This summer, Institute faculty member Hsing-Fang Hsieh was invited to participate in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable hosted by the The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. 

This event marked the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and coincided with the U.S. Surgeon General declaring gun violence a public health emergency.

The roundtable brought together gun violence survivors, AAPI community leaders, and Biden-Harris Administration officials to address the unique impacts of gun violence on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Discussions highlighted the surge in gun ownership among Asian Americans, driven by fears of anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hsieh discussed her research on the comprehension of health disparities in firearm injury outcomes, particularly those resulting from structural racism and exposure to violence among Asian Americans. The panelists also included Tsu-Yin Wu, professor and director of the Center for Health Disparities Innovations and Studies at Eastern Michigan University, Po Murray, chairwoman of Newtown Action and Gloria Pan, spokesperson for AAPI Against Gun Violence Coalition and senior vice president of MomsRising.org.

Dr. Hsieh joined U-M’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention as a research assistant professor in 2022. Her research focuses on understanding disparities in firearm injury and chronic conditions resulting from racism and violence exposure, while identifying protective factors in affected communities. She leads a study funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NIH-NINR) examining the interactions between structural racism and in-person racism in influencing firearm injury risk among Asian Americans. This work was recognized through multiple news outlets, received the Equity & Justice Award at the National Research Conference of Firearm-related Harms, and was recently featured at the National Institute for Nursing Research. Dr. Hsieh also recently received the 2024 Research Faculty Recognition Award at the University of Michigan.

During the event, Dr. Hsieh shared findings from multiple studies which highlighted the main challenges faced by the AAPI community relating to firearm harms.

“The AANHPI community feels an unmet sense of safety and cites protection as the most common reason for carrying a firearm,” said Dr. Hsieh.

“We also know from our research that violent experiences and instances of racism are also directly associated with unsafe firearm behavior. This increased firearm carriage is also linked to increased depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol and other substance use among Asian Americans. In the literature, we know each of these health outcomes increases the risks of firearm injury and death.”

In addition to sharing these findings, Dr. Hsieh also shared potential evidence-based solutions to help reduce firearm-related harms among the AAPI community.

“When it comes to addressing these challenges, we think of a three-pronged approach, starting with culturally sensitive mental health and substance use services,” said Dr. Hsieh.

“Next, we consider culturally sensitive strategies, resources, and education on firearm safety, storage, and effective strategies for firearm disposal. Finally, we look at implementing an upstream approach to address racism at all levels. These are key steps to addressing the root causes of firearm violence and other disparities of health outcomes among our AANHPI communities.”

Dr. Hsieh serves as the Evaluation Director for the National Center for School Safety and Prevention Research Center of Michigan as well as Co-Director of the Training and Education Core at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention. She also leads the Institute’s evaluation of community-based implementation of prevention strategies.