Mission
The Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMSA) is a national organization of medical and pre-medical students committed to addressing the unique health challenges of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities. APAMSA serves as a forum for student leaders to engage these health issues and develop initiatives and projects addressing those needs. The local, regional, and national activities of APAMSA aim to promote the health of the APIA community and help healthcare workers understand how to care for APIA patients in a culturally sensitive manner. Finally, APAMSA provides an important venue for medical students to meet, exchange experiences, and develop personally and professionally through leadership and service.
History
APAMSA’s foundation was laid in 1993 by Asian American students worried about the present and future of the APA community. Dr. B Li co- founded the e-mail bulletin board ‘AAMSnet’ for Asian American medical students in 1994 and co-formed the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association in 1995.
APAMSA was formed because issues of APA health were largely ignored by existing organizations. Since its initial formation in 1995, APAMSA chapters have formed at schools across the country to improve the health and well-being of the APA community and promote understanding of the unique challenges Asian Pacific Americans face in medicine.
January 1993
“A Call for Community Involvement” New York: NYU
April 1993
Asian American Caucus at AMSA, Miami: WI
October 1993
“Asian American Family Health: Needs and Networks” Columbus: OSU
“Breaking the Silence” Boston: Harvard
April 1994
Asian American Caucus at AMSA, Washington, D.C: CWRU, Stanford
October 1994
“A New Voice” Boston: Harvard
White House Briefing on Health Care Reform, Washington, D.C.: Harvard, Tufts, NYU
AAMSnet on-line, Columbus: OSU
January 1995
Formation of First APAMSA National Conference “Reflections on Self & Community”
New York: Columbia, Cornell, Einstein, NYU, SUNY Brooklyn, Mt. Sinai
October 1995
Second National Conference “Strength Through Unity”
Philadelphia: Medical College of Pennsylvania- Hahnemann University, Temple University, Jefferson Medical College, University of Pennsylvania
October 1996
Third National Conference “APA Leaders: Forging Ties for a Stronger Tomorrow”
Boston: Harvard University
October 1997
Fourth National Conference
Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University
November 1998
Fifth National Conference
Chicago: Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Finch Chicago Medical School, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
November 1999
Sixth National Conference
San Francisco: University of California at Davis
October 2000
Seventh National Conference “Ancient Traditions, New Frontiers”
Los Angeles: University of Southern California, Stanford University
October 2001
Eighth National Conference “Forging into the next Millennium: Committment to API Service”
New York City: New York University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
October 2002
Ninth National Conference “Our Culture, Our Health”
St. Louis: Washington University, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
November 2003
Tenth National Conference “Changing the Face of Medicine”
Washington DC: Georgetown University SOM, George Washington SOM, Johns Hopkins SOM, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
November 2004
Eleventh National Conference “Leading By Example”
Houston, Texas: UT Houston Medical School, Baylor College of Medicine, UT Health Science Center San Antonio
October 2005
Twelfth National Conference “Building Bridges: Linking Past, Present, and Future”
Chicago, IL: Northwestern University
October 2006
13th National Conference “Medicine: A Call to Service”
Washington DC Metro Area at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences
October 2007
14th National Conference “Bridging Cultures, Taking Action”
UCSF and Stanford University
October 2008
15th National Conference “Building ONE Community”
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
October 2009
16th National Conference “Transforming Medicine: A Challenge for Future Leaders”
Los Angeles, CA: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, co-hosted by Western University of Medical Sciences and Keck School of Medicine of USC
October 2010
17th National Conference “Navigating Medicine’s Next Frontier”
Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and University of Maryland School of Medicine
October 2011
18th National Conference “Prescription for Change: Act Now”
Stanford, CA: Stanford University School of Medicine
September 2012
19th National Conference ”Connect the Dots, Make Your Mark: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Medicine”
Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan School of Medicine