Mary Anne Foo
Biographic Data
| ID | 283829 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mary Anne Foo |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mary Anne |
| FAMILY NAME | Foo |
| SIGNATURE | FOO M A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6867-9182 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Bridging work: Community health workers’ role as a continuum of building, guiding, sustaining and transforming the path to health equity
Community Health Workers (CHW) are commonly conceptualized as a 'bridge' that connects the community to health-related systems and resources for which they have historically and contemporarily experienced systemic barriers to accessing. Nonetheless, the nuances of the bridge role remain underexamined. The bridge metaphor, by the static nature of a bridge, can overlook the dynamic and relational aspects of CHWs' work beyond simple liaison function…
Structural supports and challenges for community health worker models: Lessons from the Covid-19 response in Orange County, California
Public health relied on community health workers (CHWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect with the most vulnerable communities, which saved lives and addressed inequities. Understanding the structural factors that supported and hindered the success of CHWs is essential for building a stronger public health infrastructure in the future. We analyzed semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 15 institutional representatives and policymakers wh…
Each one of us did the best we could for the community, while also supporting each other”: Community residents’ perspectives on community health worker (CHW) response during the Covid-19 pandemic - a …
Engaging community members is crucial for comprehensively understanding the CHW model. Given the enormous ongoing community challenges post-pandemic, these findings call for increased CHW presence, additional support and resources for health and socioeconomic needs, and improved information dissemination to bolster community resilience. Findings center mutual aid, emphasizing the importance of supporting communities in this crucial work. Addition…
Reflecting on the Backstage and Frontstage of Community-Based Participatory Research: Ethics and Collaboration in the Catalyst Study
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is critical for promoting health equity through the incorporation of equitable decision-making and participatory processes into health equity research. Yet, research processes often fail to align with community realities. Drawing on Goffman's frontstage-backstage framework, this paper examines how a community-academic partnership navigated and negotiated processes to support ethical inclusion of commu…
Practical Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health Research: A Guide to a Team-Based Approach With Flexible Coding
Qualitative research is important to advance health equity as it offers nuanced insights into structural determinants of health inequities, amplifies the voices of communities directly affected by health inequities, and informs community-based interventions. The scale and frequency of public health crises have accelerated in recent years (e.g., pandemic, environmental disasters, climate change). The field of public health research and practice wo…
Community Activation to TrAnsform Local sYSTems (Catalyst): A Qualitative Study Protocol
Community Health Workers, promotores, and navigators (henceforth, CHWs) emerged as critical members of the public health workforce addressing social, economic, and health inequities worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is increased appreciation for and utilization of CHW models, and recognition of the importance of tailoring and innovating these models during the pandemic, few studies have examined the processes of change by which CHW m…
Orange County, California Covid-19 Vaccine Equity Best Practices Checklist: A Community-Centered Call to Action for Equitable Vaccination Practices
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated longstanding inequities throughout the United States, disproportionately concentrating adverse social, economic, and health-related outcomes among low-income communities and communities of color. Inequitable distribution, prioritization, and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines due to systemic and organizational barriers add to these disproportionate impacts across the United S…
A Qualitative Assessment of Community-Based Breast Health Navigation Services for Southeast Asian Women in Southern California: Recommendations for Developing a Navigator Training Curriculum
Objectives. We identified key elements required for a training curriculum for Southeast Asian community-based health navigators (CBHNs), who help low-income, immigrant Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese women negotiate cultural and systemic barriers to breast cancer screening and care in the United States. Methods. We gathered the perspectives of 3 groups: CBHNs, community members, and their providers. We conducted 16 focus groups with 110 …
Decreases in Smoking Prevalence in Asian Communities Served by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (Reach) Project
Objectives. We examined trends in smoking prevalence from 2002 through 2006 in 4 Asian communities served by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) intervention. Methods. Annual survey data from 2002 through 2006 were gathered in 4 REACH Asian communities. Trends in the age-standardized prevalence of current smoking for men in 2 Vietnamese communities, 1 Cambodian community, and 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander (API) commun…
Outcomes of a Breast Health Project for Hmong Women and Men in California
Objectives. We used a community-based research approach to test a culturally based breast cancer screening program among low-income Hmong women in central and southern California. Methods. We designed a culturally informed educational program with measures at baseline and 1-year follow-up in 2 intervention cities and 1 comparison city. Measures included changes in breast cancer screening, knowledge, and attitudes. Results. Compared with women in …
Vietnamese American Women's Health: A Community's Perspective and Report
This article discusses findings from focus groups conducted in the Vietnamese American community as part of a needs assessment to better understand the issues of breast and cervical cancer screening for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. First, we present an overview of community sociodemographics and the problems of breast and cervical cancer for Vietnamese American women. Then we give a brief ba…
Practical Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health Research: A Guide to a Team-Based Approach With Flexible Coding
Qualitative research is important to advance health equity as it offers nuanced insights into structural determinants of health inequities, amplifies the voices of communities directly affected by health inequities, and informs community-based interventions. The scale and frequency of public health crises have accelerated in recent years (e.g., pandemic, environmental disasters, climate change). The field of public health research and practice wo…
Community Activation to TrAnsform Local sYSTems (Catalyst): A Qualitative Study Protocol
Community Health Workers, promotores, and navigators (henceforth, CHWs) emerged as critical members of the public health workforce addressing social, economic, and health inequities worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is increased appreciation for and utilization of CHW models, and recognition of the importance of tailoring and innovating these models during the pandemic, few studies have examined the processes of change by which CHW m…
