear from us soon.
SAPHA Sustainability Committee
Phani Veeranki (Chair)
Madhubhanti Chatterjee (Committee Intern)
Nazeera Dawood (SAPHA President)
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SAPHA Book Launch
The South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) is proud to share the news about the publication of a new book on the health of South Asians, "The Health of South Asians in the United States: An Evidence-based Guide for Policy and Program Development" published by Routledge, a division of Taylor & Francis; edited by
Dr. Memoona Hasnain at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Punam Parikh of UCLA School of Medicine and Nitasha Chaudhary Nagaraj of The George Washington University.
The book defines South Asian Americans as people living in the U.S. with ancestral roots in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
"South Asian Americans bring with them unique languages, cultures, religions and perspectives that directly impact their health-related practices," Hasnain said. "Unless we take the time to understand patients as whole people, it will always be a challenge to provide patient-centered and culturally-competent care, specifically in this increasingly understudied and vulnerable population."
Of the major health disparities discussed in the book, attention is called to the significantly high rates of chronic conditions and co-morbidities, intimate partner violence and tobacco use in the South Asian American community.
The book outlines these and other health disparities and discusses research-based recommendations to help improve and support the health and well-being of South Asian Americans.
"This book builds on our continuum of education, awareness, scholarship, advocacy and action to address the health needs of minority and vulnerable populations at the patient, provider and systems levels," Hasnain said. "We hope the information in this book will be widely used and applied for best practices, teaching and would spark for future research. We also hope this work will advance our understanding about interdisciplinary approaches to enhancing health and well-being of South Asian Americans and continue our efforts to reduce health disparities for minority populations."
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SAPHA Partnerships Campaign
Do you, or anyone you know, work at a local or national non-profit, medical, or public health organization dedicated to advocating for the needs of South Asian Americans? SAPHA is currently broadening its boundaries to engage with more South Asian professionals, and those dedicated to issues concerning South Asian Americans today, with an overarching aim to improve overall health of our communities.
SAPHA is striving to forge new connections and build new relationships with similarly-minded institutions. Through the partnerships we create, we hope that we will be able to work together to promote the health and well-being of the community. We hope that these partnerships will provide a working relationship to share resources, communicate healthy lifestyle education, promote materials, and collaborate on future research initiatives.
If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about what partnering with SAPHA entails, please feel free to contact us at
SAPHABoard@gmail.com today. |
Spotlight On: WHOLE Fit
- Atlanta
MISSION: WHOLE Fit is a nonprofit organization whose
to educate individuals
about the importance of nutrition, wellness, and their physical and mental health and to properly implement these values in their daily lives.
With the daily stress of work, many people lose sight of what is most important in life: their bodies. When the stress builds up, people start to eat the stress away leading to an unhealthy life which builds even more stress forming an endless cycle. We aim to break this awful habit by applying better life choices little by little through awareness of the problems and education on how to resolve these issues. We hold events like field days, yoga sessions, and meditation sessions to teach new and fun ways to keep your body healthy. By teaching these activities, we aim to prevent future complications to live a long and happy life. In the end, it's your body so love it!
WHOLE Fit partners with local community organizations to create opportunities event focused on health and wellness. They further aim to open chapters in local high schools in order to impact as many people in the community as possible.
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SAPHA Membership Campaign
We are always accepting new members!
SAPHA depends on its members and their donations to continue to do its work. Your donation goes back to the South Asian American community in the United States. This is done through: SAPHA's work with fellow partner organizations; its research, programming, and advocacy; and its sustained connections and collaborations with important stakeholders in American medicine and public health.
Please consider renewing your membership today. And if you are already a member, consider sharing the news of our discounted membership with your friends, colleagues, and extended networks, whether through school or work.
We thank you in advance for your help. |
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Join a SAPHA Committee
Our committees meet via conference call at least once a month to discuss how to help promote the work of SAPHA and advocate for our members. By participating in a committee, you can gain invaluable experience working with experts in the field that could advance your professional goals!
Please note that you must be a SAPHA member ( paid annual membership dues) to be eligible to participate on a Committee and vote. For more information, please email the Chair of the Committee you would like to join. Each Committee Chair's contact information is available on our website. SAPHA's success depends on the commitment and hard work of its committees and look forward to your participation!
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Check out our new website and our blog!
SAPHA launched our new website during the Chai & Chat at the American Public Health Association conference in November 2015, which you can view here.
We welcome any feedback you may have as you peruse the site.
We are also excited to debut SAPHA's blog,
Voices of SAPHA. Voices is a place where writers can share and discuss their experiences working with different South Asian populations across the US. The blog is meant to humanize the academic works that have been published about the population. The editor-in-chief is Pavitra Krishnamani, an MD candidate at Thomas Jefferson University. If you are interested in sharing your past work, or contributing your future writing, consider contacting "Voices of SAPHA"here for more information.
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 Stay updated with SAPHA's latest news, events and happenings by liking our Facebook Page.
Connect with other colleagues in the field by posting questions or comments on the wall.
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Upcoming
Health Conferences
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September 22-23, 2017 Gainesville, FL. (University of Florida)
October 2-4, 2017, Austin, TX. (University of Texas at Austin)
October 4-6, 2017 Rapid City, SD. (National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC))
October 5-8, 2017 Arlington, VA. (Drexel University, School of Public Health)
October 8-11, 2017 Baltimore, MD. (American Academy on Communication in Healthcare (AACH))
October 9-10, 2017 Louisville, KY. (The Root Cause Coalition USA)
Friday, October 13, 2017; San Francisco, CA (University of California San Francisco (UCSF))
November 4-8, 2017. Atlanta GA (American Public Health Association (APHA))
November 14-16, 2017 Detroit, MI. (Health & Environmental Funders Network)
The events listed in this section are for informational purposes only.
SAPHA does not necessarily endorse the organizations or events listed.
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Email SAPHA if you would like an event or research posted here!
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