Engaged Learning
Equipped to Lead and Succeed
The Nursing Leaders of Tomorrow
With a bachelor's in Public Health and a minor in Asian American studies, Jennifer Cayanan worked during the pandemic with the California Department of Public Health under their communicable disease surveillance tracking program and was a caretaker to her Lola (grandma in Tagalog).
These experiences inspired Jennifer to pursue a degree in nursing in the MEO-MSN program at the University of San Francisco! Currently, Jennifer studies and works part-time as the Co-Health Equity director for LEAD Filipino, a non-profit in the South Bay.
“My CNL courses have prepared me to improve our patient outcomes. I have learned to incorporate the social determinants of health, racism in the healthcare system, and how to best serve minority populations who sometimes fall between the cracks in receiving quality care,” shared Jennifer.
Thanks to Jennifer’s work LEAD Filipino has a partnership with Stanford Cancer Institute to conduct outreach to the Filipinx/a/o Community in Santa Clara County to take an anonymous cancer knowledge assessment survey. Filipinx/a/o's are represented in the healthcare system as medical staff, yet the health outcomes of this population are severely under-researched. Jennifer is providing support for research opportunities in the community.
“I believe in the power of having our voices heard and having research done by people in the community who are being researched. We have concluded the outreach portion of our research and are currently evaluating the data.”
I believe in the power of having our voices heard and having research done by people in the community who are being researched."
Jennifer has also helped to create and provide the "Holistic Healing Series," health education workshops for the community, including free yoga classes, cardiovascular health, disability justice, healthy relationships, and mindfulness! With LEAD, Jennifer is also out in community events providing free blood pressure cuffs and blood pressure checks.
“Being a part of the Health Equity team provides me with the opportunity to share and be a voice for the Filipinx/a/o community!”
