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Shawn Lim is currently a fourth year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas. He was born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Biochemistry. After college, he worked as a neurology medical assistant and as a dermatology medical assistant before pursing his love for coffee as a barista. He has spent three years involved in APAMSA, serving as the president of UTMB’s APAMSA chapter and as a Region IX Director before taking on his current role as a South Region Director. He is passionate about mentorship and is a strong proponent of paying it forward. Shawn aims to pursue a career as a dermatologist with a special interest in global health. Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing flag football, cooking, exploring local restaurants and cafes, and travel hacking.

Samuel Li is a fourth year MD/PhD student at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. He was born in Greensboro, NC before moving to Chapel Hill, NC where he later attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, he spent two years doing research in vaccine immunology and pandemic preparedness at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease in the Washington, D.C. metro area. His current research interests are in host-pathogen interactions and emerging infections and hopes to pursue a career in infectious disease. Outside of science/medicine, he enjoys taking care of tropical houseplants, dancing at a local studio, and playing ultimate frisbee and pickleball.
With APAMSA, he has served as local chapter President from 2025-26 and directed the Regional Conference at his school. He is one of the new South Region directors and is excited to serve all chapters of this region!

Daniel Park is a first-year medical student at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He completed his B.A. in Psychology and research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University studying risk factors for OCD, Parkinson’s and colon cancer in East Asian populations. Daniel is particularly interested in healthcare support for migrant populations and under-resourced communities abroad given his personal history growing up all over the world. He aims to pursue a career in Ophthalmology and specialize in either Retina or Global Ophthalmology.

Elton Tong is a third-year medical student at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. He has lived across the Southern, Eastern, Midwestern, and Western regions of the United States, as well as in Hong Kong—experiences that have shaped his perspective on culture and community. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University.

Elton has been actively involved with APAMSA, serving as Co-President of his local chapter, a member of the National Leadership Committee, and now Midwest Regional Director. He is passionate about supporting student leadership and strengthening connections across APAMSA.

Outside of medicine, Elton is a music lover, coffee enthusiast, runner, and a diehard LeBron James fan. He is excited to continue bridging the rich cultural identities of the APAMSA community with the world of medicine.

Matthew is a third-year MD/PhD student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Born and raised near Seoul, South Korea, he immigrated to Minnesota as a teenager. He later moved to California to earn his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern California before spending two years as a research associate in San Francisco. Now pursuing his PhD in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology in Dr. R. Stephanie Huang’s lab, Matthew focuses his research on developing computational models to predict cancer treatment outcomes, driven by a passion for translating data-driven insights into targeted clinical therapies.

His APAMSA journey began when he and his classmates revitalized their local chapter during his first year of medical school, leading to his current National Board role. Drawing from his immigrant background, he has a great appreciation for language and culture and is dedicated to empowering AANHPI voices in both clinical settings and the broader community. He looks forward to learning about fellow Midwest chapters this year.

Anh T. Luu is currently a third-year medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. In the summer of 2024, she pursued cardiovascular research on congenital heart disease (CHD) at Stanford, followed by research on the impacts of physical activity on CHD. Currently, she is particularly interested in pediatric radiology and pediatric cardiology.

She was born in Loma Linda, California, and raised in a small town in the Central Valley. Growing up in a rural area, she did not have a large AANHPI community, but since joining APAMSA in 2021, her AANHPI family has grown significantly. She has served as a local chapter Year 1 Representative and Conference Chair, a Community Outreach Subcommittee member, and Regional VI Director. This year, she hopes to foster meaningful connections between local chapters and their members, bridging gaps in underrepresented AANHPI populations.

In her free time, she enjoy hiking, exploring different cuisines, traveling, playing frisbee and tennis, and embroidery.

Lucy is a medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. She grew up in Atlanta, Beijing, and Virginia (DMV represent!), and attended University of Richmond where she earned her B.S. in Biology and Healthcare Studies with minors in Music and Business. Prior to medical school, she worked as a medical assistant in breast oncology and healthcare consulting, with a continued interest in medical innovation to enhance patient care. Lucy is passionate about medical humanities, innovation, mentorship, and addressing disparities in health literacy and access to care within immigrant communities. She has served as Region 3 Director and is excited to continue supporting the APAMSA community as one of the Northeast Region Directors. In her free time, Lucy enjoys reading, digital art, photography, traveling, exploring new foods and cafes, and attending live music whenever she has the chance!

Quynh-May Nguyen is a second year medical student at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois and studied Statistics, Biology and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University.
In high school, she began her involvement with Asian community organizations, serving as president of her school’s Vietnamese club and volunteering with the Vietnamese Association of Illinois. In college, she served as president of Northwestern’s Vietnamese Student Association for four years.
During her gap years, she worked as a case manager at Asian Americans for Community Involvement in San Jose and became an advocate and hotline responder at both Asian Women’s Home and Asian Women’s Shelter.
She was Georgetown’s co-president of APAMSA during her first year of medical school and was part of the National HEAL Summit Host Committee during her second year. Her interests include epidemiology and addressing health inequities within immigrant communities. After medical school, she hopes to pursue a career in psychiatry, pediatrics, or primary care.

Brian Vu is a third-year medical student at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Originally from Austin, Texas, he has ancestral roots in Vietnam. Brian earned his BA in Biology with minors in Asian American Studies and Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to medical school, he worked as a medical scribe at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and served as a health outreach coordinator at VietLead, a community-based organization supporting the Southeast Asian community in Philadelphia. As a medical student and future physician, Brian is passionate about drawing from his experiences with APAMSA, Brown, and VietLead to continue advocating for the Asian American community. In his free time, he enjoys tending to his plants, musical theater, cooking, and going to the gym.

Lara is now excited to serve as one of the Northeast Regional Directors and looks forward to connecting with and supporting even more schools across different states. Outside of medicine, she enjoys exploring new food spots, traveling, doing nail art, and playing volleyball, and she is excited to continue building community within APAMSA!

Lara Castaneda is a third-year medical student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, NY. She is originally from Westchester, New York and then later headed to Stony Brook University for her undergraduate studies before continuing her path into medicine!

This marks Lara’s third year being involved with APAMSA. She previously co-founded and served as President of her medical school’s APAMSA chapter. She later served as Database Director supporting chapters across the organization, and then served as Region 2 Director, where she worked closely with schools across New York and New Jersey to help strengthen collaboration and support chapter initiatives.

Lara is now excited to serve as one of the Northeast Regional Directors and looks forward to connecting with and supporting even more schools across different states. Outside of medicine, she enjoys exploring new food spots, traveling, doing nail art, and playing volleyball, and she is excited to continue building community within APAMSA!