2026 National Conference
Registration Details:
Early Bird and House of Delegates Registration ($60.00) – now closed
APAMSA Member Registration ($60) – now closed
Regular Registration ($80.00) – now closed
Banquet Tickets ($40) – now closed
Research Abstract Submission – now closed
Discounted Housing Form and Reservation – now closed
Our conference theme this year is “Bridging Voices, Building Power: AANHPI Solidarity in Medicine.”
From the clinic to the community, uniting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voices to reimagine justice in healthcare.
Today’s urgent structural challenges facing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and other communities of color motivate us to ground this year’s conference in community knowledge through the theme of the 2026 APAMSA National Conference, “Bridging Voices, Building Power: AANHPI Solidarity in Medicine.” In response to contemporary policy changes that have impacted AANHPI and other marginalized communities, our theme is a tribute to the San Francisco Bay Area’s rich legacy of activism and cross-racial coalition building. Through the conference, we aim to honor this legacy by uplifting the diverse voices within our community and building collective power that transcends institutions, geographies, and generations.
As the late civil rights activist John Robert Lewis would say, we all have roles to play. This year’s conference will offer three distinct tracks to offer students tailored experiences aligning with personal interests, all with a common thread of health equity. These include:
- 1) Health Inequities, focusing on current work in research and clinical practice to address nuanced health challenges faced by diverse communities falling under the large umbrella term of AANHPI;
- 2) Community Engagement and Advocacy, training medical students to engage ethically with and advocate for AANHPI communities through careers in medicine, with an emphasis on contemporary social determinants of health and community knowledge; and
- 3) Physician Identity, exploring core topics relevant to AANHPI identity and physicianship shaping journeys in medicine.
The urgency of the current moment and challenges facing our communities are not lost upon us. We welcome you to San Francisco, a city not just linked by the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges to broader communities of color across the Bay Area, but also by shared traditions of solidarity, coalition-building, and activism for marginalized communities at its very core. This year’s conference will bridge academic and community boundaries to identify work being done on the front lines to serve marginalized communities, preparing future AANHPI physicians to serve their home communities through careers in medicine that address health both in the clinic and beyond.
Scan the QR below or follow this link to access our Digital Program!
Scan the QR below or follow this link to access our Digital Program!
Friday, February 20
UCSF School of Medicine – Mission Bay Campus
Mission Hall | 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158
San Francisco Marriott Union Square | 480 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94108
4:30-5:00pm: Check in | Mission Hall Lobby
5:00-6:45 PM: House of Delegates Meeting | Mission Hall Room 1400
6:45-8:15pm: Annual Anti-Racism Caucus | Mission Hall Room 1400
8:15-10:00pm: Member Mixer | Marriott Union Square Hotel Lobby/Bar Area
Saturday, February 21
UCSF School of Medicine – Mission Bay Campus
Mission Bay Conference Center | 1675 Owens St UNIT 251, San Francisco, CA 94158
Mission Hall | 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158
Exhibitor Hall
7:30 AM-5:00 PM | Mission Bay Conference Center Floor 2
Opening Remarks and Keynote
7:30-8:30 AM: Check-in | Mission Bay Conference Center Atrium
9:00-9:30 AM: Opening Ceremony | Robertson Auditorium @ Mission Bay Conference Center
Welcome Address by National Conference Directors
Land Acknowledgement and Labor Acknowledgement
Oli Chant by John A. Burns School of Medicine students
Surprise Guests
Dean’s Remarks by Dean Erick Hung
Founder’s Remarks by Jhemon Lee, MD
NMDP Presentation
9:30-10:20 AM: Keynote Address with Monica Hahn, MD, MPH, MS and Kimberly Ngo, MD | Robertson Auditorium @ Mission Bay Conference Center
Breakout Sessions and Posters (note: please refer to the program or the section below for updated timing on breakout sessions)
10:30-11:15 AM: Breakout Session #1 | Mission Hall
11:30-12:15 AM: Breakout Session #2 | Mission Hall
12:15-12:45 PM: Lunch | Mission Bay Conference Center Atrium
12:20-1:10 PM: Poster Session 1| Fisher Banquet Room @ Mission Bay Conference Center
1:20-2:15 PM: Poster Session 2| Fisher Banquet Room @ Mission Bay Conference Center
2:30-3:15PM: Breakout Session #3 | Mission Hall
3:30-4:15PM: Breakout Session #4 | Mission Hall
Closing Activities
4:30-5:15PM: Closing Ceremony, Election Results | Robertson Auditorium @ Mission Bay Conference Center
6:00-6:45 PM: Alumni Mixer | Southern Pacific Brewing
6:45-9:00 PM: Banquet | Southern Pacific Brewing
Sunday, February 22
UCSF School of Medicine – Mission Bay Campus
Mission Hall | 550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158
10AM-1 PM: Transition Meeting for Elected Leadership | Mission Hall Room 1400
Abstract submission for the Research Poster Session is now closed.
- Poster presentations are in-person and after lunch time during the conference (Saturday, February 21st, 2026).
Abstracts categories
- Basic Science
- Clinical and Translational Research
- Community Health, Epidemiology
- Education, and Policy
- Healthcare Professional and Trainee Wellbeing
- AANHPI-Focused Projects
At least one author will need to be available at all times to give a quick oral presentation and answer questions during this session.
There will be judges who will be selecting for the most outstanding abstracts in each category during the abstract presentation session.
Please note:
- Abstract approval decisions will be emailed to the corresponding author.
- Upon approval of submission, presenters will need to provide a demonstration of conference ticket purchase to confirm their attendance at this poster session.
Poster Printing:
- We are happy to announce that we will have discounted poster printing in partnership with Bay Area Poster Board! Printed posters will be available for pick-up at the conference venue. Please place orders here.
- Please print your poster prior to arrival at the conference.
Feel free to contact research@apamsa.org with any questions!
