communications_committee

Grace Kim is an MS1 at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine. She was born in Busan, South Korea, and raised in northern New Jersey before moving to the Midwest for medical school. Getting involved with APAMSA helped her find a strong sense of community and belonging in a region where AANHPI voices are often underrepresented. At the local level, she has served as a First-Year Representative and Public Relations Director. Nationally, she previously served as a member of the Podcast Committee and is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue serving this year as Podcast Director. Outside of school, she enjoys reading on her Kindle, traveling with her family, and exploring new coffee shops.

Harnoor Bhatti is currently a second-year medical student at California Health Sciences University. A Central Valley native, she is deeply committed to serving both local and global communities with limited access to healthcare. She completed her B.A. in Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine; trained as a counselor with Crisis Text Line; and serves as President of her local APAMSA chapter and Vice President of her local Sikh Health Initiative chapter.

With a growing interest in global and emergency medicine, she spent the summer volunteering at hospitals in Mpanda, within the Katavi Region of Tanzania, gaining firsthand experience in resource-limited clinical settings. This experience strengthened her commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and providing care to underserved populations worldwide.

Kristy Lin is a 4th year medical student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign). She grew up in Northern California and earned her B.S. in Computer Science and Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Kristy worked as a software engineer and scribe prior to medical school, and she served as co-president of her local APAMSA chapter for 2 years before becoming Network Director. She is passionate about community engagement, medical education, and healthcare innovation, with particular interests in neurodevelopmental disorders, healthcare disparities, user interface design, and data analytics. After medical school, she hopes to pursue a career in neurology. Outside of medicine, she enjoys dancing, choreographing, and freestyling, serving in various leadership roles on dance teams and projects.

Pauline Tran is a third-year medical student at California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She was born and raised in Orange County, CA, and completed her B.S. in Human Biology at UC San Diego. She has been an active member of APAMSA for years, previously serving as a Social Media Committee member and as VP of her local APAMSA chapter. Outside of medical school, she enjoys playing video games, review new restaurants on Yelp/Beli, and brewing espresso, pourovers, and matcha, After medical school, Pauline plans to pursue a career as a pathologist.

Sarah Kim, BS is currently a third-year MD/MBA student at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She was born in South Korea and immigrated to South Bay in California when she was 12-years-old. She then attended Emory University where she double-majored in Chemistry and Psychology and worked in a biopsychosocial research lab studying peripartum maternal experiences and the associated intergenerational effects in African American/Black population. She completed an Honors Thesis and continued to work as a research coordinator in a sister lab at Emory in her gap year, contributing to a nation-wide consortium study examining biological and psychological factors in moms and how they shape mother-child interactions. Sarah joined her local APAMSA chapter as a general member in the first year of medical school, served as a treasurer the following year, and now one of the National Conference Directors. Her academic interests are diversity representation in research, reducing the gap in underserved populations, and skin cancer awareness. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, making cafe drinks, and taking walks. After medical school, Sarah wants to pursue a career in dermatology.

Laura Zhang is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is originally from Southern California and grew up in Walnut, California. She graduated from the University of California, San Diego in three years with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology. Before medical school, Laura worked as the Lead Neuropsychology Technician at a neurology practice in Carlsbad and later as a Medical Assistant in Chino Hills, gaining clinical experience in patient care. During medical school, she has been actively involved with APAMSA, first serving as an Events Coordinator and currently as the Vice President of her local chapter. She plans to pursue a career in general surgery following medical school. In her free time, Laura enjoys playing board games, playing piano, and exploring new places in the city, especially in search of good food.

Iris Hyun-A Kim is a second-generation Korean American born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with majors in Neuroscience and Medicine, Health, & Society. During her time at Vanderbilt, she served as President of the Asian American Student Association and led the successful effort to establish the Asian American Studies major and minor in 2021 in response to the Atlanta spa shootings.

Following graduation, Iris was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship and spent a year in South Korea studying the Korean diaspora and ethnic return migration. She is currently a medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and will begin training as a Medical Research Scholar at the National Institutes of Health in June 2026. In her free time, Iris enjoys doodling comics, searching for manatees, and training for her first HYROX competition.

Yuming Wu is a third-year medical student at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine.

Raised in West Virginia and rural Missouri, she was often one of the few Asian Americans in her community, an experience that shaped her commitment to AANHPI representation and advocacy. As a medical student, she is dedicated to advocating for AANHPI patients by addressing health disparities such as language barriers and limited access to culturally sensitive care.

She joined APAMSA in 2023 as a local chapter board member and has served as the National Fundraising & Events Director since 2025. Through organizing health fairs, teaching Medical Mandarin, and leading nationwide fundraising projects, her work has further solidified her passion for AANHPI health.

Beyond medicine, she enjoys playing guitar, dancing, listening to music, and exploring new restaurants in Kansas City.

Elizabeth Tran is a Maryland native and a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences, specializing in physiology and neurobiology, and completed a minor in Asian American Studies. During her gap year, she served as an outreach intern with OCA-DC, the local chapter of a national AANHPI advocacy nonprofit organization. In this role, she built relationships with local AANHPI businesses and community organizations to support a health needs assessment.

Her academic interests are closely tied to her commitment to advocacy, community empowerment, and increasing representation in medicine. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys swimming, playing mobile gacha games (especially Honkai: Star Rail), and spending time with her friends and family.

Stephen Lin is a medical student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM). Born in New York City and raised in Wisconsin, he completed his undergraduate studies at St. Norbert College, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Growing up in a non-diverse community and witnessing his family navigate the complexities of the healthcare system while facing a language barrier inspired him to seek a supportive community. He found that sense of belonging in APAMSA during his first year of medical school, where he was able to embrace his identity and celebrate his culture. These experiences motivated him to become more involved with National APAMSA, serving as the Region 1 Director and Membership Vice President these past few years.

As Membership Vice President, Stephen is committed to supporting local APAMSA chapter members by strengthening communication, expanding access to resources, and creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration. He aims to find impactful and sustainable ways to recognize and uplift the important work local chapters are doing within their communities, ensuring their efforts are valued, supported, and amplified at the national level.

Outside of his studies, Stephen enjoys playing volleyball, playing board games, trying new recipes, making music, and spending time with family and friends. He also loves spending time with his cat, Martin (@martin_the_sheriff). He is excited to continue serving as one of the Membership Vice Presidents this year and looks forward to continuing to advocate for AANHPI communities.