region5

Dr. Sonali Paul is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago. While establishing her academic and clinical niches in metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease and obesity medicine as a transplant hepatologist, Dr. Paul has been working on her other passion to promote health care equity, particularly in the LGBTQI+ population. Dr. Paul is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Rainbows in Gastro, a non-profit organization that brings LGBTQI+ medical trainees and physicians together. Dr. Paul is currently Associate Vice-Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the University of Chicago’s Department of Medicine and Associate Program Director in the Internal Medicine Residency Program. In these roles, she continues to lead efforts to support the Internal Medicine Inclusion and Diversity curriculum, recruit and retain diverse residents and faculty, promote an inclusive environment, and foster engagement within the Southside Chicago patients and community.

Justin Le is a second-year medical student (MS2) at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine. He was born and raised in the Bronx and spent most of his life in New York City before moving for college, where he completed his undergraduate studies at Stony Brook University, earning a B.S. in Biochemistry. APAMSA was one of the first communities that made him feel welcomed in medical school, and since then, he has been actively involved both locally and nationally. At his local chapter, he serves as research chair, coordinating projects that investigate health disparities in the Asian-American population. Nationally, he is part of the APAMSA Osteopathic Medicine Committee, where he is excited to help organize practical, hands-on OMT workshops for medical students. In his free time, Justin enjoys playing violin, listening to music, and exploring new foods.

Allison is a family medicine physician who provides comprehensive primary care including reproductive health care, LGBTQ+ Care including HIV PrEP and Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy and Osteopathic Manipulation at the University of Chicago. She is originally from Edmonton, Alberta and moved to Chicago to pursue a career in dance. She graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a degree in Kinesiology, completed her medical degree with Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated residency at Advocate Illinois Masonic.

Anh Luu is a medical student in the 6-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine (UMKC). She is interested in radiology, particularly pediatric radiology, and has explored this passion through leadership in her local Radiology Interest Group and national involvement with the American College of Radiology’s Outreach and Professional Opportunity Subcommittee. In these roles, she has organized lectures and skills sessions to provide students with early exposure to imaging and practical study tools. Her academic work includes research on imaging techniques such as 4D Flow MRI and CT in congenital heart disease, as well as cardiovascular health literacy at Stanford, UMKC, and Children’s Mercy Hospital. Beyond her research and organizational roles, Anh is deeply committed to mentorship and peer learning, striving to make radiology concepts approachable and clinically relevant.

Catherine Wang is currently at PGY3 ophthalmology resident at Illinois Eye and Ear at UIC. She is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and completed her undergraduate studies UC Berkeley. After graduation, she obtained her MS in Law at Northwestern Law School. She then worked at Medtronic in their regular affairs section before starting medical school at UIC. After residency, she plans to pursue a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship.

Dr. Eric Gross is an anesthesiologist at the Stanford School of Medicine, where his research laboratory focuses on the impact of genetic variants on perioperative organ injury. Taking a translational approach, the lab primarily investigates cardiovascular injury, with a current emphasis on aldehydes and the genetic variant responsible for inefficient aldehyde metabolism. One common phenomenon related to this research is alcohol-induced facial flushing, where individuals experience redness and an increased heart rate after drinking. This flushing is linked to a genetic variant that leads to the accumulation of acetaldehyde, a harmful intermediate from alcohol metabolism. Traced back to the Han Chinese in Central China, this variant heightens health risks, including certain cancers, especially among those who smoke or drink. Additionally, it diminishes the effectiveness of nitroglycerin, a medication used during heart attacks. Dr. Gross will discuss the genetic basis of alcohol flushing, its associated health risks, and the urgent need for greater education among medical professionals and the public. His research centers on aldehydes and their metabolism by the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), affecting nearly 540 million people worldwide. The significance of this work is evident in publications in prestigious journals such as Science Translational Medicine, Pain, BJA, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Redox Biology, and Physiological Reviews.

Kendall Esin is the Assistant Director of Population Health Research Operations at the Institute for Population and Precision Health. She received her Master of Public Health Degree at the University of Chicago and has experience directing large scale research programs (including Nutrition for Precision Health and the Multiethnic Observational Study of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities, MOSAAIC) with a variety of precision health endpoints. Kendall is committed to enhancing public health outcomes through inclusive, evidence-based research practices.