Keynotes
Dr. Monica U. Hahn, MD, MPH, MS, AAHIVS, is a Clinical Professor at UCSF in the Department of Family & Community Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences. She completed her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley with a major in Molecular & Cell Biology and a minor in Ethnic Studies, her MPH at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, and her MD/MS at UCSF School of Medicine. She completed residency training in Family & Community Medicine at UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital. As a family physician and perinatal HIV specialist, she teaches in medical student and residency training programs, including in the UCSF PRIME-US Program, and the UCSF/SFGH Family Medicine Residency Program. She serves as Clinical Director and Co-PI for the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center (PAETC) and the Training and Health Equity Collaborative and serves as Medical Director of HIVE Clinic. She serves is the Vice Chair of Opportunity, Leadership Development and Engagement for the UCSF Department of Family Medicine, a Dean’s Diversity Leader for the UCSF Differences Matter Initiative, and a Curricular Liason for the UCSF Anti-Oppression Curriculum Initiative. Her advocacy work includes being a co-founder of the Institute for Healing and Justice in Medicine and Coalition of Asian Americans Reimagining Justice in Healthcare (Caare Justice). Integrating her background in Ethnic Studies and with her experience in community activism, community-based participatory research, and HIV clinical care and capacity building, she strives to advance community-engaged social justice efforts in healthcare, with a focus on medical education, HIV capacity building and clinical care for interdisciplinary care teams. Monica’s inspiration for becoming a physician-advocate is rooted in her personal experiences and work experiences in public health, social justice activism and community organizing. Her work has focused on addressing health inequities in HIV care and developing strategies for dismantling systemic oppression and structural violence in healthcare systems to advance health justice. She has been locally and nationally recognized for her work, including being named a 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum in 2021.
Dr. Kimberly Ngo, MD is a family practice physician at Asian Health Services (AHS), a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Oakland, California. She works with patients from all backgrounds, with a focus on the non-English/limited English speaking immigrant/refugee community. She completed her major in Public Health and minor in anthropology at UC Berkeley and her MD at UC Davis, where she was involved with her local APAMSA chapter. Afterwards, she completed her residency at the UCSF/SFGH Family & Community Medicine residency program, as well as an additional chief resident year. She continues to mentor the next generation of students and resident trainees interested in primary care, especially for marginalized and underrepresented communities.
Lunch with a Leader
Dr. Reena Karani, MD, MHPE is the Director of the Institute for Medical Education and Professor of Medicine, Medical Education, and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She holds degrees from Brown University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her residency and fellowship training were completed at Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai.
As an education scientist, Dr. Karani focuses on clinical workplace-based learning, feedback, assessment, and equity in teaching. Her research has advanced understanding of effective feedback techniques and innovative assessment tools. She also explores the socialization and learning experiences of students historically excluded from medicine.
As a geriatrician and palliative medicine physician, Dr. Karani provides comprehensive care to older adults at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She co-directs the Harvard Macy Program for Postgraduate Trainees and chairs the NBME Board of Directors, being the first woman of color in this role. She serves on several NBME committees and the Board of Directors of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Karani is a Deputy Editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine and has received numerous honors for her contributions to medical education.
Health Inequities
Ronald H. Labuguen, M.D., is a Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the Medical Director of UCSF Health Primary Care at Bayfront. Before taking his current position, his practice was based at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), where he was the Medical Director of the hospital’s Adult Urgent Care Center and saw primary care patients at the Family Health Center, the largest primary care clinic in San Francisco. He is a volunteer faculty preceptor with Mabuhay Health Center, a volunteer and UCSF student-run service learning experience serving mostly Filipino patients in the South of Market area of San Francisco. He grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and received both his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Virginia. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University-Hanover Family Practice Residency Program.
Amy S. Tang, MD is a primary care internal medicine physician and Director of Viral Hepatitis and TB Programs at North East Medical Services (NEMS), a federally funded community health center in the San Francisco Bay Area. She oversees NEMS’ Viral Hepatitis B/C and TB Elimination programs, addressing health disparities within NEMS’ large Asian immigrant population through provider and community education and implementation of systems level strategies. She has contributed to hepatitis B clinical guidelines for the American Association for Study of Liver Diseases and led the development of simplified hepatitis B guidance for primary care providers on the CDC-funded Hep B Online website. She also serves as a principal investigator for the CDC TB Epidemiologic Studies Consortium III and NIH-funded hepatitis B clinical trials. She is a graduate of the UCSF School of Medicine and completed her primary care internal medicine residency training at NYU Langone/Bellevue Hospital.
Dr. Cynthia Lin is a physician leader and alumna of the University of San Francisco–California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) Leadership Fellowship Program (Cohort 21). She is the Founder and CEO of the Internal Medicine Hospitalist Group at Chinese Hospital San Francisco and currently serves as Medical Director of the Internal Medicine Hospitalist and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Program. As Chief of Medicine, Dr. Lin led the launch of the SNF program and the hospital’s achievement of Primary Stroke Center certification.
Dr. Lin is actively involved in professional organizations, having served as co-chair of the FCMS Health Conference in 2022 and currently co-chairs the Chinese Hospital/UCSF/FCMS Health Conference 2026. She serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society and founded the Chinese Hospital/UCSF APAMSA Mentorship Program, reflecting her commitment to community health, education, and physician leadership.
Dr. Joyce Javier is a pediatrician-scientist who is deeply passionate about increasing participation of AANHPIs in clinical research and promoting positive childhood experiences among our youth. She leads the Filipino Family Health Initiative, a California statewide study funded by the NIH focused on promoting the emotional well-being of Filipino school-age children and oversees recruitment of Filipinos for the CARE registry. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Systems Science at the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine and President-elect for the Society for Pediatric Research. She earned her B.S. from UCLA, M.D. from UC Irvine, M.P.H. from UC Berkeley, M.S. from USC, and completed her pediatrics residency and postdoctoral general academic pediatrics fellowship at Stanford University. Her contributions have been recognized with several honors, including Alta: A Human Atlas of Los Angeles, a social-impact art project celebrating 100 individuals driving positive change in Los Angeles and the American Academy of Pediatrics Local Hero Award.
