Background:Nigerian immigrants in the U.S. face increasing susceptibility to Alzheimer’s and related dementias (ADRD) over time. Despite Black Americans being 1.5 to 2 times more likely than whites to develop ADRD, the unique experiences of Black immigrants, particularly Nigerians, are often overlooked.

Methods:This ongoing study explores how Nigerian immigrant caregivers navigate health systems to care for family members with dementia. Using a mixed-method approach, the study includes three phases: a survey assessing transnational activity and dementia knowledge, one-on-one interviews with caregivers, and a charrette planning session to develop culturally tailored resources.

Results/implications: Currently in phase one, the study aims to recruit 100 participants, with an expected higher participation of women. Early findings will inform future interventions and resources

Newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers often face significant healthcare challenges, particularly in managing chronic conditions. This presentation examines the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in supporting these migrants after they transition from shelters in Tucson, Arizona. SEAHEC CHWs helped connect asylum seekers with local Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), ensuring they received culturally and linguistically appropriate care.

CHWs advocated for migrants to get specialized medical services and facilitated access to health resources from the moment they entered the healthcare system. While in the shelter, CHWs provided immediate care coordination and health education focused on chronic disease prevention and management.

After migrants left the shelter, CHWs continued offering vital health information and resources, helping them navigate the healthcare system and settle into their new communities. This follow-up support ensured that migrants could manage their health effectively, reducing the risk of further complications related to chronic conditions. The findings highlight the crucial role CHWs play in bridging gaps in healthcare access, improving chronic disease management, and facilitating migrant integration into new communities.

The support provided by CHWs helped enhance the health outcomes of newly arrived migrants, demonstrating the importance of their ongoing involvement in addressing healthcare disparities and supporting successful assimilation. Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term impact of CHWs on migrant health and well-being.

Background

Refugees experience elevated rates of mental health disorders due to both pre-and post-migration hardships, such as exposure to violence, family separation, and acculturation difficulties. These complex challenges create significant obstacles across all levels of care. Therefore, a proactive approach is essential to promote the mental health of resettled refugees. We evaluated the impact of a mental health promotion intervention designed to address psycho-sociocultural stressors, cultural adaptation, and ongoing psychosocial challenges. The intervention aimed to enhance health-promoting behaviors (such as coping, self-efficacy, and social networking) and reduce stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Afghan refugees resettled in Massachusetts.

Methods

We conducted a pre-posttest evaluation of the mental health promotion intervention among 31 participants. Our 5-session 2-hour weekly intervention included managing stress, strengthening communication and social networking, problem-solving, creating a healthy family environment, and mind-body exercises. We measured a) stress using the Cohen-Perceived-Stress scales, b) anxiety and depression using the Hopkins-Symptom-Checklist-25, and c) health-promoting behaviors using validated scales. We compared changes between pre-and post-test scores using paired t-tests.

Results

The mean age of participants was 32; over half were males (55%), married (71%), and unemployed (68%). After intervention, mean scores for stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms decreased by 28.6%, 14.8%, and 18.0%, respectively (all p’s<0.05). Similarly, mean scores for language hassles (by 18.1%) decreased while social support (15.2%) and self-efficacy scores increased significantly after intervention (all p’s<0.05).

Conclusions

Our intervention improved coping, social support, and self-efficacy and reduced the burden of stress, anxiety, and depression among Afghan refugees resettled in Massachusetts.

Background: Social and cultural factors, including ethnicity and migration, can play important roles in reducing the screening for and thereby incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). Immigrants currently constitute about a third of Israelis, and have multiple screening barriers. Despite this, CRC screening among immigrants in Israel has not been adequately researched.

Objectives: To understand colorectal cancer screening rates among Israeli immigrants and to analyze how they vary by key immigrant characteristics

Methods/Results: Medical and administrative records from 2011-2021 of a large Israeli HMO were analyzed, with a sample of 100,00 immigrants between ages 40-75 and 200,000 matched native-born Israelis. Outcome measures included CRC screening, screening method used, and cancers found. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine effects of migration, including country/region of birth, age at migration and years since migration. Independent variables included demographics, individual behaviors, and health system access/utilization.

Results:

Differences were found according to country/region of birth, migration year, age at migration and type of screening with variations by outcome measure. Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union, Europe and North America in particular performed fewer screening tests. Reasons included both personal factors(eg health behaviors and lifestyle) and systemic factors (eg health system utilization and provider behaviors).

Discussion/Importance:

Migration is an important contextual factor for CRC screening and cancer outcomes in Israel, and attention should be paid to both individual and systemic factors. Study results can potentially facilitate development of appropriate community-based interventions to increase colorectal cancer screening and reduce CRC among Israeli as well as other immigrant groups.

Sport is a powerful tool for fostering belonging, grounding, and psychosocial well-being among displaced populations. This community-centered initiative examines how weekly cricket sessions with Afghan refugee children in Southern California functioned as a pathway to holistic health, acculturation, and community resilience. Led by a volunteer coach, the program engaged families and local leaders to create a culturally affirming space where youth could participate in physical activity, build supportive relationships, and restore a sense of joy and routine disrupted by displacement. This initiative positioned sport not merely as recreation but as a culturally resonant practice offering structure, identity, and healing. Over three years of consistent engagement, cricket served as a bridge connecting participants’ past and present, while supporting their integration into a new sociocultural environment. Youth involved in the program demonstrated increased confidence, improved interpersonal communication, and greater ease in navigating cross-cultural relationships.