Marshall H. Chin, M.D., M.P.H., is the Richard Parrillo Family Distinguished Service Professor of Healthcare Ethics in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago.  He is a practicing general internist and health services researcher with extensive experience working with multistakeholder teams to advance health equity through interventions at individual, organizational, community, and policy levels.  For the upcoming American Public Health Association Press book Systems That Impact Population Health: Past and Present, Dr. Chin is a co-author of two chapters: “Structural racism, Asian American communities and health equity: a historical, transnational, and intersectional perspective,” and “Cross-cutting solutions to address structural racism to advance health equity.” Dr. Chin is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine, and he completed residency and fellowship training in general internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.   A former President of the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM), Dr. Chin received SGIM’s 2024 Robert J. Glaser Award for outstanding contributions to research, education, leadership, and mentoring in generalism in medicine. Dr. Chin was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017.

Jonathan Lio is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He serves as Associate Director of the Wuhan University Medical Education Reform Project (WUMER) and Co-Director of the International Medical Educators Program (IMEP). Together with Chinese partners, he has helped develop high-quality residency training programs in response to China’s national standardization of residency education, and led Wuhan University to establish one of the first competency-based medical education frameworks for residency training.

Since 2019, IMEP has trained and mentored more than 80 clinician-educators across China, equipping them with skills in curriculum design, teaching strategies, and innovative teaching methods. Alumni have gone on to implement educational innovations in nearly every discipline, receive teaching awards, publish scholarly work, and assume new leadership roles in medical education. 

Dr. Lio has been invited to speak at national residency training conferences across China, and has advised the China Medical Board Consortium of Elite Hospitals for Residency Training. At the University of Chicago, he is a member of the Faculty Steering Committee for the Beijing Center, advancing academic exchange and collaboration between the United States and China.

Maggie Liu is a current third-year internal medicine resident and future chief resident at the University of Illinois-Chicago. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then received her medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. While she was a student at UChicago, she cultivated a strong interest in healthcare disparities and DEI in medicine, which she has carried forward into residency as well, where she is currently the co-chair of the UIC IM program’s resident-led DEI Council. Her other academic interests include pulmonary/critical care medicine and medical education.

Terri Haid serves as the Senior Program Partner for Member Recruitment at NMDP. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and holds an MBA from San Francisco State University. Terri brings nearly a decade of experience at NMDP, working with student organizations, patients, donors, and service-learning partners. Her journey began by managing NMDP’s registry recruitment efforts in Illinois, where she built a strong presence throughout the state with a focus on diverse communities. She mobilized student organizations and established service-learning partnerships with institutions of higher education to support NMDP’s mission and host registry events.In June 2025, Terri began her current role as Senior Program Partner and is honored to serve as APAMSA’s national NMDP contact. She is excited to support the partnership, inspire APAMSA chapters, and help save lives together.

Vikrant was born in Jammu and Kashmir, though raised in Ontario and Michigan. He attended the University of Michigan, where he studied Psychology (undergrad) and Public Health (graduate school). In his time there, he pursued interests in immigration and reproductive justice. During medical school at University of Illinois-Chicago, Vikrant and his friends co-founded the Chicago People’s Rights Collaborative, an organization the provides expert medical testimony for clients in different legal settings (asylum seekers, incarcerated individuals). Vikrant’s previous work aligns with his belief that healthcare is best served when providers see patients and communities holistically. When Vikrant is not in the hospital or clinic, he is rollerblading, bike riding, hiking, ice skating, swimming, or hanging out with his friends and their lovely pets.

Dr. Yanzhen (Janet) Pang graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from the University of Illinois College of Medicine as part of Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions (GPPA). During her medical school years, she was heavily involved in advocacy work as president of Chicago Street Medicine and was also active in the research space through a research year that resulted in numerous first author publications and oral presentations. Currently, she is an internal medicine intern in Chicago and will be starting her dermatology training at Northwestern this upcoming year.