Dr. Scarlett Gomez is trained as an epidemiologist and conducts research to understand patterns of cancer across population groups and the factors contributing to cancer disparities. She is particularly interested in cancer in Asian American populations and has dedicated her career to focus on understanding the causes of cancer in diverse communities. “Co-leading the ASPIRE cohort with this team is very meaningful to me, given my experiences as a first-generation immigrant from Taiwan, and seeing how cancer has impacted my families and our community members. For far too long, Asian Americans have been understudied in cancer research. It is my hope that ASPIRE will serve as a much needed resource that will provide insights into the causes of cancer for our diverse Asian American communities and will continue to contribute knowledge for many years to come!”
Dr. Iona Cheng investigates racial and ethnic disparities in cancer risk and prognosis, with a focus on neighborhood, environmental, lifestyle, and molecular factors. Her research program includes studies examining lung cancer risk among Asian American females who have never smoked. She brings extensive scientific and operational expertise in conducting epidemiologic cohort studies involving multiethnic populations as well as specific racial and ethnic groups.
Dr. Salma Shariff-Marco is a social and behavioral scientist with a research portfolio focused on understanding the role of social determinants of health in shaping and perpetuating health disparities. One main area of focus is on place and health, evaluating how neighborhood characteristics (e.g., social, built, and physical environment attributes) and geographic variation may shape cancer-related health behaviors and outcomes across the cancer continuum. In addition, her research includes efforts to better characterize neighborhoods for population health studies (neighborhood archetypes, virtual audits with Google Street View). Another area of research includes understanding how factors related to social status (race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigration) impact health disparities, particularly applying an intersectional lens. Dr. Shariff-Marco is also a co-Investigator of the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry, a part of the California Cancer Registry and the NCI Surveillance Epidemiology End Results (SEER) Program.
Dr. Arnab Mukherjea is a Professor of Public Health and Director of the University Honors Program at California State University (CSU), East Bay. He is also the Faculty Director for the Health Professions in the CSU Office of the Chancellor and is the Inaugural Director of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Middle Leadership Academy, a joint effort between the CSU Student Success Network and the CSU AANHPI Student Achievement Program.
Dr. Mukherjea completed his undergraduate (BA in Molecular & Cell Biology with a minor in Education) and graduate (MPH in Health & Social Behavior with specialization in Multicultural Health; DrPH in Applied Health Disparities Research) degrees at UC Berkeley and postdoctoral training (Tobacco Control and Chronic Disease Prevention) at UCSF and UC Davis. Arnab’s applied research interests broadly revolve around using community-engaged methods to understand and address health disparities among understudied Asian & Pacific Islander (API) subgroups, with a particular focus on contextual and culturally-framed risk factors among South Asian communities in the United States. His research has been funded by the National Institutes for Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Office of Minority Health, and the state of California’s Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. He maintains membership in the Asian American Research Center for Health (ARCH) and is a Steering Committee Member of the California AANHPI Health Equity Coalition. Arnab firmly believes that community participation and engagement in advocacy from all health professionals are essential for affected groups to understand, address, and ultimately take ownership of their own individual and collective health prospects.
Buddy Kalanikumupaʻa Seto-Myers is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is a co-lead for the UWSOM Association of Native American Medical Students, a member of the Center for Indigenous Health, and research assistant for the Ola Pasifika Lab. His scholarship is centered on expanding culturally responsive health care for Indigenous communities in diasporic or displaced environments.
Community Engagement and Advocacy
Tone Va’i, LCSW, is a Clinical Supervisor at the Samoan Community Development Center in San Francisco, where he leads mental health services that center relationship, trust, and community connection. He manages a full caseload and supervises clinicians, wellness coordinators, and interns, supporting staff in approaches that value culture, community, and collective care.
As a community researcher on the Kāpasa Fetu’u needs assessment, Tone helped lift up the priorities and experiences of Samoan and Pasifika families, informing how mental health support is shaped and delivered at SCDC.
Over the past decade, Tone has worked across schools, nonprofits, and community organizations in roles that blend clinical work, community engagement, and reflective practice. He supports youth, families, and community workers as they navigate stress, grief, and the complexities of showing up for themselves and community, with an emphasis on bringing a relational and steady presence to the work.
Richard So is Executive Director of Hep B Free, cofounder of HepBNow, and is dedicated to eliminating hepatitis B and liver cancer, with a vision of making the San Francisco Bay Area the first hepatitis B free region in the U.S and improving advocacy everywhere. He has over a decade of experience in healthcare, including five years as Executive Director of Hep B Free. His background spans healthcare consulting, Peace Corps service in rural Paraguay, and leadership across major coalitions like Hep B United, End the Epidemics, and the California Hepatitis Alliance.
Alexis Aguilan David (she/her/siya) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) working as a Clinical Supervisor in San Francisco Unified School District. She is one of the founding members of the Filipino Mental Health Initiative-San Francisco (FMHI-SF) launched in 2012. She is a daughter of immigrants from Concepcion Tarlac and Lucban Quezon Province, Philippines. Alexis was born and raised in Yelamu, Ramaytush Ohlone Territory (SF, CA) and Coastal Miwok, Suisun, and Patwin land (Vallejo, CA). She has worked in various capacities in Education for the last 20 years through school social work; individual and family therapy; school wide crisis planning and response; supporting systems impacted youth; substance abuse treatment and prevention; youth leadership development and organizing; teaching Ethnic Studies and Filipino/a/x Studies. She believes that promoting mental health and wellness in community creates access points to sustainability, collective healing, and liberation, laying pathways of compassion for ourselves and one another.
Dr. Bernadette (Bernie) Lim is the Founder and Executive Director of the Freedom Community Clinic based in Oakland, CA, co-founder of the Institute for Healing & Justice in Medicine, and Faculty at the San Francisco State Institute for Holistic Health Studies. She graduated from UCSF School of Medicine and UC Berkeley School of Public Health through the Joint Medical Program as a PRIME-US Scholar.
