Publication list via PubMed

My research interests encompass two general areas. The first is cross-cultural quality of life (QOL) in cancer survivors and patients. My particular interest in this area is the QOL in survivors of male reproductive system cancers and how it may vary as a function of ethnicity. We are currently wrapping up a study (Carolyn Gotay, PI) examining QOL in long-term, multiethnic prostate cancer survivors and their spouses. I currently have a two-year grant from the National Cancer Institute to assess the QOL in testicular cancer survivors. The results of this study will provide the first findings to document long-term sequelae of testicular cancer diagnosis and treatment in Pacific Islander, Asian, Latino, African American populations, for whom no information is currently available. Also, I have recently established a collaborative relationship with the Lampang Regional Cancer Center in Thailand. We are currently in the data-collecting phase in a study describing QOL in Thai cancer patients.

The other area of interest involves disparities with respect to cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment among relatively underserved populations. I recently joined the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART). Under the leadership of Drs. Reginald Ho and Abraham Nomura, the focus of the Hawaii chapter will be to investigate reasons of relatively low mammographic screening rates by women of Filipino ancestry. While screening rates for other diseases (e.g., diabetes) and conditions (e.g., serum lipid) among Filipinos are comparable to other ethnic groups in Hawaii, cancer screening rates are not. We will be conducting focus groups with physicians and patients of Filipino ancestry to identify barriers to screening and solutions to overcome those barriers. The information we obtain from these focus groups will provide the basis for developing a community-based intervention.