The program also promoted intergenerational involvement, with community elders attending matches, assisting with coaching, and sharing communal meals—thus reinforcing cultural continuity and strengthening social ties. Grounded in the principles of social inclusion, trauma-informed care, and asset-based community development, the project offers a replicable model for health promotion among refugee populations.

By centering joy, movement, identity, and connection, this initiative reframes sport as a vital component of community public health. It highlights how culturally grounded sports programs can promote resilience and long-term well-being for refugee communities facing the complex challenges of resettlement and adaptation.

Research Question: How do people in border communities that lack healthcare services and sanitation infrastructure perceive and obtain health information?

This study focuses on understanding how healthcare accessibility and adequacy is perceived within the colonias, which are informal, predominantly low-income Mexican immigrant communities along the US-Mexico border in Texas. These communities are largely self-sustaining but suffer from inadequate governmental infrastructure and resources. To gain insight into the current challenges faced by these communities, the study will explore four key areas: 1) perceived marginalization, 2) health information-seeking behavior, 3) health literacy, and 4) levels of generalized and specific trust within colonia populations.

The researchers and research assistants (up to three students from psychology and public health) will travel to South Texas in May and assess a population living in the colonias in Hidalgo and Cameron counties. An established relationship has been developed with these colonias through partnership with a faith-based non-profit organization. The director of the non-profit will provide interpretation services. Public Health faculty and students have been travelling to S. Texas providing health education over the course of the last six months.

Information obtained from the data collected from these surveys will be used to further inform healthcare, especially for mental health within the populations living in the colonias.

Introduction: Climate change-driven wildfires threaten vulnerable populations, mainly middle and old-age Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs) in Oregon. Unfortunately, inadequate or ineffective wildfire emergency communication further exposes MSFWs to additional health risks. This study investigates communication barriers and coping mechanisms among MSFWs during wildfire events, focusing on culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions.

Methodology: This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with MSFWs (aged 45+) and key informants (community leaders, first responders, educators) in Oregon. Data collection involved purposive sampling, with interviews conducted via Zoom and in-person discussions at community centers. Thematic analysis identified patterns related to communication barriers, preparedness, and resilience strategies.

Results: Findings revealed 1) profound fear, sadness, uncertainty, and stress throughout fire events; 2) absence of coordinated disaster communication tailored to MSFWs; 3) reliance on informal information channels, including word-of-mouth and cell phones; and 4) post-disaster narratives emphasizing community resilience while highlighting the need for enhanced public service involvement in health and wellness.

Conclusion: This research contributes to climate resilience and public health discourse by identifying health communication risk factors during wildfire emergencies and centering an often-overlooked population. Findings will inform public health policies, emergency communication and management strategies, and advocacy efforts to protect MSFWs from future climate-related disasters. Results underscore the necessity of developing tailored communication approaches that address the unique vulnerabilities of agricultural workers during environmental emergencies.

Undocumented patients face significant barriers to healthcare, including lack of insurance, language obstacles, and systemic inequities. While some community health centers provide essential primary care to undocumented patients, they often lack the resources to manage complex conditions requiring specialty services. To address this gap, our program enhances access to specialty and longitudinal care for undocumented patients while training undergraduate and medical students to navigate and advocate within these systems.

The program follows a tiered structure, with students reporting to faculty and supervised residents who provide care across both community and academic settings. The program utilizes medical student case managers who assist patients identified by clinic providers as needing specialty care, imaging, or medications not available at the community health clinic. Case managers assist patients by completing Emergency Medicaid applications and, for those who receive insurance, coordinating specialty appointments and primary care follow-up within the affiliated academic medical center. They also connect patients to city health centers, which provide services regardless of immigration status.

Since 2018, the program has helped 127 undocumented patients access care and engaged 28 student volunteers as patient navigators. In 2024, over a dozen patients received specialty services, with five obtaining Emergency Medicaid and transitioning into primary care at the affiliated academic medical center. This model improves healthcare access while training students to apply for social services and better understand the complexity of our healthcare system. It also demonstrates the feasibility and impact of a structured, collaborative approach to expanding specialty care for undocumented patients.

Background. Black immigrants, one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the U.S., face unique mental health stressors, including acculturative stress, racial discrimination, and economic instability. However, public health systems have failed to adequately address the mental health needs of this population. Studies show that Black immigrants underutilize formal mental health services due to multiple barriers, such as stigma surrounding mental illness, financial constraints, and negative provider experiences. Additionally, healthcare providers often misdiagnose or dismiss the psychological distress of Black immigrants, further alienating them from the formal healthcare system (Ndugga et al., 2024).

Motherwork and Mental Health Advocacy. Within Black immigrant families, women often serve as primary caregivers and health advocates, bridging formal healthcare systems with familial and community support structures. The concept of motherwork—developed from Black feminist and intersectionality theories—recognizes the essential role of Black mothers in ensuring the survival and well-being of their families despite systemic oppression. Black immigrant mothers engage in collective caregiving, relying on extended family networks, religious institutions, and cultural traditions to provide emotional and psychological support.

While informal support networks offer critical mental health resources, they can also reinforce mental health stigma and prevent engagement with professional services. Religious institutions, for example, serve as primary sources of psychological support, yet many faith leaders feel ill-equipped to provide adequate mental health guidance. Public health professionals have an opportunity to collaborate with community leaders, faith-based organizations, and Black immigrant mothers to develop community-based mental health initiatives that respect cultural beliefs while promoting professional care.