Her work is inspired by her identities as a healer, musician, and daughter of island people from the Visayan, Philippines & Toisan lands. She is proud to live, work, and play in the Town (Oakland, CA) where she is inspired by its rich activism, culture, and community cultivated by and for Black, Brown, Native, and immigrant communities.
Dr. Bernie’s life’s calling is centered on bringing Whole-Person Healing to the People integrating the wisdom of Ancestral Healing with the strengths of Western medicine. Her intention is to re-define medicine for Black, Brown, and immigrant people as not the absence of disease, but the presence of freedom to live as one’s authentic self.
Justin Chin is a full spectrum family medicine physician based at LifeLong Medical Care in Richmond, California. He attended Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York and founded his local chapter of APAMSA where he served as chapter president, RD, membership VP, and CFO throughout his tenure. This ignited his passion for health and healthcare issues in the AANHPI community as he researched and published on topics relating to cultural competency and osteopathic recognition. He returned to the San Francisco Bay Area as part of the LifeLong Medical Care’s inaugural family medicine residency. During the same time, he completed a Masters in Medical Education at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a core faculty member at LifeLong and continues to do research in quality improvement/assessment. Most recently, he is a 2025 Climate and Health Equity Fellow representing NCAPIP and served on APAMSA’s alumni advisory board.
Martina Leialoha Kamaka hails from Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i. She is a Native Hawaiian Family Physician and Professor in the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine. She is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, the University of Notre Dame and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. She completed her Family Medicine residency in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Her medical interests include Native Hawaiian and Indigenous health and health disparities, cultural competency /humility training, and climate change and health. She is a 2024 Climate and Health Equity Fellow, a DEI commissioner for the American Academy of Family Physicians and Vice Chair of NCAPIP (the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians). In addition, she is a founder active member of the ʻAhahui o nā Kauka (Association of Native Hawaiian Physicians) and the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC).
Dr. Sue Chan, MD, MPH was born in Shanghai, China and immigrated to the U.S. at 7 years of age, then lived in Eugene and Corvallis, Oregon and Dayton, Ohio, all communities where few if any Asians lived in the 1950’s. After college, she lived and worked in Hong Kong for over 1 year and then for a few months in Taiwan. Dr. Chan received her B.A. at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio (1963), M.D. at Ohio State University (1970), Pediatric Internship at University of Chicago (1970-1971), Pediatric Residency at Ohio State University (1971-1973), and M.P.H. at University of California, Berkeley (1974).
Since 1974 until the present, Dr. Chan has served as a clinician at Asian Health Services. In November 1974, she was hired as the first clinician/Medical Director, as part of a team of 9 staff, half of whom were part-time. Over the course of almost 52 years, Asian Health Services staff has grown to number over 600, serving more than 50,000 patients by providing medical, dental and behavioral health services. Dr. Chan has served at various points as Medical Director or Associate Medical Director, but for the past few decades as a clinician who cares for both adults and children. In the past, she along with other Asian Health Services Pediatricians covered the newborn nurseries at Merritt, Summit and Alta Bates Hospitals and pediatric patients at Oakland Children’s Hospital. Currently, in patient duties are limited to covering the newborn nursery at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley.
Dr. Chan’s other volunteer and short-term work history include the Farmworkers Clinic in Salinas, California, the Ching Nin Family Planning Clinic San Francisco Chinatown North Beach, the Adolescent Clinic S.F. General Hospital, an immigrant rights volunteer, and canvassing in Reno and Bakersfield with Seed the Vote.
Dr. Arthur Chen, MD is currently a Senior Fellow at Asian Health Services (an FQHC/community health center) in Oakland, California, where since 1983 he continues practicing both inpatient and outpatient medicine as a family physician and where he previously served as Medical Director and Special Programs Director (1984-1995). From 2011- 2021 he has served as an advisor and professional coach for the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health, a CDC supported leadership development program for our emerging public health leaders, run
from the Center for Health Leadership and Impact of the Public Health Institute. In 2018-2019 he served a similar role for the California Opioid Safety Network that is addressing the statewide opioid crisis. From 2001-2009 he served as the Chief Medical Officer of the Alameda Alliance for Health, a Medicaid Managed Care non-profit public entity serving low-income residents of Alameda County. From 1996-2001 he was the Public Health Officer for Alameda County. Prior to that, he served as an emergency room physician and the Associate Medical Director of the Institute of Emergency Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. He was also the Executive Director of the Chinatown Health Clinic (Charles B. Wang Health Center) in New York City.
From July 2011 to July 2016, he was an Obama Administration appointee to the Advisory Committee on Minority Health, a national committee established to advise on health equity initiatives undertaken by the DHHS and the Office of Minority Health. He chaired (1998-2006) the Board of Directors of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, a national policy and advocacy organization whose mission is to improve the health status of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He is also a co-founder of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, a consortium of 29 FQHC clinics serving predominantly AANHPI communities.
From 2001-2003 he was appointed to the Task Force on Culturally and Linguistically Competent Physicians and Dentists for the CA Dept of Consumer Affairs. Between 1997-2001 he served on the National Association of County and City Health Officials MAPP (Mobilization for Action through Planning and Partnerships) planning committee (formerly APEXCPH: Assessment and Planning Excellence through Community Partners for Health. From 1997-2001 he served as a Board Member and later an Executive Committee member of the California Conference of Local Health Officers.
He also currently serves as Clinical Advisor and in 2017 served as the Chief Medical and Population Health Officer for Applied Research Works, a Health IT software company developing tools for case management, risk adjustment and improving quality of care performance among physician offices, medical groups and health plans. He sits on the Board of Directors for Blue Shield of CA, the National Council of API Physicians (NCAPIP) and the California Physicians Alliance (CaPA) an organization dedicated to universal health coverage and access for all Californians. CaPA recently published their Road Map to Golden State Care. From 2011-2021 he sat on the Alameda County Oversight Committee for Measure A, which disperses $130+M annually for health services for low-income residents. In 2015-16 he served on the Health Advisory Board for Intelligent Insites, an operational intelligence company for health delivery systems.
