Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2011

Mentor: Craig Rubin            
Department:   Internal Medicine      
Room number: CS8.428
Mail Code: 8889
Phone number: 214-648-9012/ 648-2087
E-mail: Craig.Rubin@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Defining the role western ideas have on immigrant and first generation Americans opinions on aging and elderly care.

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):       Submitting expedited review for volunteer survey with the assistant of my faculty mentor.

Project Type Patient-Based Research

Brief Description of Project:

As a first generation Asian American with aging parents, I am curious to see how the immigrant Asian population in Dallas perceives aging.  I want to see if cultural beliefs in familial obligation influence how elder Asian Americans are cared for by interviewing Asian senior citizens and their immediate family to document the care provided and the attitudes they hold.
My first aim is to document where elderly Asian Americans are cared for; do they return to the country they came from, enter a assisted living facility, or live with family members.  I also want to gauge how accultural these individuals are and if this new culturalization affects how they want to be cared for.  For example do accultural Asian Americans choose to live on their own rather than with their family due to an increase sense of "American" individualism.  In contrary, I would also like to see if Americanization of first generation Asians affect the willingness to care for family members at home. 
The plan for the project is to first contact local Asian community centers, churches, and Asian language schools to locate first generation Asians Americans who are caring for or have cared for elderly family members.  Next I will follow up with interviews and questionnaires regarding aging and care.  A Modified US Acculturation Scale from the Coping with Cancer Study (Desanto-Madeya et al. J Palliat Med 2009; 12:1143-1149) will be used to assess Americanization.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Previous mentorship with undergraduate students.