Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) MPI Van Ta Park PhD, MPH was recently featured in Forbes for her work using Korean dramas as a mental health education tool for Asian Americans.
The article highlighted Dr. Park’s research on using Korean dramas, such as School 2013 and It’s Okay That’s Love, to connect with Asian American communities in a meaningful way that opens the door for conversations surrounding bullying and mental health struggles.
“When you speak the language in terms of the values held by communities, in cultural groups such as Asians, they get it,” said Dr. Park.
Increasing the understanding of mental health stigma and its effects on members of the Asian American community can be seen as a necessary step in tackling the issue. Dr. Park commented on how even the smallest of impressions could significantly impact breaking down these cultural stigmas.
“My background is in public health, and I thought if you could just move the needle just a little bit when it comes to the destigmatization of mental health, that would be significant in terms of the potential benefits for a population,” she said.
To read the full Forbes article, click here.