CAACH Field Study – Spring 2024
AAADS 197 is a 2-unit field study course that offers a meaningful work-based learning experience for undergraduate students pursuing careers in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) community health. The course is co-developed by the Pipeline in AANHPI Community Health and our partner organizations.
Students will have the opportunity to engage in special projects, participate in professional development workshops, and be exposed to a wide variety of community health careers in medical and non-medical settings. This course is either directly related to the students’ AAADS major field of study or community health career interest.
The field study serves as a partial requirement of the Certificate in Asian American Community Health (CAACH).
What is the time commitment?
Students will be expected to join group discussions or site visits that will typically be hosted once every week. Dates/times will be determined based on student schedules.
Who is leading the field study?
The field study is led by Joe Lee, MSHA, who is a community health consultant with 14+ years of experience working with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), community-based organizations, County agencies, Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans, and national training organizations. The field study is also supported by Anya Fang, a data analyst at UCSF, and Sianne Susbilla, an MSW candidate at UC Berkeley.
What does the work-based opportunity / special project involve?
Students may have the option to engage in work-based learning activities related to capacity building or direct service. We also support any special interests by students in creating their own initiatives, services, or resources related to AA and NHPI community health.
Direct service may include assistance in community outreach, enrollment and registration, and improving the utilization of health services and programs.
Capacity building may include community asset mapping, development of existing or new programs or services, conducting research, or creating resources/creative artifacts.
What type of community health careers will I be exposed to?
Our field study invites guest speakers that are involved in medical and non-medical settings; including primary care, oral hygiene, mental health, health administration, policy, data science, technology, and media/visual art fields.
What are the prerequisites?
Students must be enrolled in the Certificate in Asian American Community Health Program (CAACH). The declaration of intent form can be found here.
Is there reserved seating available?
Students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in all CAACH course requirements will have access to reserved seating. Please see course requirements here. This course fulfills the field study requirement for CAACH and partially (2/4) for the AAADS major.
What’s the deadline to apply?
Students are encouraged to apply early. We will start admitting students that meet the reserved seating criteria in early November. If there is still space available, we will start admitting students who do not meet the reserved seating criteria after November 30th. We will close the application once all open positions are filled.
Does this field study include a research component?
Research based work is not the primary focus of this field study. Students interested in conducting independent research with our community partners should apply for the Asian American Pacific Islander Health Research Group. Students can apply to join the AAPIHRG research cohort around April and begin their research in the Fall. You can find more information about this opportunity here.
Can I do a research project with AAPIHRG and join the field study?
Yes! We highly encourage all our CAACH students to sign-up, as this field study aims to prepare students for their post-graduate goals through career mentorship, skills-based workshops, and opportunities to connect with our extensive professional network in community health.
