Welcome
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUCCESS?
Come join a community study
led by Dr. Joyce Javier
to LEARN MORE and HELP IMPROVE
the well-being of Filipino youth.
Come join a community study
led by Dr. Joyce Javier
to LEARN MORE and HELP IMPROVE
the well-being of Filipino youth.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a parent education program entitled, "The Incredible Years" in the Filipino community. The goal of this program to strengthen parent-child relationships and promote the social and academic success of our children.
Please email kpsom-incrediblefamilies@kp.org to learn more about this study and determine your eligibility.
You may learn positive parenting skills that can ultimately improve your child's behavior and success in school, prevent behavioral problems in children, and improve family communication and problem-solving.
The proposed research will provide important information on how parenting programs can prevent emotional and behavioral issues among Filipino youth.
Download our flyer to share with friends and family!
Toolkit for Prevention of Behavioral Health Disparities in an Immigrant Community
and
Resource List (The Filipino Family Health Initiative (FFHI) aims to provide a long-lasting and sustainable impact and support system with this comprehensive resource list. This resource list consists of a wide array of mental health resources such as accessible psychiatric clinics, community mental health centers, hotlines, support groups, educational resources, and more across different areas in California and nationwide. Also included in this resource list are accessibility resources in Los Angeles county such as food, housing, and immigration services. Identifying the important role culture plays in one’s mental health, we have also included resources that help Filipino children and families celebrate Filipino culture. With the recent rise of racial injustice issues such as anti-Asian violence, this resource list also consists of resources to heal from, educate about, and prevent racial injustice. )
Learn about the results of our most recent study and a new study funded by the National Institute of Health / National Institute of Minority Health & Health Disparities.
Joyce Javier, MD, MPH, MS is an Associate Professor in the department of Health Systems Science at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. She is a primary care pediatrician and physician scientist whose research over the past 23 years has focused on optimizing the well-being of Filipino American youth. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Health's Minority Health and Health Disparities, Eunice Kennedy National Institute for Child Health and Development, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Team Kapwa is a multidisciplinary team of health professionals and
community partners whose vision is to create a culture of mental health
and healthy parenting in the Filipino community. We are honored to be chosen for the first cohort of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellowship, a national leadership program aimed at creating a culture of health for all.
Team Kapwa includes:
Joyce Javier MD, MPH, MS (leader), Dean Coffey PsyD, Jed David MS, OT, Horacio Lopez MD, Aviril Sepulveda OTD, OTR/L, and multiple community partners/members.
The Gift of Time and Language
Dr. Dean Coffey is a licensed clinical psychologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) with a faculty appointment as an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Southern California through the Keck School of Medicine of USC. As an Incredible Years Certified Agency Mentor, Dr. Coffey provides training and group supervision for parent group leaders.
Dr. Avril (Apple) Sepulveda is a board-certified pediatric occupational therapist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Apple recognizes the value of mental health in fostering families through advocacy and program development. She is also on the Board of Directors for 2020 Mom, a national nonprofit that bridges the gaps in maternal mental health through collaboration, education, and advocacy.
Jed David is an Occupational Therapist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellow. Jed was born in Cebu, Philippines and was raised in the Los Angeles area. His hope is that the next generation of Filipino community members will continue to be connected to their Filipino roots and have a sense of kapwa.
Dr. Horacio G. Lopez is a board certified pediatrician practicing in the community of Historic Filipinotown. He completed his degree in medicine at the FEU-UNR Foundation in Manila, Philippines and has been practicing in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Dr. Lopez is a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar and is involved in decreasing mental health disparities in Filipino families in Los Angeles.
COLLABORATING FACULTY/STAFF
Michele Kipke, PhD
Wendy Mack, PhD
Lawrence Palinkas, PhD
Karen Camero, MD
Amila Adili, MPH
MEET OUR STAFF AND CURRENT INTERNS!
Jasmine Celine Cuevas Raymundo, MPH, PTA, CBIS, Research Coordinator
Jasmine is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, and a current research extern at FFHI. She received her bachelor’s degree in human biology from the University of Southern California in 2016 and then went on to receive a degree to become a Physical Therapist Assistant. She decided to shift careers in 2022, as she saw the negative impact of health inequities and disparities in her patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles who belonged to underserved populations and wanted to make a difference on a wider scale. She attained her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Southern California, and recently graduated earlier this year in May, 2024. Her goal is to work with organizations whose aims are to improve health outcomes in minority communities. She stated that she is very excited to work with FFHI as the work that FFHI does is extremely important in the Filipino community. FFHI helps cultivate strong family dynamics amongst Filipino communities which will ultimately benefit the health of future generations of Filipinos.
