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John H. Choe, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
johnchoe@u.washington.edu
2008-2011 Cohort
Project Title:  "Tailoring Programs to Increase Acceptance of Cancer-Preventing Vaccines Among Asian Immigrants"

About the Project:

The project’s aim was to develop culturally tailored education programs for Asian immigrants to increase knowledge and willingness to receive vaccines for HPV and HBV. Using attitudes about hepatitis B vaccination as a starting point for focus group discussions, Dr. Choe developed and tested a culturally-appropriate educational outreach program to increase acceptance of human papillomavirus vaccines in several Asian communities at high risk for cervical cancer.

Biosketch:

John H. Choe, M.D., M.P.H. is Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and an Affiliate Investigator at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He cares for patients and teaches medical students and residents at Harborview Medical Center, the Seattle area’s county hospital for underserved and indigent patients. A graduate of Brown University and New York University School of Medicine, he trained as a general internist at the University of Pennsylvania before coming to Seattle in 2000 as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. In addition to earning a Master in Public Health degree from the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine, he began research partnerships with community organizations which continue in his work today.

Dr. Choe is interested in disparities of cancer outcomes among Asian and Pacific Islander immigrant communities. Incorporating community-based research principles, his research interests include the development of culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches to liver, colorectal, and cervical cancer among diverse Asian and Pacific Islander groups. His research interests also include addressing disparities in bone marrow and peripheral stem cell donation among immigrant communities. In addition to past funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, he has received support from the National Cancer Institute and the National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities. He has also completed a 3-year project awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study hepatitis B knowledge among Asian immigrants.

The title of his Physician Faculty Scholars Program research proposal was "Tailoring Programs to Increase Acceptance of Cancer-Preventing Vaccines among Asian Immigrants." This project incorporated qualitative research methods to explore facilitators and barriers to acceptance of cancer preventing vaccines among Asian American families.

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