Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, Ph.D., M.N., R.N., is a Professor at the UCLA School of Public Health and Asian American Studies Center. Dr. Kagawa-Singer has worked in oncology for 30 years. Her research focuses on the discrepancies in physical and mental health-care outcomes of ethnic minority populations, primarily Asian American/Pacific Islanders with chronic illnesses such as cancer. Her present research seeks to develop standards of cultural competence in health care, and investigate the influence of ethnicity on health-care decisions and emotional and physical outcomes.
Dr. Kagawa-Singer's current cancer related research includes intervention studies to promote mammography in 11 different Asian American and Pacific Islander groups: Hmong, Thai, Cambodian, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Filipino, Vietnamese, Laotian, Chamorro, Guamanin, and Chinese women in six sites across the U.S. Also underway is a study of the quality of life of elderly women following breast cancer, and a study to develop a spirituality scale for elderly with chronic conditions. She participates as co-PI on several other studies related to her expertise in cross cultural health.
Dr. Kagawa-Singer has a master's degree in nursing from the UCLA School of Nursing, and master's and doctorate degrees in Anthropology from UCLA. She serves on multiple local, state and national committees involved with issues of ethnicity and health care, and has published, lectured, and taught extensively on issues in cross cultural health-care, cancer, pain, grief and bereavement, end-of-life decision making, and quality of life. She also serves as consultant to the American Cancer Society and other community groups that are working to bring cancer education and services to under-served populations.