Dear APAMSA Members and Friends,  
 
The Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMSA) was founded in 1995.  As the first national organization representing Asian Pacific American (APA) medical students, it served as a forum for communication and provided a collective voice.  
 
In our thirteen years of existence, we have grown tremendously in number, and have taken huge strides to advance our mission of promoting the health and well-being of the Asian Pacific American community. Our accomplishments include the registering of thousands of bone marrow donors, organizing thousands of community health fairs nation-wide, screening and immunizing patients against Hepatitis B, hosting 14 national conferences and numerous regional conferences, and serving as a support system for student discussion and activism.  
 
We are committed to continue to build upon our previous achievements.  This year, we chose to focus on adapting our programs to address major issues in APA health, including: 
 
• the lack of advocates for APA health policy  
• the health disparities affecting APA 
• the absence of APA health issues in medical school curriculums  
• the cultural factors influencing APA medical student performance  
• the scarcity of medical knowledge regarding APA health  
• the delivery of culturally sensitive healthcare to the APA community  
 
APAMSA members can make a difference in the well-being of our communities.  Please join our quest to eliminate health disparities by participating in our National Service Projects.

• Hepatitis B is a preventable disease, and with your help we can be instrumental in eradicating this disease in our country.  In November we will be hosting the third annual National Hepatitis B Meeting in San Francisco. We look forward to bringing leading hepatologists and medical students together to work on this issue.
• Also, our National Bone Marrow Drive will run throughout the year. APA donors are severely underrepresented. APA bone marrow donors save lives, so please help us to address this problem.  

 
Making a difference in the local communities  
 
The heart of APAMSA lies in our local chapters.  It is through the innovation and hard work of our individual chapters that we are able to grow and make a difference in the lives of thousands of individuals. I commend and thank you for your dedication to APAMSA.  
 
We are the voice of the Asian Pacific American medical students 
 
APAMSA has a responsibility to educate our members, peers, and communities about the issues that affect Asian Pacific Americans. Currently, we focus our efforts on three major diseases that affect APA patients greatly: Hepatitis B, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cancer.  Help us provide an essential voice to a growing population of over 10 million Asian Pacific Americans.

 
It is my honor to serve as your National APAMSA president. Please feel free to contact me with comments, questions, or suggestions at any time.  
 
Sincerely,
 
Grace Wang 
APAMSA National President