"Health Disparities in the API Community" with Dr. Mihae Song and Arlene Simpson

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! In this episode, Cervivor Podcast Host, Joslyn Paguio discusses health disparities within the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities and the possible reasons why with Dr. Mihae Song, a Gynecologic Oncologist at City of Hope, and Arlene Simpson, a cervical cancer survivor. Through this conversation, you'll hear the personal stories of each guest and where they are at today. Communication is key to understanding one’s health and building a long-lasting relationship with their primary care physician. So, what happens when you aren’t taught the proper terminology? What if you were never taught how to talk about things…particularly below the belt? We realize that knowledge is power. Some experience no abnormal symptoms and are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Then there are some, like Arlene, a Cervivor community member, who realized that "abnormal was her normal." Arlene accepted that as a way of life because of associated diagnoses which later led to her cervical cancer.

More about the guests:

Arlene Simpson is a loving mom, a devoted wife, a Financial Services professional focusing on the importance of Financial Literacy in America, and a one-year cervical cancer survivor and patient advocate.

MIHAE SONG, M.D., has provided free health care for pregnant women in Pakistan, cared for blind and autistic children in South Korea, mentored grade school kids and trained future medical school students in surgical techniques. She’s earned a long list of awards and honors for her skills in the operating room and the classroom. Dr. Song is passionate about women’s health and an expert in minimally invasive surgeries, as well as more complex abdominal procedures. A graduate of New York’s Columbia University, Dr. Song studied medicine at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, New York, and continued her training with fellowships in health equity leadership and gynecologic oncology at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Song is excited about new cancer therapies and is eager to help bring them about through clinical trials. It’s one big reason she’s joined City of Hope which, she says, “has the best ingredients to bring research from the laboratories to clinical trials to the clinic.”

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