Event Date: Thursday, May 27, 2021

Event Start Time: 9-10 AM Hawaii time | 12-1 PM PST

While "AAPI" populations are diverse and expansive in language, regions, and cultural practices, non-profits and government organizations continue to combine these different groups together, which has further contributed to health disparities. In this webinar, Rod Lew from APPEAL and Kim Birnie from Papa Ola Lokahi will discuss the difficulties in grouping "AAPI" populations in public health outreach and discuss why data disaggregation is important to reducing health inequalities. We will also discuss what Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have fared during COVID-19, and their continued struggle with other lung health issues, such as tobacco use and lung cancer.

We look forward to seeing you on May 27th!

Please reach out to Pedro.Haro@lung.org with any questions.

Panelist Bios:

Kim Ku‘ulei Birnie, Communications Director, Papa Ola Lokahi, has more than 25 years of experience working in the public health arena in Hawaiian communities, and with the health departments and ministries throughout the U.S.-associated Pacific Islands, where her work has included national advocacy for Native Hawaiians and, at various times, for Pacific Islanders. Ms. Birnie is the communications and engagement coordinator at Papa Ola Lōkahi, which this past year has served as the backbone organization for the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Hawai‘i COVID-19 Response, Recovery & Resiliency Team (NHPI 3R), a collective made up of 60+ agencies, offices and organizations. She has served on the American Cancer Society board—Hawai‘i-Pacific and national, the API Workgroup for the American Legacy Foundation (established with master tobacco settlement funds), the inaugural Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii and the inaugural Advisory Committee for Asian & Pacific Partnerships for Empowerment & Leadership (APPEAL) for its first four years. She serves on several boards and committees—local and national—in the public health and Hawaiian communities.

Rod Lew, MPH, is the Founder and Executive Director of Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL). Prior to APPEAL, Rod was the Health Education Director at Asian Health Services and the Associate Director for the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations. Rod was a contributing author to the 1998 Surgeon General’s Report on Tobacco Use and has written and published widely on tobacco and health disparities. Rod provided testimony to the U.S. Congressional Committee on Commerce on the impact of national tobacco policy in 1999 and to the U.S. Surgeon General in 2004. He has also served on numerous national health advisory committees, including the State of California Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee (2000-2006), American Public Health Association (APHA) Equal Health Opportunity Committee (2005-6) and APHA Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, where he served as Chair (1998-2000). Rod was the 2002 recipient of the Christopher Jenkins Cancer Control Award. In 2009, he also received the Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award from the UCLA School of Public Health, his alma mater.