Current Projects

Travel Wisdom Project

Imagine you and your family are preparing for a trip to India, would you know what the necessary precautions are to take? Traveling overseas in any scenario requires a lot of extra care and planning which most people do not realize.

The Center for Disease Control, through the CDC Foundation has found that travelers who are visiting friends and relatives in India are at much higher risk for travel-related illnesses, including malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis and hepatitis A, than are other international travelers. The main reason for the increased risk is that less than 30% of these travelers seek preventive health care before travel. The CDC is promoting the HealthTalker project, which is mission to encourage the important steps that the community should take in order to protect themselves before traveling. This includes visiting your health care provider and taking the appropriate vaccines to prevent any kind of illness you may come in contact with internationally.

CDC has partnered with an organization named 'HealthTalker' that trains volunteer community members (No health background needed) to become “health talkers” with the goal of spreading the health information to their social networks through “word of mouth”. Become a part of the HealthTaker group and share your experiences and stories with others. Lets spread the word, and make a difference.

Other Projects

SATHI-Infectious Disease Outreach Project (Survey of South Asian community members and physicians regarding attitudes and behaviors related to HIV) (PI: Sneha Jacob)

Project SAHAS (South Asian Health Awareness about Stroke) (PI: Sunanda Gaur)

Global Crossroads: Seminars on South Asian Culture, Ecology and Health. (PI: Sunanda Gaur)

Evaluation of birth Outcomes in South Asians (PI: Sheenu Chandwani)

Past projects

SATHI is working in collaboration with Dr. Susan Brooks, Medical Geneticist with the Division of Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in a program sponsored by the New York-Mid-Atlantic Consortium for Genetics and Newborn Screening Services (NYMAC) to improve genetics awareness and access to services among consumers and providers.  The project is focused on educating the community about the importance of family history and thalassemia, a genetic form of anemia that is prevalent in the South Asian community.

SATHI is a partner in a statewide survey to learn the best ways to develop culturally appropriate information about resources and services for people with traumatic brain injury and their families in South Asian communities in New Jersey and the best way to make that information available.  The survey is being conducted by The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities which is part of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. If you have questions, please call (732-235-9304)or email Bill Gaventa, Project Director, The Boggs Center.