Title Student, major; Mentor, department

The proposed research project will identify cultural and linguistic reasons that some first-generation1 and second-generation Cambodian (or Khmer) Americans in three urban cities in the United States (Atlanta, GA, Long Beach, CA, and Lowell, MA) choose to maintain traditional Khmer medical practices as opposed to adopting mainstream U.S. practices. Project Goals The goal of this multi-sited project is to collect and analyze data in order to understand Cambodian American motivations and rationales for their medical choices. The objectives in order to achieve this goal are as follows: 1) to collect and study qualitative data from 12 Cambodian Americans through interviews and 2) to collect and study quantitative data from 150 Cambodian Americans through surveys. Project Significance Cambodian Americans face significant challenges in adapting to life in the United States; they “[may] not be adapting as rapidly nor as ‘successfully ’ as other Asians ” (Hopkins 1996) and may lack access to mainstream medicine and knowledge (Taylor et al. 2000, 2002; Do et al. 2009). This project investigates the cultural and linguistic challenges that Cambodian Americans face that may prevent mainstream healthcare as an option. Specifically, findings from this study may invite mainstream health practitioners to become aware o