Fall 2024 C.V. Starr Fund for A/P/A Research Awardees

Hieu Huynh (MA student, NYU Steinhardt ‘25) will screen and discuss her documentary Quan 13, which focuses on the foodways of the Vietnamese diaspora in Paris. The film, exploring themes of migration, identity, and cultural memory, will be presented at NYU Paris and other academic events. 

Partnering with WOREC Saathi, Aakriti Prasai (PhD candidate, NYU Steinhardt ’26) will conduct a community research project to address mental health challenges within the Nepali-speaking community of Greater New York. Prasai aims to identify key mental health concerns to develop culturally sensitive interventions, foster open dialogue, and improve resources for the underserved population. 

Krushika Uday Patankar’s (PhD candidate, NYU Silver School of Social Work ’26) will examine decision-making and service navigation strategies employed by South Asian and Indo Caribbean immigrant mothers in NYC when they encounter overlapping intimate partner violence services and child protection services. The intended goal of the project, entitled “Journeys Through Intimate Partner Violence and Child Protection: A Qualitative Study of South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Immigrant Mothers’ Experiences in Dual Services Navigations ” is to build a theory that explains how mothers engage with involuntary social services, informing the academic production and praxis of a varied range of social sciences with two specific Asian subpopulations.

Maya Singhal (Visiting Scholar, A/P/A Institute at NYU) will attend the American Studies Association and American Anthropological Association meetings, where they will participate in a roundtable on “Ethnographies of Racial Capitalism” and continue work on their book, Safer: Black and Chinese Community Defense in New York City, respectively.

Chanika Svetvilas (Visiting Scholar, A/P/A Institute at NYU) will present her short film, Pharma Infinity Dance, and lead a post-screening discussion at Berlin’s NeuroCinema Film Festival, which “aims to highlight neurodivergent voices, promote understanding, celebrate diversity, and foster a supportive community, thereby increasing awareness, breaking down stereotypes, and celebrating the creativity within the neurodivergent community.” During her time in Berlin, Svetvilas will learn about Southeast Asian immigrant communities in Germany, their mental health needs, and their access to care.