communications_committee

Jessie Chen is a fourth year MD/MPH medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She was born in San Jose, CA then graduated from UCLA with a B.S in Physiological Sciences and a minor in Asian American Studies. She has worked extensively with the AANHPI communities through Asian Pacific Health Corps at UCLA during undergrad and more recently through medical school and APAMSA as local chapter Events Coordinator, Advocacy Chair, and Mentorship Chair, Advocacy Committee Member, and Committee Co-Chair. She is very interested in health policy and advocacy and health inequities particularly in the AANHPI populations. She hopes to integrate all of these interests into her medical practice in the future as she aims to pursue a career in Internal Medicine or Internal Medicine-Pediatrics.

Pehr is a first-year medical student at California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM). He earned his B.S. in Physiology from San José State University and previously worked in biotechnology research at ACDBio, where he focused on assay development and translational science. He also led a volunteer team with the Radiology Department at Stanford Health Care, supporting clinical education initiatives and expanding exposure to underrecognized fields of medicine.

As Rapid Response Director for the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), Pehr is committed to advancing timely advocacy efforts that address emerging health policy issues affecting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. His interests include health equity, radiologic innovation, and the ethical integration of technology in healthcare. Through leadership, research, and policy work, he aims to strengthen APAMSA’s national impact and promote equitable access to care for underserved populations.

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Karen Zhang is currently a fourth-year medical student at McGovern Medical School in Houston, TX. She completed her B.S. in Biochemistry at UT Austin. She was the co-president for her local chapter and is excited to serve as the Medical Education Director in her second term. Karen is interested in urology, medical humanities, and education.

Jenny Ni is a second-year medical student (OMS-II) at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)–Virginia, dedicated to advancing health equity for the AANHPI community. Originally from Brooklyn and raised in Philadelphia, Jenny earned her degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychology from Drexel University. As the Founder and President of her local APAMSA chapter and a VCOM National Student Ambassador, Jenny is a proven leader in community advocacy. Her extensive service record includes impactful roles with Asian Americans United, SEAMAAC Philadelphia, and the Ronald McDonald House. Notably, as a Chinese Immigrant Families Wellness Initiative Leader, she specialized in dismantling linguistic and cultural barriers to care. With a robust clinical foundation, Jenny leverages her experiences as a clinical research coordinator, contact tracer, pharmacy technician, and medical assistant to bridge gaps in cultural competency. Outside of her medical training, she finds balance through boxing, hosting game nights, and relaxing with the latest on Netflix.

Sophia Choi is a fourth year MD/MPH student at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She grew up in Dallas, TX and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Neuroscience degree. She joined APAMSA during her first year of medical school and previously served on the National APAMSA Hepatitis Committee from 2024-2025 and as the Hepatitis B/C Co-Director from 2025-2026. She is passionate about community health, community engagement, and health disparities, and is excited to serve as the Hepatitis B/C Director for the second term this year. Outside of school, she loves trying new coffee shops, baking sourdough, collecting new stationery, and traveling!

Jeni Zhang is currently a second-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She was born in China and immigrated to the United States at the age of 13. Since then, she has completed her undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University and worked as a research coordinator at the Johns Hopkins Hospital dermatology clinic during her gap year. She has held leadership roles in supporting Mandarin-speaking patients and developing culturally responsive educational initiatives. She enjoys preventive care, community-based medicine, medical education, and addressing health disparities affecting immigrant and underserved populations. After medical school, she hopes to pursue a career in internal medicine where she can build longitudinal relationships with patients and provide holistic, culturally competent care.

Bernadine Decapia is currently a third year medical student at UNT Health Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth, TX. She was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States when she was 8 years old. She completed her B.S.A. in Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin. During her gap year, she conducted research at the Strong Children’s Research Center in Rochester, NY and worked as a medical assistant for a child and adolescent psychiatrist where she found her passion at the intersection of pediatrics, psychiatry, and advocacy for the underserved.

She was previously a part of the National Board APAMSA Mental Health Committee and local APAMSA chapter as historian. She aims to focus her work towards minimizing the stigma surrounding mental health in AANHPI populations and normalizing conversations about the importance of mental wellness.

In her free time, she likes to play with her cat Meep, go to Thursday Trivia Nights with her friends, play piano, and eat delicious food in the DFW area.
After medical school, she aims to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Brandon Tang is a rising third-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and previously worked with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), where he helped develop community health education programs and organized outreach initiatives, including mammogram events for patients with limited access to healthcare.

Brandon has been actively involved with the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), where he previously served as the Social and Cultural Chair for his local chapter and as a Regional Co-Director for National APAMSA. In these roles, he helped organize community health initiatives and student programming that supported Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.

At USC, Brandon has participated in research related to hematologic diseases and transplant medicine, including projects examining leukemia, lymphoma, and other conditions affecting the bone marrow and immune system. He is particularly interested in addressing healthcare disparities affecting immigrant Asian communities, especially those related to language barriers and access to care.

As Bone Marrow Director, Brandon hopes to raise awareness about bone marrow donation and improve representation of diverse donors in national registries. In the future, he hopes to pursue a career in medicine that integrates clinical care, research, and advocacy to improve health outcomes for underserved populations.

Grace Dang is a second-year medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She graduated from UMKC with a B.S. in Biology in 3 years before continuing into the School of Medicine. She has been actively involved in oncology-focused service throughout undergrad, serving as a Patient Liaison at the University of Kansas Cancer Center and on the hematology/oncology floor, where she supports patients and families navigating complex cancer diagnoses such as leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. During her undergraduate training, Grace conducted regenerative tissue research focused on cellular repair and tissue remodeling, presenting her work at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. In addition to her interest in oncology, she enjoys wound care and infectious disease research, particularly where prevention and early intervention can significantly impact patient outcomes. Grace has led multiple sun safety initiatives, including organizing sun sleeve drives and developing free skin cancer education programming for children. She is working to obtain grant funding to expand access to preventative education and screening efforts. She has also helped design multilingual educational brochures for clinics to ensure patients have a proper understanding of their health so they may take the precautionary steps needed. Through her role, she hopes to build sustainable outreach programs that address disparities in cancer care and build upon the Skin Cancer Screening Event Toolkit to broaden its reach and long-term impact.

Sarah J. Lee, BS is currently a third year medical student at California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Clovis, CA. She grew up in Riverside, CA and eventually went off to University of California, Irvine to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology. After graduating in 2022, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Neurosurgery department at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics for two years. She was inspired to join APAMSA out of a hope to learn more about the AANHPI community, their needs, and how to best help the community as a medical student and beyond. Her desire to help the community largely comes from watching her parents struggle with trusting the US healthcare system growing up, which had always felt foreign and difficult to navigate for them. Outside of her passion for medicine, she has been a musician for most of her life and composes/produces music, which she considers her lifelong passion project.