A Qualitative Assessment of Community-Based Breast Health Navigation Services for Southeast Asian Women in Southern California: Recommendations for Developing a Navigator Training Curriculum
Objectives. We identified key elements required for a training curriculum for Southeast Asian community-based health navigators (CBHNs), who help low-income, immigrant Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese women negotiate cultural and systemic barriers to breast cancer screening and care in the United States. Methods. We gathered the perspectives of 3 groups: CBHNs, community members, and their providers. We conducted 16 focus groups with 110 …
Outcomes of a Breast Health Project for Hmong Women and Men in California
Objectives. We used a community-based research approach to test a culturally based breast cancer screening program among low-income Hmong women in central and southern California. Methods. We designed a culturally informed educational program with measures at baseline and 1-year follow-up in 2 intervention cities and 1 comparison city. Measures included changes in breast cancer screening, knowledge, and attitudes. Results. Compared with women in …
Vietnamese American Women's Health: A Community's Perspective and Report
This article discusses findings from focus groups conducted in the Vietnamese American community as part of a needs assessment to better understand the issues of breast and cervical cancer screening for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. First, we present an overview of community sociodemographics and the problems of breast and cervical cancer for Vietnamese American women. Then we give a brief ba…
Outcomes of a Breast Health Project for Hmong Women and Men in California
Objectives. We used a community-based research approach to test a culturally based breast cancer screening program among low-income Hmong women in central and southern California. Methods. We designed a culturally informed educational program with measures at baseline and 1-year follow-up in 2 intervention cities and 1 comparison city. Measures included changes in breast cancer screening, knowledge, and attitudes. Results. Compared with women in …
Decreases in Smoking Prevalence in Asian Communities Served by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (Reach) Project
Objectives. We examined trends in smoking prevalence from 2002 through 2006 in 4 Asian communities served by the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) intervention. Methods. Annual survey data from 2002 through 2006 were gathered in 4 REACH Asian communities. Trends in the age-standardized prevalence of current smoking for men in 2 Vietnamese communities, 1 Cambodian community, and 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander (API) commun…
A Qualitative Assessment of Community-Based Breast Health Navigation Services for Southeast Asian Women in Southern California: Recommendations for Developing a Navigator Training Curriculum
Objectives. We identified key elements required for a training curriculum for Southeast Asian community-based health navigators (CBHNs), who help low-income, immigrant Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese women negotiate cultural and systemic barriers to breast cancer screening and care in the United States. Methods. We gathered the perspectives of 3 groups: CBHNs, community members, and their providers. We conducted 16 focus groups with 110 …
Orange County, California Covid-19 Vaccine Equity Best Practices Checklist: A Community-Centered Call to Action for Equitable Vaccination Practices
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated longstanding inequities throughout the United States, disproportionately concentrating adverse social, economic, and health-related outcomes among low-income communities and communities of color. Inequitable distribution, prioritization, and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines due to systemic and organizational barriers add to these disproportionate impacts across the United S…
Practical Qualitative Data Analysis for Public Health Research: A Guide to a Team-Based Approach With Flexible Coding
Qualitative research is important to advance health equity as it offers nuanced insights into structural determinants of health inequities, amplifies the voices of communities directly affected by health inequities, and informs community-based interventions. The scale and frequency of public health crises have accelerated in recent years (e.g., pandemic, environmental disasters, climate change). The field of public health research and practice wo…
Community Activation to TrAnsform Local sYSTems (Catalyst): A Qualitative Study Protocol
Community Health Workers, promotores, and navigators (henceforth, CHWs) emerged as critical members of the public health workforce addressing social, economic, and health inequities worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is increased appreciation for and utilization of CHW models, and recognition of the importance of tailoring and innovating these models during the pandemic, few studies have examined the processes of change by which CHW m…
Structural supports and challenges for community health worker models: Lessons from the Covid-19 response in Orange County, California
Public health relied on community health workers (CHWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect with the most vulnerable communities, which saved lives and addressed inequities. Understanding the structural factors that supported and hindered the success of CHWs is essential for building a stronger public health infrastructure in the future. We analyzed semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 15 institutional representatives and policymakers wh…
Each one of us did the best we could for the community, while also supporting each other”: Community residents’ perspectives on community health worker (CHW) response during the Covid-19 pandemic - a …
Engaging community members is crucial for comprehensively understanding the CHW model. Given the enormous ongoing community challenges post-pandemic, these findings call for increased CHW presence, additional support and resources for health and socioeconomic needs, and improved information dissemination to bolster community resilience. Findings center mutual aid, emphasizing the importance of supporting communities in this crucial work. Addition…
Reflecting on the Backstage and Frontstage of Community-Based Participatory Research: Ethics and Collaboration in the Catalyst Study
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is critical for promoting health equity through the incorporation of equitable decision-making and participatory processes into health equity research. Yet, research processes often fail to align with community realities. Drawing on Goffman's frontstage-backstage framework, this paper examines how a community-academic partnership navigated and negotiated processes to support ethical inclusion of commu…
Bridging work: Community health workers’ role as a continuum of building, guiding, sustaining and transforming the path to health equity
Community Health Workers (CHW) are commonly conceptualized as a 'bridge' that connects the community to health-related systems and resources for which they have historically and contemporarily experienced systemic barriers to accessing. Nonetheless, the nuances of the bridge role remain underexamined. The bridge metaphor, by the static nature of a bridge, can overlook the dynamic and relational aspects of CHWs' work beyond simple liaison function…
Medicine (8 works) · Political science (6 works) · Nursing (5 works) · Public health (5 works) · Public Health Policies and Education (5 works) · Public relations (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Community health (4 works) · Focus group (4 works) · Health equity (4 works)