Director of the Houston Health Department Theresa Q. Tran Carapucci, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.E.P., is a board-certified emergency physician and health policy leader with over 10 years of clinical experience. Dr. Tran previously served as Associate Vice President for Clinical Population Health and Advocacy at UTHealth Houston, Assistant Dean at the UTHealth School of Public Health and Director of Strategic Initiatives for Harris Health’s award-winning Multi-Visit Patient Program.
Her leadership has influenced state and federal legislation, educational reform and innovative public health initiatives. She received a B.A. in Business Leadership from the University of Dallas, an M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine, an M.B.A. from Rice University and completed her emergency medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic.
Recognized as one of the “Top 25 Under 45 Influencers in Emergency Medicine” by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association, Dr. Tran continues to advance community health through both her professional and volunteer work. Within Mayor John Whitmire’s administration, Dr. Tran leads the coordination of medical, mental health, and wraparound services for the City of Houston’s plan to end homelessness.

Dr. Stephen Chao, M.D., M.P.H. (pronouns: he/him/his) is a family physician who has practiced in the underserved community health setting for more than 15 years in both Southwest and Northeast Houston. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, he attended Rice University, graduating with degrees in Biochemistry and Health Policy. He received his medical degree from the Long School of Medicine and also completed his family medicine residency training, both at UT Health San Antonio.

Dr. Simeon Nittala, D.O. is an NMM/OMM Board Certified physician practicing in the greater Houston area. Dr. Nittala completed his medical education from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, Arizona and went on to complete a ONMM residency in Lewisburg, WV in 2024. In his free time, he enjoys working out, playing sports, spending time with his family and Golden Retriever. As an Osteopathic Physician, Dr. Nittala practices Osteopathic Medicine and performs Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment with his patients. He sees patients ranging from typical low back pain presentations to obscure, nonspecific body pains that can be explained through Osteopathy. His goals are to further the awareness and practice of Osteopathic Medicine in the US with hands on manipulation being a mainstay treatment regimen in patient care.

Dr. Gohar S. Manzar, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor, pediatric radiation oncologist, and physician-scientist at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa, where she patented improved human iPS-derived pancreatic β-cells and studied cellular therapies and NK immunotherapy. After medical school at Mayo Clinic, she completed internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and radiation oncology residency at MD Anderson. Her research focuses on radiation therapy and CAR-NK cell therapy synergy. Her professional interests include childhood cancer, narrative medicine, global health, and integrative medicine.

The Rice Asian Diasporic and Asian American Research (RADAAR) Collective carves out a space that facilitates interdisciplinary study, scholarly exchange, and community partnerships at and beyond Rice on issues, experiences, and histories of racialized Asian/diasporic populations. By “diasporic,” we purposefully recognize the tension inherent in the term “Asian American” that so often essentializes and homogenizes diverse groups of people, despite its roots of political solidarity. Transnational and transhistorical in scope, RADAAR centers the voices of people and movements situated in realities of white supremacy, capitalism, imperialism, and extraction.

Dr. Joanne Allieza G. Acevedo, M.D. was born in the Philippines and raised in Edinburg, Texas, after migrating to the United States at age five. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology with minors in Medical Humanities, English, and Chemistry from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She then obtained her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, where she participated in the SEA-CHange pilot curriculum focused on competency-based medical education. Dr. Acevedo joined UTMB as an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology after completing her residency and fellowship training there. Her academic and research interests include pediatric asthma, allergic rhinitis, and quality improvement.

Dr. Michael Nguyen, D.O. serves as Chief Family Medicine Resident at the Lonestar Family Health Center. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is committed to providing comprehensive, patient-centered care to individuals and families across the rural and underserved communities of Montgomery County.

Dr. Galant Chan, M.D. is a Program Director of Medical Education and Assistant Professor of Medicine-Infectious Diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. She earned her AB from Harvard College and MD from Baylor College of Medicine, followed by an internal medicine residency at Columbia University/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Washington Medical Center. Her professional interests include HIV prevention and treatment, transplant infectious diseases, and advancing medical education.

Dr. Anoop Agrawal, M.D., is an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and has served as Program Director of the combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency since 2013. His work focuses on faculty development, educational technology, and generative AI in medical education. Named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2015, he has presented nationally and internationally on innovation in medical education. Dr. Agrawal earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and completed his residency at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Grant Pham, M.D. currently serves on the admissions committee at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU and previously served on the admissions committee at the Texas Tech HSC Foster School of Medicine. He has extensive experience with multiple mini interviews, traditional one-on-one interviews, and both virtual and in-person formats. He understands what distinguishes successful applicants and is pleased to share insights into committee decision-making and current medical school admissions trends.

Stephanie Ngo

Membership Vice President

University of Kansas School of Medicine

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Shawn Lim

South Region Director

University of Texas Medical Branch

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Samuel Li

South Region Director

Baylor College of Medicine

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Kimberly Cang

South Region Director

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia

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Francis Khuong

South Region Director

Texas Tech University Health Science Center

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Julie Trinh

South Region Director

Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Katie Chan

Rice University – Co-President and Coordinating Manager

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Shaylla Wilson

Rice University – Co-President and Organizational Manager

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Katherine Xie 

Rice University – Vice President

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Joy Kim

Rice University – External Affairs

Elijah Kim

Rice University – Treasurer

Truong Nguyen

McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

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Tony Tran

McGovern Medical School

Tri Truong

McGovern Medical School

Jada Truong

University of Texas Medical Branch

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Joshua Borja

University of Texas Medical Branch