Center of Deaf Health Excellence

12/18/2025

Happy Holidays from the Center of Deaf Health Excellence!

As we close out the year, we want to express our sincere gratitude to our community, collaborators, and partners for working alongside us!

Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year.

12/12/2025

Meet our CDHE Community Partners advancing cancer screening and building trust with the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing community. View the photos to learn about each community partner.

12/05/2025

So proud of our amazing undergraduate assistant, sophomore Hiruni Hewapathiranage-Mayadunne! Check out this great video spotlight where Hiruni talks about why she chose Gallaudet. We’re so lucky to have her on our team!

11/13/2025

It’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month!

Early screening saves lives. Watch our ASL video to learn information about lung cancer screening.

Watch and share to raise awareness and support early detection!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

11/12/2025

This wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations made to CDHE. With this support, we were able to sponsor Kimberly MacLeod, a Gallaudet University Public Health student, to attend the APHA Conference.

It was a wonderful opportunity for her to network, learn, and build connections that will support her professional growth.

Check out her video to hear how attending APHA has benefited her journey!

11/10/2025

Watch our undergraduate research assistant, Hiruni Hewapathiranage-Mayadunne, reflect on her experience at the APHA conference and what she took away from it.

11/07/2025

A night to celebrate community, connection, and a shared vision.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the South Asian Public Health Association’s gala dinner. Your presence, passion, and commitment to advancing health equity for underserved communities made this evening truly special. Here’s to the conversations we shared, the connections we built, and the important work ahead.

Group photo —

People in front: Alok Doshi, Hiruni Hewapathirana-Mayadunne, Danielle Thompson, Poorna Kushalnagar, Kalpana Ram, Shazia Siddiqi

People in back: Thinaja Nadarajah-Israel, Smitha Hanumantha, Raja Kushalnagar, Gaurav Mathur

11/06/2025

Researchers from the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins are conducting a study to learn about the challenges and frustrations experienced by people with disabilities.

This NIH-funded study includes one-on-one interviews (about 90 minutes) with community leaders and individuals with disabilities. Participants will receive compensation for their time.

If you’re interested, please complete this short screening survey:
https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dhFbO4tH0Qej7BI

Please refer to the flyer for more details and see the ASL translation at this link:
https://virginia.app.box.com/s/w6qu7ue7svrv2qmgp7tyv7f9v9oqnuug

11/06/2025

At the American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference in Washington, DC! The CDHE team (DT Bruno, Erika Bergeron, Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar, Kathy Manlapas, and Chisom Ofomata, along with two Gallaudet University Public Health students
(Hiruni Hewapathiranage-Mayadunne and Kimberly Macleod) enjoyed networking, learning, and connecting with public health professionals from around the world to explore how to make public health a national priority.

11/04/2025

DT Bruno and Erika Bergeron delivered a roundtable presentation at the 2025 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., titled “Building Accessible CHW Networks: Pivoting Federal Grant–Funded Programs to Sustain ASL-Fluent Community Health Worker Training in the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Community.

10/28/2025

Check out our new ASL video highlighting our published manuscript, Exploring the Interplay of Diabetes, Deaf Patient-Reported Outcomes, and Cancer Screening in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Women.

The study explores how diabetes affects cancer screening among Deaf and Hard of Hearing women.

https://deaf-health.com/videos/watch?v=juSEAUoLgf0

10/21/2025

Check out our ASL video about our newly published manuscript, exploring how concerns and negative beliefs about cancer (known as cancer worry and fatalism) are different between DHH and hearing people from racial groups.

When cancer information is clear and easy to understand, people can make better choices, feel less fear, and take charge of their health.
https://deaf-health.com/publications/article?v=U3tW-4v4eTs