Rhea Yap joined CMAA in 2021 as the Director of Strategic Initiatives after serving on the board
of directors for three years. Prior to joining CMAA, Rhea served as the Senior Philanthropic
Advisor at the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation and as Director of Development at
Erie Neighborhood House. She is a member of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in
Philanthropy (AAPIP), the Breakin’ It Down Conference steering committee, Asian Giving Circle,
OPRF NextGen Leaders in Philanthropy giving group, Chicago Council on Planned Giving,
Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, Gingarte Capoeira Chicago and
TEDxOakParkWomen. Rhea earned her B.A. at the University of Michigan and M.A. at the
University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice (formerly known
as School for Social Service Administration).
Rhea is a second generation Chinese-Filipina immigrant born and raised in the Detroit-area
before coming to Chicago. She lives in the northwest side with her other half and two children,
who represent a mix of Chinese, Filipino, Puerto Rican and Mexican descent.
FUN FACT: Rhea grew up studying ballet, jazz, and taekwondo. She actively trains and teaches
capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial and cultural art. Also, she loves to travel around the world.

Yman Huang Vien s a Chinese American woman leader from Vietnam. She helped found the Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA) in 1981 with her late father. Under her leadership, CMAA continues her father’s vision in helping thousands of refugees and immigrants through vital services and helping them improve their new lives. Ms. Vien continues the legacy of expanding CMAA from a $60,000 agency into a $15 million multiethnic and diverse agency to advocate and promote the communities that need help.  Currently, she resumes the role of Managing Director to oversee the management team for certain programs at CMAA.

For 31 years, Ms. Vien worked in the banking industry in various positions such as auditor, accountant, president & chief executive officer at local Chicago community banks. Ms. Vien also served as trustee and treasurer for Ravenswood Health Care Foundation for 11 years.

She possesses strong organization, marketing, and business strategy skills. Together with her community leadership and participation, she has been successful and well known in the Asian and banking communities.  She has resided in Chicago 45 years and understands the business side and the community. She is a visionary woman with in-depth business and financial expertise together with her philanthropic passion that make her a successful and influential leader in the Chicago communities.

Nick Sze

Region V Director

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

Rachel Ablir

Region V Director

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Amy Lin

Region V Director

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Anh Luu

Region VI Director

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine

Lauren Kang

Region VI Director

The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Stephanie Ngo

Region VI Director

University of Kansas School of Medicine

Thy Nguyen

Membership Vice President

A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Kelly Duong

Co-President

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Kaley Qin

Co-President

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Kendrick Choi

Vice-President

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Christopher Vu

Treasurer

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

William Zhang

Outreach Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Rachel Gao

Outreach Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Jessica Tsui

Social Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Ethan Jude Miranda

Social Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Dr. Anita Somani is currently serving her first term as State Representative for Ohio’s 11th House District, which includes the cities of Dublin and Hilliard. She is running for re-election in District 8 which encompasses Worthington and parts of Dublin and Columbus.

For the last 32 years, Dr. Somani has worked in Columbus as a highly respected healthcare professional, currently as an OBGYN at OhioHealth.  She earned her M.D. from the Medical College of Ohio and completed her residency in OB/GYN at Mt. Carmel Medical Center in Columbus. She has her certification in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery( MIGS). Dr. Somani is a past board member of the Columbus Medical Association and Planned Parenthood. She is currently a Board Member of LEAD Ohio. 

Dr. Somani ran for office because she believes the state of Ohio has gone down the wrong path regarding prominent issues such as health care, increasing abortion restrictions and the loosening of gun laws, all of which disproportionately affect marginalized communities. As a physician and legislator, she has used her medical background to improve the public health of our state and to create evidence-based legislation that helps everyone in our community.  She serves on the Health Policy, Health Providers, Families & Aging and Insurance Committees. She is the ranking member on Health Providers. She has sponsored many health related bills including the Reproductive Care Act (HB343), the Protect IVF technology(HB502) and the funding of Crisis Pregnancy Centers(HB565). She strongly believes in the separation of church and state. Public school funding should not go to school vouchers. 

Dr. Somani lives in Columbus with her husband where they raised their son, an engineer and their daughter, an OB/GYN. She is a first-generation immigrant from India, and her father was the first Asian to serve in a Governor’s cabinet. On a personal level, she has completed 10 half marathons and still enjoys running. She is an avid reader and one of her biggest stress reducers is baking.

Assisting women through pregnancy and birth and optimizing  a woman’s health status through the tumultuous changes that can occur during her life are both reasons Dr. Linbee Sayat loves being an OB/GYN. Dr. Sayat studied biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame and received her medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. During medical school she was inspired to pursue OB/GYN thanks to a rotation she spent at a rural Ohio hospital performing deliveries as well as a mission trip to the southern Philippine islands where she was able to participate in gynecological surgeries in a primitive setting. Dr. Sayat spent her first post-grad years as a physician at the Columbus Neighborhood Health Centers where she worked to meet the access to healthcare challenges of the underserved. She then served for a decade as teaching faculty at The Ohio State University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She joined Avina Women’s Care in 2014 and has continued in private practice since that time.  Dr. Sayat’s husband Jason is also an OBGYN physician at Avina Women’s care. They have 2 grown children, Jacob and Alana.

