Call for Applications
UCLA Asian American Studies Center
K. Patrick and Lily Okura Research Grants on Asian Pacific American Mental Health for 2008-2009
Faculty Research Grant up to $8,000
Graduate Student Research up to $3,000
ELIGIBILITY
UCLA faculty and graduate students. Faculty must be members of the UCLA Academic Senate.
GRANT PERIOD
August 1, 2008 through July 31, 2009. Grant recipients must be formally affiliated with UCLA for the duration of the grant.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Prior to submission of the research proposal, applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposal with the Assistant Director or Director of the Asian American Studies Center.
The major criteria for evaluation of proposals include:
- qualifications of the applicant(s) and his/her potential to successfully conduct the project;
- soundness and feasibility of the project, research design, and budget;
- significance of the project's potential contribution to the field of Asian Pacific American mental health issues;
- potential for securing publication or other forms of disseminating the results of the project.
APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE online at http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/scholarship.htm or at the UCLA Asian American Studies Center in 3230 Campbell Hall.
Submit one original and four (4) collated copies of all materials except those not coming directly from the applicant (i.e., Faculty Advisory Agreement/ Recommendation).
DEADLINE TO APPLY
All completed application materials must be received by Friday, May 30, 2008, 5:00 pm. Incomplete application files will not be reviewed.
Applications must be submitted to: UCLA Asian American Studies Center
3230 Campbell Hall, Box 951546
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1546
ATTN: Okura Research Grants
NOTIFICATION OF AWARDS
Applicants will be notified by mid-July, 2008.
For more information phone 310/ 825-1006 or email Meg Thornton at meg@ucla.edu.
K. Patrick and Lily Okura: Biographical Information
The late K. Patrick and the late Lily Okura were long time supporters of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Patrick Okura graduated from UCLA, with a B.A. in 1933 and an M.A. in Psychology in 1935. He was the first Asian American at UCLA to receive a varsity letter in baseball. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UCLA Alumni Association.
Patrick and Lily were incarcerated during World War II. Afterwards, they were both recruited by Father Flannagan at Boys' Town in Nebraska, where they worked for many years. Patrick was then recruited by Dr. Bertram Brown, head of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), to become his Executive Assistant. In his position at NIMH, Patrick was an advocate for research and training on Asian American mental health issues and helped to found the Asian American Psychologists Association, an official organization of the American Psychological Association.
Lily Okura was a significant community leader with the Japanese American Citizens League and other organizations. Lily was one of the first employees of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She was also the subject of a number of photos taken by legendary photographer Toyo Miyatake before World War II, and is featured in the documentary on Miyatake, titled "Infinite Shades of Gray".
Patrick and Lily have established a foundation to provide opportunities for mid-career mental health practitioners and researchers interested in Asian American health issues to meet with NIMH officials in Washington, DC. They donated their personal papers to the Asian American Studies Center and UCLA's Special Collections Department. Together, they established the Patrick and Lily Okura Endowment for Asian American Mental Health Research, which will provide research support for UCLA faculty and students, in perpetuity.
The Okuras were married for 63 years. Patrick passed away on January 30, 2005, and Lily died on June 14, 2005.
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