Mission:
The mission of Team HBV Collegiate Chapters is to educate campus and local communities about Hepatitis B (HBV) and liver cancer, which disproportionately affect Asian and Pacific Islanders.
Hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer, though it is treatable and vaccine-preventable. It is known as the silent killer, because most chronically infected individuals show no symptoms until it is too late. By focusing on education, Team HBV raises awareness about the dangers of Hepatitis B, liver cancer, and their prevention and treatment options. Our hope is that by working with the student body and surrounding communities, we can empower individuals to get themselves and their loved ones screened and vaccinated in a timely manner
Affiliations
The Asian Liver Center at Stanford University is the first non-profit organization in the United States that addresses the high incidence of hepatitis B and liver cancer in Asians and Asian Americans.
In May 2001, the Asian Liver Center launched the Jade Ribbon Campaign in the San Francisco Bay Area to spread awareness about Hepatitis B and liver cancer in the Asian community.
At SBU:
Team HBV at SBU conducted a needs assessment to evaluate the knowledge of SBU students about HBV. With convenience sampling at involvement fairs, we surveyed 100 people to date with a total of 7 questions about HBV and 1 question about the surveyee’s ethnicity. An answer key was given out after the surveyee answered the survey. 90% of the respondents answered incorrectly the question about the prevalence of HBV among Asian Americans; 76% of respondents answered incorrectly about the HBV prevalence among Asians globally; and 56% answered incorrectly the most common cause of liver cancer. Because the Stony Brook University community is comprised of 37% Asians or Asian Americans, Team HBV is a great resource to share HBV knowledge to the campus.