New population study of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center has been selected as the national coordinating center for a new epidemiological cohort study among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI).

The study’s primary objective is to delve into the risk factors contributing to cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, mental health issues, and other chronic health conditions affecting AANHPI populations.

Fred Hutch was awarded a seven-year, $38.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to coordinate the effort to gather important health information on these populations, which are underrepresented in biomedical research.

They’ll also look at the social determinants of health — from socioeconomic status to food deserts to environmental racism — to see how these elements have impacted populations over the years.

“This new study represents a major national effort to study the health and determinants of health of Asian Americans, a population that has been overlooked in research for many years,” said Dr. James Floyd, associate professor (General Internal Medicine), who will be co-leading the new coordinating center as part of a multiple Principal Investigator team from Fred Hutch and the University of Washington.