PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dr. Grace Ma founded the Center for Asian Health at Temple University more than 20 years ago. She was determined to turn around health disparities among underserved Asian American populations in the Philadelphia region.
"This is really coming out of my frustration of working with the minority populations, especially with Asian Americans," she said.
Asian Americans are most at risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and conditions including hepatitis B and liver disease, according to the federal Office of Minority Health.
The misconception of the "model minority" label for that the nation’s 20 million Asian Americans can mask the higher rates of chronic illness and stand in the way of early detection and treatment.
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"It could be related to racism, it could be related to implicit bias, and it could be related to language," Ma said.
As the associate dean for health disparities at Temple, Ma's work brings community groups together to also reach African American and Latino populations.
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She has helped to train hundreds of medical professionals throughout the East Coast, who are now doing their own work to reduce health disparities in minority communities.
"There are more people who can help the community, and it’s just not us," she said.
This story is part of Asian Americans Making a Difference, a KYW Newsradio series in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Each week this month, KYW's Denise Nakano will profile prominent individuals and community groups in the Philadelphia region to draw attention to the contributions of people of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.