Of the 27.4 million people identified as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA+NHPI) in the United States, those aged 12 to 19 are the only racial ethnic group for whom suicide is the leading cause of death, shared Joyce Javier, MD, MPH, MS, FAAP, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine Associate Professor of Health Systems Science.
Bearing this grim statistic in mind, Dr. Javier’s National Institute of Health-funded research has long focused on community-engaged approaches to pediatric mental health, parenting interventions, and suicide prevention, particularly among Filipino youth and families. In her work with the Filipino Family Health Initiative (FFHI), formed in 2011 to prevent behavioral health disparities among Filipino youth through community and academic partnerships, Dr. Javier and team engage families, schools, churches, community-based organizations, and multi-disciplinary providers to co-develop culturally grounded programs that reduce stigma around mental health and strengthen family and community support systems.
This year, Dr. Javier has taken part in several conferences to share more on her team’s research findings. In January 2026, she joined a panel discussion at the Holding Space: Reducing Stigma and Expanding Mental Health Access for AA+NHPI Youth Conference that took place at California State University Long Beach. The event, which was organized by multiple groups including the Asian American Journalists Association of Los Angeles, was convened to raise awareness around AA+NHPI youth mental health and suicide. The conference aimed to address health inequities by identifying community strategies to reduce stigma and improve access and treatment for families. Speakers presented AA+NHPI youth suicide research, stories from those with lived experiences, and practitioners provided information on interventions.
During a panel discussion moderated by Sona Patel from The New York Times, Dr. Javier highlighted her team’s research details and shed light on the FFHI’s work to strengthen parent-child relationships and promote the emotional well-being of Filipino youth in California.