From 2012-2017 he served on the Board of Applied Research Works, a health IT software company. He also served on the Board (2003-2012 and as Chairperson, 2006-2008) of The California Endowment, a health foundation focused on improving health status and access to care for California’s medically underserved population.. From 1999-2001 and 2004 to 2017, he served as an Executive Council member of the Alameda Contra Costa County Medical Association and as president in 2016. In 1999 he served on the CDC/ATSDR Task Force on Public Health Workforce Development.
Dr. Chen was the recipient of the 2008 California Medical Association Foundation’s Robert D. Sparks, MD Leadership Award. He was selected as a fellow to the 1996-7 Public Health Leadership Institute sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and the University of California. During l989-l992 he was a member of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program. He has also served on advisory and planning committees to the Bureau of Primary Health Care of the U.S. Public Health Service, the Office of Minority Health, the National Institutes of Health and the American Lung Association. He has also testified before Congress and President Clinton’s Health Task Force.
Physician Identity
Alex Smith was born in Hawaii (mom is Hawaiian/Chinese) but, sadly, was raised in Michigan. He is a palliative medicine doctor and Professor of Medicine in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics. He co-founded ePrognosis and co-hosts the GeriPal podcast. Alex is Executive Editor at the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Alex Smith studied the broader impact of anti-Asian hate on the health and wellbeing of older adults during Covid.
Marilyn P. Wong, MD (UCSF), MPH (Hopkins), retired 10 years ago from clinical practice as a family and preventive medicine physician but she maintained her activism in:
1. Promoting history as the ultimate social determinant of health;
2 Building a health care workforce to serve the underserved AANHPI communities;
3. Preserving the history and lived experience of the AANHPI communities.
Her recent organizing work has come full circle to her earlier life experience. Dr. Wong dropped out of UC Berkeley and began her community advocacy journey in 1968 as part of the “return to the community” current within the Third World Liberation Movement.
She currently works with students at Oakland High School, UC Berkeley, UCSF-Berkeley Joint Medical Program and UCSF School of Medicine in collaboration with Pathways for AANHPI Community Health (PACH) – a tri-partnership of students, academicians and community members in the San Francisco Bay Area.
(marilyn.p.wong.md@berkeley.edu or marilyn.p.wong@gmail.com)
A. Ning Zhou, MD (he/him/他) is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), volunteer clinical faculty at UCSF, and in private practice. He completed medical school at University of Chicago, psychiatry residency at UCSF, and child & adolescent psychiatry fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia-Cornell. At SFDPH, he works at a clinic serving queer and trans youth, a primary care clinic, and a specialty mental health clinic in SF’s Chinatown. At UCSF, he supervises psychiatry trainees/students and directs the LGBTQ+ Mental Health Area of Distinction. In addition, he has a private practice with a focus on serving gender diverse and neurodivergent youth and adults. His past research includes studying sexual orientation disclosure and experiences of intersectionality among gay Chinese/Chinese American young men, how to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity in Mandarin Chinese, and healthcare experiences of Chinese transgender and nonbinary adults.
Ben Wang is the Director of Special Initiatives at Asian Health Services, where he and his team work to provide comprehensive support to survivors of violence. Ben is also a founding member of the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, which provides direct support to incarcerated Asian Americans and raises awareness about the impact of incarceration and deportation on our communities.
Janie Chen is the Advocacy Manager at Asian Health Services where she leads advocacy and narrative change efforts on community safety and healing from a public health approach. As a second-generation Chinese American, she was born and raised in Oakland where her passion for community organizing began. She received her degrees in Sociology and Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley and serves as a board member at Eastwind Books.
Winnie Mai is the Advocacy Coordinator at Asian Health Services, working to address community safety and violence through a public health lens. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she is passionate about grassroots advocacy and civic engagement as tools to empower communities and drive sustainable change.
Jessie Chen is a longtime resident of Oakland and patient at Asian Health Services. Although she is retired, Jessie remains an active member in various meaningful community programs and activities, such as the Oakland Chinatown Elders Organizing Collective.
Skills
About ACS Stop the Bleed
The Stop the Bleed campaign was initiated by a federal interagency workgroup convened by the National Security Council Staff, The White House. This collaborative effort was led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) to bring knowledge of bleeding control to the public and build national resilience.
Stop the Bleed courses train the public to save lives through three basic actions to stop life-threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies and man-made and natural disasters. Advances made by military medicine and research in hemorrhage control during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have informed the work of this initiative which exemplifies translation of knowledge back to the homeland to the benefit of the general public.
About Astrana Health, Inc.
Astrana Health is a physician-centric, technology-enabled healthcare company committed to delivering access to high-quality, patient-centered care. Through its proprietary end-to-end technology platform, Astrana empowers providers to deliver more proactive, preventive care – improving patient outcomes, elevating patient experiences, improving the well-being of providers, and driving greater value.
Today, Astrana supports more than 20,000 providers and over 1.6 million Americans in value-based arrangements through its affiliated provider networks, management services organization, and primary, specialty, and ancillary care delivery clinics. Together, Astrana is building what our healthcare system should be – one that delivers better care, better experiences, and better outcomes for all. For more information, visit www.astranahealth.com.
Dr. Victoria Chang graduated Cum Laude with a concentration in Biology from Harvard University and received her medical degree from Nova-Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed an Internal Medicine residency at Loma Linda University in 2012 and a Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulation residency in Michigan in 2013. In 2017, she also became board-certified in Integrative Medicine. She has taught at University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine and Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine.
A native of rural South Carolina, Theresa Cheng, M.D., J.D. is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine and Co-Director of Social Emergency Medicine at UCSF. She holds a M.D. from the Mayo Clinic and a J.D. with specialization in International Law from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Her areas of focus include incorporating social equity in emergency care through a civil liberties and international law lens.
Dr. Cheng co-authored a book chapter on homelessness in the textbook Social Injustice and Public Health, ed. 4th. She previously worked for UNDP on medical neglect and coercion of HIV-positive people in Southeast Asia and partnered with the ACLU to investigate the reproductive health violations of migrants in detention centers. Her current research and advocacy projects span immigration health policy, reproductive health and autonomy, homelessness, carceral health, and increasing health equity for intersectional vulnerable populations.