For Dr. Jason Sayat, the decision to become a doctor was simple. From an early age, his mother, an obstetrician and gynecologist, and his father, a general surgeon, exposed him to medicine. Raised in Cambridge, Ohio, Dr. Sayat studied biology and neuroscience at Duke University. He then moved back to his home state to complete his medical training and later residency at The Ohio State University. Prior to joining Avina Women’s Care, he was in academic practice at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. His specializations include minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, robotic surgery, in-office procedures and general women’s healthcare. Today, Dr. Sayat resides in Columbus with his wife, also a physician within our practice, and two children.

Dr. Anh Thu Thai is from Columbus, Ohio. She has a background in respiratory therapy and her master’s and doctorate in healthcare administration. She currently works at The Ohio State University in research focused on adolescents and mental health. She serves as the Executive Director of the Ohio Asian American Health Coalition and is an active member of the American Public Health Association as the Caucus Director for Asian and Pacific Islanders. Her professional interests focus on addressing health disparities for Asian Americans, immigrants, and refugees. A few of her projects include: Discover Feminine Kits and Education for Mothers and Daughters, Franklin County Public Health Covid-19 Care Kits, Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services Mental Health Resource Guide and a Statewide Mental Health Providers Directory, and USAging Vaccine Initiative for Seniors.

Elizabeth Miu-Lan Young co-founded InterChange Consultants in 1987.
She is a specialist in cultural competencies training focusing on diversity issues at work. She has been active in the New York City Asian American Community for the past 40 years. One of the organizers of the initial Chinatown Health Fair which eventually led to the establishment of the Chinatown Health Clinic (now called the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center), she also taught the pilot Asian American Experience course at Hunter College and the University of Southern California. Liz served as the first Director of Project Reach – a Chinese-American Planning Council program working with Chinatown at-risk youth. She also worked in a garment sweatshop to better understand the immigrant experience. She was a senior research associate with an Affirmative Action consulting firm headed by Dr. Kenneth Clark.
Liz has presented “Political Savvy” and “Kick Butt!! Just Not Your Own” workshops for affinity groups of color at Lucent Technologies, AT&T and Verizon. She has co-facilitated similar courses in Hong Kong and Jakarta and provided cross-cultural teambuilding and civil-capacity building in East Timor.
She has also trained administrators, faculty and students in cultural competencies at Fashion Institute of Technology, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, New York University, Spelman, Princeton, the University of Connecticut, Brown University, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and new medical/dental students at Stony Brook University School of Medicine.
For the NCAA, Liz has co-facilitated the weeklong Leadership Intensive for the Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minorities and Division III’s groundbreaking Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Program joint orientation for interns, their supervisors and mentors. She currently serves as a staff developer with the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, training public school educators, staff and students in restorative practices and Social and Emotional skills.
She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and has received extensive training in Organizational Development.

Karen Jiobu, DLM (ASCP), presently is a Health Care adviser, served as an Interim Executive Director (2018-2021) of Asian American Community Services ( founded in 1976) and continues to serve the Asian American community.  www.aacsohio.org. Her community service started as a volunteer with the Asian Festival (29 years) serving as the Vice chair of the first board, treasurer and performance chair.  She also started the Asian Festival Dragon Boat race event in 2010.  She started screening for hepatitis B in 2006 at the Asian Festival and after 2008 at AACS, working with OSU medical students and the Asian and Somali ethnic communities has facilitated over 2000 screenings.  She was awarded the Hepatitis B United Champion Award in 2013 in Washington, D.C. for her work in education, awareness, screening, and linkage to care for hepatitis B. and currently serves as an adviser at the National Hepatitis B Task Force.  She was inducted into the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in 2020 for her work with hepatitis B as well as her  speaking about the Japanese American Internment in schools, libraries, and other organizations .  On March 26, 2024, Karen was presented the Community Action Award by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

