Health Equity

Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” CDC, 2022. More.

One important step toward health equity is the promotion of health literacy. With funding from the National Library of Medicine G08 LM014109, the Refugee Reproductive Health Network promotes digital sexual and reproductive health literacy among Afghan and Arab refugees in Sacramento, California, and beyond.

Our Aims

Create a publicly available digital library of multilingual (Dari, Pashto, and Arabic) reproductive health resources for Afghan and Arab refugee populations

Compile and curate resources in Dari, Pashto, and Arabic for audiences with limited literacy skills using standardized instruments to ensure that the materials are evidence-based, accurate, and culturally appropriate. The online library targets refugee women and service providers who work with refugees.

Enhance Afghan and Arab refugee’s reproductive health literacy (RHL) in Sacramento, California.

Conduct a series of 12 in-person and 12 online reproductive health education training sessions in coordination with the Sacramento Public Library and ReproNet partners in Sacramento. The training sessions adapt the ReproNet resource materials (i.e., PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videoclips, online education training) and integrate additional didactic materials to develop and implement a three-session Reproductive Health Education program. All Dari-, Pashto-, Arabic-, and English-language materials used in this program are literacy, linguistically, and culturally appropriate.

Increase the capacity of refugee providers to integrate reproductive health education into their programs

Disseminate reproductive health education resources nationwide through the National Medical Library, the ReproNet network and partners. Offer webinars to build capacities across the United States to integrate reproductive health education into clinical care, English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL), cultural awareness, and culturally competent health promotion programs.

Core Executive Team

Heike Thiel de Bocanegra, PhD, MPH

Principal Investigator

University of California, Irvine

Asiya Yama, BS

Project Coordinator

University of California, Irvine

Razan Al-Obaidy, BS

Project Coordinator

University of California, Irvine

Madelynn Dickerson

Head, Digital Scholarship Services

University of California, Irvine

Marius Koga, MD, MPH

Co-investigator and Associate Professor

University of California Davis

Zahra Goliaei MD, MPH, PhD

Co-investigator and Assistant Professor

Touro University Public Health Sciences

Haidy Neamaallah, MD, MPH

Content Expert, Arabic & Visiting Professor

University of California Davis

Ahmad Fahim Pirzada, MD, MPH

Content Expert, Dari/Pashto, & Visiting Professor

University of California Davis

Katie Ball, BA

Partner and Special Projects Associate

Sacramento Public Library

Gulshan Yusufzai

Co-investigator and CEO

Muslim American Society – Social Services Foundation (MAS-SSF)

Molly Milazzo, MLIS

Partner and Librarian

Sacramento Public Library

Reproductive Health Equity Scholars

Pashto | پښتو

Zalaa Afzal

Zalaa is a pre-med student majoring in Psychology at CSU Stanislaus. Zalaa finds inspiration in her Afghan heritage and Pashto-speaking backgrounds. Her experiences have instilled a deep passion for pursuing a career in medicine, aiming to bridge gaps in healthcare and serve underserved communities with compassion and understanding.

Arabic | العربية

Ghada Alkhateeb

Ghada is a pre-Pharmacy Biological Sciences major at UCI. As a Palestinian, she aspires to become a Pharmacist to make a positive impact in her community. She is committed to empowering others with knowledge and improve healthcare access for underserved communities, both in Palestine and beyond.

Pashto | پښتو

Shaunzeh Shah

Shaunzeh is a Public Health Science major at UCI, aspiring towards a career in medicine. With Pashtun roots in Pakistan, she is passionate about providing equitable access to healthcare and effective resources for immigrants and refugees to utilize.

Pashto | پښتو

Arsheya Anwar

Arsheya is a Pre-Dental student majoring in Bachelors of Sciences in Psychology. Arsheya is ethnically Pashtun, born in Pakistan, and is dedicated to using her education to make a meaningful impact. Arsheya aspires to give back to less fortunate communities, particularly those who face economic and healthcare challenges.

Arabic | العربية

Salma Fadda

Salma is a Human Biology major at UCI with aspirations of attending dental school. As a Palestinian, she is deeply motivated by the challenges faced by displaced communities and aims to give back to communities facing similar struggles. Salma wants to improve health literacy by organizing health education resources and contributing to Repronet’s website.

Arabic | العربية

Saria Nassar

Saria Nassar is a Public Health Major at UCI. He hopes to be able to better inform and deliver preventative care through his future career in dentistry as well as through Repronet’s Reproductive Care website.

Urdu

Nashrah Mariam

Nashrah is a Pakistani 3rd year Biological Sciences Major at UCI. She hopes to go into the healthcare field to be able to provide healthcare equity to immigrant populations and others who may be disadvantaged.

Arabic | العربية

Amira Zayed | Arabic (العربية)

Amira is a fourth year biology major and Medical Humanities minor passionate about improving health literacy in Arabic-speaking communities, due to her Egyptian heritage. She hopes to become a dermatologist or pediatrician and to promote empathy and understanding in the medical field.

Arabic | العربية

Taj Najjar

Taj is majoring in Public Health Sciences and aspiring to pursue a career in dentistry. Coming from a Syrian background, Taj is passionate about others specifically Arab refugees and immigrants achieve quality health.

All Health Equity Scholars

2022-2023;

Pontea Doroudian, Amanda Hoang, Ameryl Loi, Laila Zaib, Sima Naderi, Israa Zaidi, Noor Abushaban

2023-2024;

Usra Wasil, Tariq Mukatash, Donya Mohammadi, Saria Nassar, Adiba Safiri, Gabriela De Lara, Razan Al-Obaidy, Nashrah Mariam, Layla Dalati, Amira Zayed, Taj Najjar, Roseanne De Guzman

References

“What Is Health Equity?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 July 2022, www.cdc.gov/healthequity/whatis/index.html#:~:text=Health%20equity%20is%20the%20state,health%20and%20health%20care%3B%20and.
“Health Literacy in Healthy People 2030.” Health Literacy in Healthy People 2030 – Healthy People 2030, health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/health-literacy-healthy-people-2030. Accessed 24 July 2023.
National Library of Medicine (NLM), NLM Strategic Plan for 2017-2027: A platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data Powered Health, 2017.