Shocking Stats: How Ninez Ponce Reveals the Hidden Crisis in Asian American Health Care!

Ninez Ponce, a prominent professor and endowed chair in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, has been recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), one of the highest honors a medical professional can achieve. This year, the NAM inducted 90 regular members and 10 international members, marking a significant milestone in Ponce's career and recognition of her contributions to public health.

In an interview with Daily Bruin News contributor Jiyoon Choi, Ponce reflected on her unexpected reaction to the election, stating, “I fell off my chair. I’ve been nominated before, and it was always very disappointing when you don’t get elected. When I found out I was elected, I fell off my chair, because it is truly one of the highest honors for my field.” Her election signifies not just personal achievement but also a validation of her work, particularly in representing diverse populations in healthcare.

Ponce has played a crucial role in the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the largest population health survey in the nation, since she began her faculty position at UCLA in 1999. This project, initiated under the guidance of her mentor, Dr. E. Richard Brown, focuses on capturing the health status and needs of California's diverse population. “I also started ensuring that the survey wasn’t just done in English or Spanish... but also in Asian languages,” she emphasized. As a result, CHIS has been conducted in multiple languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, with Armenian to be added next year.

The need for such representation is underscored by the shifting demographics and health needs of California's populations. Ponce has been a longtime advocate for the Asian American community, working to ensure that their health concerns are adequately represented in public health data. Her advocacy predates her academic career, dating back to her involvement with what is now the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

Ponce believes that ongoing research is vital as “populations change, needs continue, and surveillance has to continue.” Addressing contemporary issues, she described how the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to collaborate with the Asian American Studies Center at UCLA to develop survey questions specifically addressing hate incidents targeting the Asian American community. “We never had questions on hate incidents before COVID-19... I worked with Asian American Studies Center here at UCLA to come up with questions that got the experience of physical and verbal abuse and of cyber bullying,” she explained. This adaptability ensures that the survey remains relevant and effective in addressing current health challenges.

When discussing the importance of representation and equity in health, Ponce stated, “We cannot advance in the wellbeing of everyone … if we just privilege the few who can afford access to care.” She argues that health is a fundamental human right, essential for fostering a robust economy and a supportive community. Her perspective as a health economist highlights the inefficiencies of public policies that do not take into account the diverse needs of populations. “You can’t have a one size fits all policy... There are over 90 Asian languages. You have to have that precision and representation,” she remarked, emphasizing the necessity for tailored healthcare policies.

Currently, Ponce is working on expanding the lessons learned from the CHIS to other states, particularly as some federal data infrastructures face challenges. “We are essentially inviting four to five states that we can work with so that we can provide technical assistance on measuring race and ethnicity,” she shared. This initiative aims to create respectful data collection practices that truly represent the communities involved.

In addition to her work with CHIS, Ponce is spearheading several other projects, including a Latino youth health survey and research on trust and mistrust among Latino populations concerning information sources. During the pandemic, she also helped establish the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Data Policy Lab, which addresses the need for disaggregated data for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations, particularly in light of their disproportionately high COVID-19 case and death rates. This lab focuses on creating dashboards to visualize social drivers of health within these communities, reinforcing the idea that data is power.

For Ponce, the mission behind her work resonates strongly with the UCLA community. “The community at UCLA, our students and faculty, all are united by a calling to democratize knowledge and information rights for California’s population,” she said. Her commitment to enhancing public health data collection and representation reflects a broader goal: to empower communities and ensure that everyone has access to the healthcare they need. As she continues her journey, Ponce remains dedicated to shaping a healthier, more equitable future for all Californians.