Prior to her retirement and community service she was Laboratory Director at Mount Carmel Health System starting out as a medical technologist then supervisor of Microbiology and then lab director of 100 staff associates and 10 managers. She was instrumental in the consolidation of the laboratories at Mount Carmel West, Mount Carmel East, and St Ann’s Hospitals  and then becoming the Director of the Rapid Response Laboratories at all 3 hospitals before retirement.  She worked as a technologist at the Los Angeles County General Hospital, Norfolk General Hospital (Virginia) and the Bellin Memorial Hospital (Green Bay, Wisconsin)

Sofia Negash is the current Program coordinator of the AACS Hepatitis B minigrant.  She is a recent OSU Master’s of Public Health Graduate.   At this year’s Asian Festival, she contributed to enhancing data collection improvement and storage for the APIDA community for the Columbus Asian Festival.

My name is Thanh Ma, the oldest son of the ten siblings. Growing up in the South Vietnam, I completed
the 7 th  grade schooling. My father was an official of the South Vietnam government.
I set out a journey as one of “the Boat people” for the whole family to escape from Vietnam since the
Communist controlled. Came to the United States, in February 1985 my first job was at the Baker Pride
Oven Co. as a beginner welder > Machinist > Leadman of the Machine department. Working in the day
time, ESL class in the evening for about 2 hours a week, I obtained a GED certificate in May 1987 from
City of New York Board of Education. Enrolled in Rockland Community College in 1988 and College Of
Aeronautics in Flushing New York in 1989. School in the day time and work in the evening, at night and
weekends to support myself and my family. Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical
Engineering in May 1993.
In September 1993, I entered in to the competitive and challenging world, got a job as an IT
Engineer.  Work and continue education, gained a Master’s degree in Computer Networking in August
1998. In 2000, I worked at Cap Gemini, Earnest and Young as a Technical Support manager Data Center
NY-NJ that supported Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke and Roosevelt Medical Center, Long Island
College Medical Center, King Highway Hospital and many other hospitals within the network. In 2006, I
set out as a business investment until today. The Covid-19 really turned things upside down. Starting
from the COVID-19 outbreak, I have worked with different charities and volunteer agencies and now I
am with Asian American Community Services (AACS) as a coordinator and program manager for Asian
Free Clinic.
Life is very interesting, sometimes things go well “nice and smooth” other times things rough like an
“angry ocean!”

Justin is a graduate of OSU College of Medicine, where he served as a former chapter president of APAMSA. He plans on pursuing Hem/Onc fellowship after residency.

I am a plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstructive procedures, including general reconstruction, top surgeries for transgender patients and breast reductions. When patients come to see me, they can trust that I will care for them as I would my own family members.

My enthusiasm for plastic surgery began in medical school when I learned how reconstruction could significantly improve quality of life for burn patients and I have felt called to this specialty ever since. It is a privilege to use my skills to help bring a sense of normalcy to patients impacted by trauma, cancer or a congenital anomaly.

I am also passionate about transgender care and helping people become their true selves. I serve as co-chair of the outreach program for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group and volunteer at community events. My research is focused on reducing health care disparities and expanding medical education to underserved groups.

In addition to my clinical work, I am the associate program director for the Plastic Surgery Residency Program and an advisor for the Plastic Surgery Interest Group at Ohio State. I love working in academic medicine because helping to train and inspire future generations is one of the most fulfilling opportunities available.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, volunteering and meeting new people. I stay active and healthy by running, which helps me regroup and focus on what truly matters. I also enjoy a good cup of coffee and trying diverse types of food.

Emily Chen

Region V Director
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

Logistics Coordinator

Sunshine Liu

Region V Director
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Communications Coordinator

Jordan Sontz

Region V Director
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Programming Coordinator

Jessica Hsueh

Membership Vice President
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Amy Lin

Med Chapter President

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Communications Committee

Fumiya Abe-Nornes

Med Chapter Vice President

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Logistics Committee

Kelly Hao

Med Chapter Treasurer

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Communications Committee

John Huang

Med Chapter Community Outreach Coordinator

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Logistics Committee

Rita Suzawa

Med Chapter Mentorship and Development 

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Programming Committee

David Kim

Med Chapter Community Outreach Coordinator

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Programming Committee

Sooho Myoung

Med Chapter First Year Liaison 

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Jasmine Yang

Med Chapter First Year Liaison

Ohio State University College of Medicine

Jaden Zelidon

Ohio State University — Pre-Med

Programming Committee