Kyra Aligaen, Research Assistant
Kyra Ashley Aligaen (she/her) is a student at the University of Southern California enrolled in the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy's Bachelor to Doctorate Program, with a minor in International Health, Development, and Social Justice. She will begin her entry-level OTD coursework in Fall 2024. With her studies, she hopes to serve diverse communities across the world with limited access to fundamental rehabilitation due to poor healthcare infrastructure and inequities. As the daughter of Filipino immigrants and a proud Filipina-American, Kyra is eager to find ways to best serve and give back to her community through her career. Kyra is a research assistant for Filipino Family Health Initiative, and is largely responsible for designing culturally sensitive outreach materials that address youth mental health awareness and take into consideration traditional Filipino values. Kyra joined the FFHI team to promote wellness amongst Filipino youth and their families and to start often-stigmatized conversations of mental health. She is proud to champion Pinoy culture through this work and is inspired by FFHI's mission to help and uplift fellow Filipinos.
Dylan Mesina, Research Assistant
Dylan is currently a research assistant at FFHI, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Southern California (2024) with a B.A. in Cognitive Science and a minor in Musical Studies (Classical Alto Saxophone Performance), hoping to practice transactional law in IP, medical malpractice, or public interest in the near future. Although the intersectionality of human cognition and music pedagogy do not ostensibly pertain to his career trajectory, he believes that the core principles and infrastructure that lied under his education are essential to navigating the health and legal atmosphere. Raised in Burbank, California with his younger sister by his two Filipino immigrant parents, he understood from a young age the struggles behind climbing the proverbial social ladder and achieving the “American Dream.” Belonging to multiple marginalized groups, Dylan has always prioritized community impact, especially in his diasporic one having experienced the nuances of intergenerational trauma himself. This gave him his passion to become a more globalized and involved citizen and subsequently landed him here with Dr. Javier in an effort to promote and advocate for early mental health interventions among Filipino youth both in LA and the PH.
Kat Alcantara, Research Intern
Katrina Monica Alcantara is a research intern at the Filipino Family Health Initiative (FFHI). Holding a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from St. George's University (2024) and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of the Philippines Manila (2014), Katrina previously worked in the public health field from 2015 to 2020. She aspires to become a pediatrician, motivated by FFHI's mission to improve the lives of Filipino children, with a special emphasis on mental health and parenting support. Through her work, Katrina aims to cultivate a supportive environment that empowers families to thrive.
Katelyn Edelwina Yap Legaspi, MD, Research Intern
Katelyn is a research intern here at FFHI. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences (cum laude) from Ateneo de Manila University in 2017. She went on to receive her
Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2022. Currently she is a Junior faculty at San Beda University College of Medicine and mentor at TopNotch Medical Board Prep. She aspires to be a pediatrician. She loves being involved in FFHI because of the impact it has. The efforts of the group have increased performance and improved relationships in the lives of the parents and children we interact with. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of.
Erika San Antonio, MD, Research Intern
Erika San Antonio was born and raised in New York as a first-generation Filipino American. She entered the CUNY School of Medicine BS/MD program out of high school and moved to LA for pediatric residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She is now a second-year resident and undecided in terms of future career plans. She became involved with FFHI after Dr. Javier was assigned as her clinic coach. She found it so inspiring to have a Filipina mentor and it was a gateway to helping the Filipino community and their health. She is so grateful to have found this community and hopes to continue to keep growing with these amazing, incredible people.
OUR ALUMNI INTERNS
Paul Leo Cunanan
Warren Aguiling
Jessica Castro
Sharmaine Cerezo
Annette Faria
Emily Lee
Sam Macam
Coycoy Martinez Puyat
Justin Shin
Jocelyn Castro
Kamil Bantol
Johanna Angeles
Angela Reyes
Taryn Liu
Jocelyn Supan
Allan Samson
Dana Paycao
Moira Desphy
Michele de Belen
Reginald Macapagal
Dani Gies
Frank Aliganga
Angelica Lansang Walker
Dr. Javier received honors from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity for 2021.
"Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community-focused organizations, including the Asian Community Development Council, The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization, Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center, Chinese Community Center, Filipino Family Health Initiative, and Thai Community Development Center will: engage with local communities in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog and other languages where possible through in-person engagement, phone banking, social media and written resources; reach families through WIC Market Match, which serves parents with small children who are on WIC; and host weekly vaccine clinics and vaccine education classes and events."
Dr. Javier collaborated in an LA Times article talking about the influence of culture on mental health in Filipino populations.
Science Daily: Giving children the skills they need to tackle life's toughest challenges (CHLA Press Release)
American Academy of Pediatrics Blog: What is a “culturally tailored” parent engagement video? by Lewis First, MD, MS, Editor in Chief, Pediatrics
About Tayo and the Caretaker Project
The Caretaker Project was developed by FYLPRO’s COVID-19 Task Force in response to the ongoing pandemic and to tackle the specific needs of Filipinos in the diaspora and back home. The project features a virtual help desk, Tayo, which connects Filipinos with vital information and services. Tayo's pilot launch location is Los Angeles, California. Dr Joyce Javier serves as a Senior Advisor for tayohelp.
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine 98 S. Los Robles St., Pasadena, CA, 91101
Copyright © 2018 FilipinoFamilyHealth - All Rights Reserved.
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