Dr. Lin Zhu (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Urban Health and Population Science at the Center for Asian Health (CAH), Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University. She is the Principle Investigator of research projects funded by the American Heart Association and the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. She also serves as Co-Investigator and Data Manager on over a dozen projects funded by NIH, CDC, DHHS, and other funding agencies. Dr. Zhu earned her PhD in medical sociology from the Department of Sociology at Temple University in 2016. Her dissertation was a study of the sociocultural determinants depression prevalence, symptom patterns, and service utilization among Chinese immigrants. She completed her postdoctoral training at Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine. A medical sociologist by training, Dr. Zhu is dedicated to investigating the intricate interplay of diverse factors at different levels, from individual and social to cultural and systemic/structural, that influence health behaviors and outcomes in underrepresented populations. Her research covers critical health areas such as cancer screening and prevention behaviors, cardiometabolic diseases, sexual health, and mental health. She has received accolades from the American Heart Association, American Psychological Association, and other national organizations for her contribution to health disparities research and community engagement. Dr. Zhu is a first generation immigrant and first generation college student, the daughter of a public servant and a school administrator.

Dr. Ouyang is a board-certified pediatrician, general psychiatrist, and child and adolescent psychiatrist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital/Georgetown University School of Medicine.

She currently serves patients in the Georgetown Psychiatry Clinic and families cared for by primary care pediatricians in the Division of Community Pediatrics/Kids Mobile Medical Van Clinic. She received her medical degree from Saint Louis University and completed residency training in the Triple Board Program (Pediatrics, General Psychiatry, and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) at Indiana University, where she served as chief resident in her last year. She is also a fellowship-trained perinatal/reproductive psychiatrist from Brown University/Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.

Dr. Thoin Begum earned her PhD from the University at Albany, SUNY in 2022, with a focus on environmental chemical exposures and social disability among American Indian elders. She also holds an MS in Environmental Health Sciences (2020) from the same institution and a BS in Biology (2018) from Saint Lawrence University. During her PhD program, Dr. Begum conducted research on the health impacts of contaminants such as PCBs, PFAS, and phthalates among vulnerable groups. Her work has contributed to 11 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Begum is an active member of the Society for Epidemiologic Research and the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. Currently, Dr. Begum serves as a postdoctoral research fellow at Temple University’s Center for Asian Health, where they focus on hepatitis screening and structural racism in healthcare. Her research interests encompass environmental epidemiology, reproductive health, cumulative risk assessment, health disparities, and community-based participatory research. Dr. Begum is deeply committed to conducting impactful research for environmental justice while also engaging in mentoring and community involvement.

Dr. Esther Castillo is the Director of Racial Equity, Storytelling & Community Impact at the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity in the City of Philadelphia, where she leads the integration of racial equity into governmental operations and community engagement and works to promote equity in BIPOC and immigrant communities across the city. She has founded and led several initiatives that have made a positive difference in the lives of many people, such as the Chinese Immigrant Families Wellness Initiative (CIFWI), which promotes mental health in Chinese immigrant communities, and the award-winning short documentary “Feeling Asian American”, which sheds light on the unseen racism faced by Asian Americans. She also serves as a board member at Scattergood Foundation, where she provides expertise on DEI matters and strategic recommendations on equitable grant-making practices.

Dr. Castillo holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Temple University, where she taught classes on immigration, race and racism, and globalization. She is a sought-after speaker on DEI, racial equity, culture change, and community partnership and impact, and regularly delivers powerful talks that inspire and motivate others to take action for social justice. She believes that everyone has a story to tell, and that storytelling is a powerful tool for creating positive change in governments, philanthropies, and communities.

Mohan Seshadri (they/he) is the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and founder of the Asian American Community Fund of Pennsylvania. He is currently serving as the co-chair of the Asian American Power Network. Previously, Mohan managed electoral and organizing programs for Planned Parenthood across Central and Eastern Pennsylvania. From 2019-2020, they served as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. He co-founded multiple community and campus organizing programs across Pennsylvania including the Philadelphia chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the Lehigh Valley chapter of DSA, and the AAPI PA Power Caucus. In 2018, they were honored to receive Resurrected Life Community Church’s Urban Angel Award. In 2021, they were featured on the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics & Public Affairs 40 under 40 list.

Hi, I’m QeeQee (pronounced “Chee-Chee”)! I was born in China and grew up in Manhattan, Kansas. From living and dying to neurons and networks, and everything in between, I am excited and inspired by all things human. I majored in biology at MIT, where I discovered the great joys of humanities and social sciences. After two gap years of teaching and serving coffee, I began medical school at the University of Kansas to become a surgeon. Little did I know that I would gravitate to the unassuming pursuit of human connection and meaning that is psychiatry! I hope to combine my love for art and science with policy and innovation to reimagine the social landscape. I am interested in the interdisciplinary crossovers of community and cultural psychiatry, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and medical humanities. In my downtime, you can find me listening to podcasts, binging Netflix reality tv, and occasionally writing a thing or two.

Leon was born in Texas and grew up in Virginia. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University as a biology major before going to University of Virginia School of Medicine. He couples-matched to University of Pennsylvania for Emergency Medicine, where he is a PGY-3 interested in critical care and operations.