The 2026 APAMSA National Conference has secured discounted flights with United Airlines.
Please check out the infographic to the right for instructions on how to make your flight reservations.
For those flying into San Francisco, we encourage you to fly into either San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Oakland International Airport (OAK). San José Mineta International Airport is also a possibility but less recommended as it’s a longer commute.
If arriving at SFO, you can either take Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), via either the Red or Yellow lines (Richmond, Pittsburgh, or Antioch-bound trains) to San Francisco, or take rideshare options into the city. Instructions on how to take BART can be found here. Clipper cards can be added to mobile wallets on your phone and filled (from the airport to the farthest stop in San Francisco, Embarcadero, is $11.15). Alternatively, credit cards can be used directly on the gates. You will need to swipe in before entering the BART and swipe off upon exiting. The BART station at SFO is located adjacent to the International Terminal.
If arriving to OAK, BART is also an option to travel to the city. If arriving to SJC, you may need to transfer between buses to either the BART or to Caltrain. Caltrain also accepts Clipper cards that you must fill in your phone wallet.
Discounted accommodations are no longer available at this time.
—
We are excited to offer discounted accommodations for the 2026 APAMSA National Conference at the San Francisco Marriott Union Square, located in the heart of downtown San Francisco.
Address:
San Francisco Marriott Union Square
480 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Distance to Venue:
Mission Hall, UCSF Mission Bay: ~23–25 minutes by public transit
(Direct via T MUNI line during morning service; also walk + MUNI options available)
Room Block Details (Feb 20–22, 2026)
We have secured a block of 60 rooms per night, available at the following discounted rates: (pre-tax and other fees)
| Room Type | Rate (per night) |
| Standard Double (2 beds) | $185 |
| Deluxe Double (2 beds) | $189 |
- Rates are per room, per night
- Maximum occupancy: 4 people
- Reservations are first-come, first-served
- Billing: Each attendee pays individually
- Reservation Method: Booking link – [NOW CLOSED]
Cutoff Date: January 30, 2026
Reservations must be made before this date to guarantee the discounted rate.
Please check back for updates or join our Discord upon registration.
If you’re looking for roommates, please use the housing channel in our Discord once it opens.
APAMSA 2026 National Conference Transportation Guide
The conference will be held at Mission Bay Conference Center (1675 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158) and Mission Hall (550 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158). In the morning, please plan to arrive at Mission Bay Conference Center.
From SF Marriott Union Square:
Before 8AM, use the T-Bus line from SF Marriott Union Square which will take you directly to the UCSF Mission Bay Campus. This runs every 15 minutes.
After 8AM, use the T MUNI (light rain) line which will take you directly to the UCSF Mission Bay Campus. This arrives about every 12 minutes.
From San Francisco International Airport (SFO):
For those flying into San Francisco, we encourage you to fly into either San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Once arriving at SFO, you can either take Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), taking either the Red or Yellow lines (Richmond or Antioch-bound trains) to San Francisco, or take rideshare options into the city. Instructions on how to take BART can be found here. BART cards can be added to mobile wallets and filled (from the airport to the farthest stop in San Francisco, Embarcadero, is $11.15).
From Oakland Airport:
Instructions for BART from OAK can be found here. Rideshare is also available.
Getting Around San Francisco
- Public Transit (Muni)
- Muni Metro (J/K/L/M/N/T): Fastest for traveling along Market St., downtown, and between neighborhoods.
- Historic F-Line: Colorful vintage streetcars running along Market and the Embarcadero.
- Use the Clipper Card (mobile wallet compatible) or MuniMobile app for easy payment.
- Public Transit (buses)
- Use the Clipper Card (mobile wallet compatible) or MuniMobile app for easy payment.
- Mission Bay TMA
- Cable Cars: A classic experience in San Francisco. They are available in Union Square, Nob Hill, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Bikes and E-Bikes: Many e-bikes are available for rent at different parts of the city.
- Walking: San Francisco is very walkable as a whole and many neighborhoods are close together. However, check elevation before walking – there are some very steep hills.
- Caltrain/BART
Parking
Parking at UCSF Mission Bay campus is limited and costly – please try to take public transportation if you can!
Daily/Hourly Parking Rates
- Hourly: $5
- Daily Max: $35
- Motorcycle: $5
- Disabled/ADA Placard: $7
Valet parking is available for all UCSF patients and visitors. Standard parking rates apply. There is no additional charge for valet service, other than the standard parking rate, which is charged to self-parkers as well. Parking rates are valid at all UCSF locations, are applicable 7 days a week, and include a mandatory 25% city tax.
The venue locations are circled below.
Please check back soon for more information! Questions can be directed to elections@apamsa.org.
Thank you to our Sponsors!
For those who are interested in having an exhibitor booth at the National Conference, please contact conference@apamsa.org and CC externalvp@apamsa.org and sponsorship@apamsa.org in your email so that we can draft a sponsorship contract and create an invoice for you. Thank you for your interest!
Additional alumni events forthcoming
Saturday, February 21
1:00 – 4:00 PM: 2026 National Asian Physicians Association (NAPA) Inaugural Forum
Location: in-person at UCSF Mission Hall Room MH-2103 2nd floor (address 550 16th St, SF, CA 94158) and virtual via Zoom: https://bit.ly/2026NAPA
5:30 – 7:00 PM: Alumni/Physician Mixer
Location: Southern Pacific Brewing, 620 Treat Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
It is our pleasure to invite all residents, physicians, and alumni to the Alumni/Physician social & mixer event, free of charge, to connect with APAMSA alumni/residents/attendings from all over the country.
7:00-9:30 PM: Banquet
Location: Southern Pacific Brewing, 620 Treat Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110
(open to attendees who purchased banquet ticket)
This year’s banquet will take place at and be catered by Southern Pacific Brewing. Southern Pacific Brewing is a former machine shop turned brewery that is a tribute to the historical Southern Pacific railroad that connected much of the West, including San Francisco’s Mission district.
