These projects were generally motivated by personal experiences,for example, as a new immigrant to the United States, I was once frastrated by the inconvenience in seeking health care and was also shocked by the astronomical medical bills. Therefore, when I was asked to conduct a comprehensive literature review to dig a little deeper into U.S. Health Care system, this topic came into my mind almost immediately. Feel free to explore these reports and there may be some interesting findings!

Barriers and Facilitators to Health Care Utilization among Major Asian American Populations in the United States (A systematic review)

• Previous literature suggested that Asian Immigrants were less likely to access health care system, being less likely to be eligible for public health insurance or financial assistance. The aim of the study is to identify barriers and facilitators in accessing health care among Asian Americans, and to understand how the six major subgroups (Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese) may differ in seeking care and in their utilization of health services.
• A total of 60 studies were included in a systematic review and 16 themes were identified, among which, Medical knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy; Doctor-patient relationship and communication; Language, health literacy and computer literacy; Medical resources and information; Acculturation were most commonly reported. Comparative analysis between Chinese and Korean subgroups was also conducted and big differences were observed in some domains.

POLICY BRIEF : Should Chicago businesses be required to provide their employees with paid parental leave for birth/adoption of a child (and if so, how) ?

• The importance of paid parental leave is a pressing question in the U.S. today. Currently, new parents access paid parental leave mainly through paid parental/family leave voluntarily offered by employers or patchwork of family leave insurance programs in cities and states. Illinois has no statewide program to support distinct paid parental leave and employers must comply with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
• For Chicago, although city ordinance does not require all businesses to provide paid parental leave and employers, under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s policy, non-union city employees who are FMLA-eligible can have six weeks of maternity leave for birth via C-section & four weeks for vaginal birth, and two weeks for fathers and adoptive parents. This benefit was funded from the city budget and must run concurrently with FMLA. Otherwise, new parents may access paid parental leave if offered by their employers, or store up vacation days and unused sick leave, or take advantage of temporary disability insurance benefits to get at least some pay for the time off with the birth or adoption of a child.
• This policy brief suggested that the Department of Health should take a position of "SUPPORT" on this question. Relevant data/studies/evidence/examples/media coverage were summarized to support the argument and potential allies/opponents were also identified.

Health Promotion : Use of fear in public education campaigns-does it work ?

• About “Scare tactics or threat appeals” : Health Care or Health Scare ?
• A history of fear-based messaging in public health (Anti-tobacco and anti-AIDS public health campaigns)
• Effectiveness of fear appeal (Theories and meta-analyses)
• Evidence-based intervention