Sharmaine Cubelo is a fourth-year Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate from Temple University School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, PA. She grew up in New Jersey and her family is originally from the Philippines. She is a family-oriented Filipino woman, always seeking to empower minorities within her community. Growing up, she has witnessed how health literacy, language, and cultural barriers impact the health and lifestyle of minority communities.

Sharmaine’s passion for Mental Health advocacy is her driving force and inspires her to make a difference within her community. She chose to attend Temple Pharmacy because she was aware that Philadelphia is a city filled with numerous, unaddressed health disparities that require a call to action.

As the 2021-2022 Temple SNPhA Chapter President, she was determined to grow and re-establish her chapter by reigniting the passion for serving the underserved. At the SNPhA 2022 Regions I & II Conference, she received the fruits of her labor when Temple University won the Region 1 Top Recruiter Award. Sharmaine also finds importance in advocating for legislation impacting the pharmacy profession and healthcare, especially those involving minority communities. This led her to expand Temple SNPhA by finally starting the LMBI initiative at her chapter.

As National President, Sharmaine is excited to continue developing confident student leaders, empowering minority health professionals, and elevating the future of pharmacy. Now is the time to make a difference in the world of pharmacy. Sharmaine is ready to Make an I.M.P.A.C.T. with her SNPhA family and continue serving underserved communities!

Janet is a second year Emergency Medicine resident at Jefferson Health Northeast. She was born in the Bay Area in CA but raised in Dallas, TX. She earned a B.A. in Medical Humanities at Baylor University in 2017. She completed medical school in 2022 at Kansas City University, a D.O. program in Missouri. She found her way to Philly through a combination of navigating long distance marriage and her love for the program she is training at now. She is passionate about social medicine (especially in the ED setting), medical mentorship, and resident wellness. In her spare time you can find her along the Schuylkill training for the Philly half, perusing the aisles of Trader Joe’s, and spending time with her friends and husband.

Linda Xu is a third-year neurology resident at the University of Pennsylvania. She was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. She studied neurobiology at Harvard College before completing her medical degree at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical interests are in neurocritical care, and her research interests are in neuroimaging and traumatic brain injury. In her free time, she enjoys writing, playing soccer, and baking. 

Hi! I’m Iris Charcos and I am a PGY-3 Neurosurgery resident at Cooper University Hospital. I was born in the Philippines and grew up in the Bay Area in California and Phoenix, Arizona. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona where I studied Neuroscience and Anthropology. I spent two gap years working in the business side of the tech start-up field before attending medical school at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. I enjoy seeing a wide variety of patients, but have a particular interest neuro trauma and cerebrovascular neurosurgery.

Justin Judilla is a clinical year Physician Assistant student attending Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. His family is from the Philippines, and he currently resides in San Diego, CA. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology: Exercise Science from California State University, Long Beach. He chose to attend school in Philadelphia to broaden his knowledge and experience firsthand the differences in patient demographics. He hopes to work in Emergency Medicine or Urgent Care after graduating in December, and to return to San Diego to share his medical knowledge with his community.

Maahika Srinivasan (she/her/hers) is a second-year Family Medicine resident at University of Pennsylvania. She grew up in New Delhi, India (by complicated way of Boulder, Colorado). After finishing her Bachelor’s in Science and Society from Brown University, she worked as an organizer in reproductive justice in New York City,  helped managed clinical trials in the field of pulmonology, and completed a Master’s at Columbia University in Narrative Medicine. Maahika then obtained her MD from Harvard University. Her passion lies in the intersections of full-spectrum primary care, equity, and activism, along with music festivals, podcast-binging, food adventures of any kind.

Sharon Kim is born and raised in California who recently moved to the East Coast for Nursing School. She is currently at Johns Hopkins for her MSN and attended the University of La Verne for her undergraduate degree in Biology. During her gap years, she worked at Hyundai as an Executive Assistant to explore and see what else was out there outside of healthcare. She also has a non-profit called Through Love. where they help bring hope, healing and prayer to foster children in Tijuana, Mexico. Her passion lies in community outreach and she hopes to work as a travel nurse in the future with non-profits.

Madhu Badri is a second year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine at
Tower Health. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in physiology from Boston University in 2020,
and her Masters degree in medical sciences from Boston University School of Medicine in 2022.
Her thesis project focused on studying transcriptionally distinct neural networks underlying
addiction in mouse models, under the guidance of Dr. Yi Zhang at Boston Children’s
Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is excited to be at the conference and grateful to have an
opportunity to share her pre-medical journey.

Annie Sia (she/her/hers)

Temple Pre-Med APAMSA Co-President
Temple University

Julianna Visico (she/her/hers)

Temple Pre-Med APAMSA Co-President
Temple University

Anne Francine Pino (she/her/hers)

Region III Co-Director
Penn State College of Medicine

Stephen Chien (he/him/his)

Region III Co-Director
Drexel University College of Medicine

Mason Zhu (he/him/his)

Region III Co-Director
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Jessica Hsueh (she/her/hers)

APAMSA Membership VP
Georgetown University School of Medicine