Nelson Lin
National Conference Logistics Director
UCSF School of Medicine
Brian Tangsombatvisit
National Conference Logistics Director
UCSF School of Medicine
Katherine Chua
National Conference Speaker Relations Director
UCSF School of Medicine
Tiffany Chen
National Conference Speaker Relations Director
UCSF School of Medicine
Matthew Kim
National Conference Finance Director
UCSF School of Medicine
Jeanna Shaw
National Conference Communications Director
UCSF School of Medicine
Logistics
National Conference Committee Members
UCSF School of Medicine
Andy Fabian, Kaitlyn Han, Andrea Huang, Britney Sison
Speaker Relations
National Conference Committee Members
UCSF School of Medicine
Nicole Chiang, Vivian Lee, Stephanie Zhang
Finance
National Conference Committee Members
UCSF School of Medicine
Xinyu Chen, Kara Ushijima
Communications
National Conference Committee Members
UCSF School of Medicine
Christina Im
Contact Us
Questions? Email us at conference@apamsa.org.
2025 Region VII / Region VIII Conference
Region VII / VIII Conference: Beyond the Horizon
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Location: University of California, Irvine
Welcome!
On behalf of the University of California – Irvine APAMSA chapter, we are delighted to welcome you to Irvine, California for our conference “Beyond the Horizon”! This year we hope to showcase the endless possibilities for learning and action in the intersection of medicine and our AANHPI identity. We are excited to bring together Region VII and Region VIII members to interact with amazing speakers, resident/attending panels, and hands-on workshops.
We hope you’ll join us for this day of community and celebration. See you in Irvine!
Beyond the Horizon
This year’s theme, “Beyond the Horizon,” invites us to look forward — to envision what lies ahead for AANHPI health and to reimagine the future we want for our communities.
As we gather today, we aim to reflect on the challenges that Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities have historically faced, while also charting new paths toward equity, advocacy, and innovation in health care. Together, we will look beyond the barriers of the present and explore what is possible when we move forward with vision and collaboration.
Kevin Riutzel, MS, DO
Family Medicine Physician at Kheir Health
Previous National APAMSA President
Born in South Korea and raised in the greater Los Angeles area, Kevin Riutzel is a family physician currently working in the heart of LA’s Koreatown. The clinic he works at is a federally-qualified health center primarily serving local AAPI communities, many of whom are the 1st generation in their families to immigrate to the U.S.
He has served in several roles for APAMSA including National President for three terms as well as National Pre-med Director, Region XII Director, and local chapter president. He finished his undergraduate studies at UC San Diego and graduate studies at Columbia University. After graduating from Touro University Nevada, he completed his training in family medicine at UC Irvine with a focus on integrative medicine. He served as one of the chief residents while at UC Irvine.
Kevin takes a particular interest in mental health and culturally-sensitive nutritional counseling in AAPI communities along with providing an integrative and holistic approach to the care he offers to the communities he serves. He is not burned out, and he enjoys his job~
Jeffery Velotta, MD
Thoracic Surgeon and Mesothelioma Specialist
Kaiser Permanente, Oakland
Dr. Velotta attended medical school at George Washington University and general surgery residency at UCLA Medical Center. During this time, Dr. Velotta also completed his postdoctoral research in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Following this, he completed his training in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Velotta’s clinical and research interests involve innovative techniques and regionalization pathways for lung and esophageal cancer as well as pleural mesothelioma. In addition, his most recent research efforts involve improving lung cancer screening uptake in Asian Americans and identifying key factors in the rising incidence of lung cancer in non-smoking Asian women.
Sunny Park, MD
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Sunny S. Park, MD MPH is double board-certified in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, and Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. She specializes in reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries of the face and neck, and has a private practice in Newport Beach. After attending UC Berkeley for her BA and MPH, she obtained her MD from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery at Penn State University followed by a fellowship in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at LSU Shreveport. She has lectured regularly at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery meetings and has volunteered for medical mission trips overseas, most recently in 2024 to Vietnam. In addition, every year since 2021, Dr. Park has been chosen as a Physician of Excellence in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery by Orange County Medical Association and Orange Coast Magazine.
Richard So, MPH
Executive Director, Hep B Free
Richard So is dedicated to eliminating hepatitis B and liver cancer, with a vision of making the San Francisco Bay Area the first hepatitis B free region in the U.S. He has over a decade of experience in healthcare, including five years as Executive Director of Hep B Free, one of the country’s leading hepatitis B organizations. His background spans healthcare consulting, Peace Corps service in rural Paraguay, and leadership across major coalitions like Hep B United, End the Epidemics, and the California Hepatitis Alliance.
Richard holds dual master’s degrees in public health and public administration from Columbia University. His work has centered on community-powered, culturally responsive strategies to expand hepatitis B education, screening, and care.
Under his leadership, Hep B Free helped secure $8 million from the California legislature for the state’s first chronic hepatitis B demostration projects and co-led the successful passage of AB 789, which requires primary care providers to offer hepatitis B and C screenings. Richard is known for building effective partnerships, scaling innovative programs, and turning grassroots ideas into statewide and national action.
Eric R. Gross, MD, PhD, FASA
Associate Professor, University Tenure Line
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Stanford University
Eric R. Gross MD, PhD, FASA (@ericrgross.bsky.social, @ericrgross) is a physician-scientist and practicing anesthesiologist within the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. He runs a NIH-funded research laboratory studying how alcohol metabolism impacts anesthesiology and in general human health. He is a member of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Center for Asian Research and Education (CARE). Dr. Gross is also the section editor for basic science for the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia and the editorial fellowship director for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Today, Dr. Gross will discuss the health implications of alcohol flushing.
Jacob Hwang, ND
Naturopathic Doctor at UCI Health
Jacob Hwang is a licensed UCI Health specialist in naturopathic medicine. His goal is to combine the latest evidence-based medicine with an integrative, whole-person approach to care, emphasizing health and well-being.
His clinical interests include heart disease and cardiometabolic disease, kidney disease, urological disorders and men’s health. He coordinates with other specialists and integrative health providers to provide additional supportive care options.
Hwang earned his doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Wash., followed by a one-year residency program at Bastyr University Clinic in San Diego. He went on to complete an additional two-year residency at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, part of UCI Health.
His passion to empower patients drives his philosophy of care, which is also informed by evidence-based medical practices and patient-centered values.
Freddy R. Alamshaw, DO
Family Medicine Physician
Kaiser Permanente
Dr. Alamshaw is a board certified family medicine physician. After graduating family medicine residency from USC, as chief resident, he immediately started working for Kaiser Permanente and says after marriage, the 2nd best choice of his life. He’s been with KP for 26 years now and still enjoys cradle to grave FM. As a DO, he uses osteopathic manipulation (OMM) maybe 5% of his practice. He is more than happy to use OMM for patients who request it, but will generally choose patients that are maybe an ideal candidate like acute neck pain/spasm from sleeping wrong on a pillow.
He’s been married for 34 years, and his daughter went to CAL/WUHS and is now a FM resident at KP Sunset. She just got married 5-25-25, and her husband is an IM resident 2nd year in Long Beach. His son works in Tech Sales in Scottsdale. For fun, he’s an avid snow skier, loves riding his road bike usually 50-60 miles on weekends, has done a half ironman and loves great food and travel.
Tan Nguyen, MD
Clinical Professor, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Dr. Nguyen is a Family Medicine Physician and Dean’s Scholar at UCI SOM. He has been serving as the faculty advisor for UCI APAMSA and Family Medicine Interest Group. As the Director for Medical Education in FM, Dr. Nguyen oversees various electives for medical students including Gender Health Diversity, Health Equity, and Medical Vietnamese. Dr. Nguyen’s goal is to work with faculty and students in developing a PRIME track to better equip medical students to become future physicians who can provide comprehensive and culturally sensitive care for underserved AANHPI communities.
Yun-San Huang, MD
Med-Peds at UCI Health
Dr. Yun-San (Amy) Huang is a double boarded internist and pediatrician, providing primary care at the Wen Ambulatory Care Center in Irvine. Dr. Huang has worked in academic medicine for over 15 years and she joined UC-Irvine as an associate professor in 2022 in the Division of General Internal Medicine.
Medical education has always been Dr. Huang’s passion. She has taught at three different medical schools and along the way created curricula for medical students, residents, and faculty members. She pioneered a global health track and inspired a resident as clinician educator pathway for the residency programs at her previous institutions. At UCI, she leads the Medical Mandarin elective and the Med-Peds Interest Group for medical students.
Dr. Huang strives for a work-life wellbeing and is the Wellness Officer of the Department of Medicine. Outside of work, she can be found doing outdoor activities and exploring new restaurants with her family. She is an avid tennis player and a proud tennis nerd.
Hanh Nguyen, MD
Family Medicine Physician
Associate Dean of Career Advising and Professor, UC Riverside School of Medicine.
Dr. Nguyen serves as the Associate Dean of Career Advising in the Office of Student Affairs at UC Riverside School of Medicine. He guides and supports medical students from career exploration to residency applications to help them reach their desired goals and specialties. He is passionate about underserved medicine and guiding high school and college students to careers in medicine. Dr. Nguyen came to UC Riverside from UC Irvine School of Medicine where he previously was the Assistant Program Director of the Family Medicine Residency Program and the Medical Director of UC Irvine Health Family Health Center – Anaheim.
Cyrus Nguyen, MD
Emergency Medicine Physician
Anthony Chau, MD
Vascular Surgeon
Lucy Chow, MD
Diagnostic Radiology
General Info
Parking
Parking in the Health Sciences Parking structure is available for $16/vehicle. This link may be used to purchase your parking spot. Please locate our event on the drop-down menu:
Resources
Featured Abstracts and Accepted Posters
| Jacob Less | Midwestern University AZCOM | Two Cases of Ipsilateral Breast Cancer Recurrence Near Prior Lumpectomy and Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Site |
| Megan Jung | UCI School of Medicine | Skin Cancer Burden in Older Adults |
| Nicole Wei | UCI School of Medicine | Bone and Mineral Density in Asians |
| Luke Garcia | UCI | POCUS, critical care, emergency medicine |
| Marco Esteban | UC Irvine | Food Insecurity, Social Determinants of Health |
| Megan Vu, Jacob Nguyen | California University of Science and Medicine | OB/GYN – Racial Disparities in Assisted Vaginal Delivery (AVD) |
| Megan Vu | California University of Science and Medicine | OBGYN breast cancer screening in Asian womengraphy vs ultrasound |
| Mabel Tang (co-authors Darin Cheung and Mohammad Ali Hassan) | California Northstate University College of Medicine | Obesity and Weight Stigma in Asian-Americans |
| Isabel Duong, William Do | UC Riverside School of Medicine | Dermatology, Allergy and Immunology, Minority Health |
| Joshua Wang | UC Riverside | Testicular cancer and mental health |
| Britney Naolhu | University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health | Neurologic Complications of Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy: A Case of Cerebral Vasculitis |
| Nicholas Chew | Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific | The effects of discrimination on bone health |
| Bhavya Makkar | University of Arizona | DYRK1A Inhibition using Leucittinib in Pheochromocytoma Cells |
| Indy Bui | CUSM/UCLA | Cancer Immunology |
| Robert Tran | UCISOM | Provider Conflicts of Interest |
| Mabel Song | UCI School of Medicine | Pain Medicine |
| Jeffrey Zhou | UC Irvine School of Medicine | Cancer Type-Specific and Racial Distribution Incidence Rate of Venous Thromboembolism Events |
| Zohal Noori | UCI | Microbiology |
| Joseph Reyes, Baokhoi Nguyen | University of California, Irvine | Understanding Non-Urgent Emergency Department Visits: Identifying Barriers to Primary Care Access Among Patients at a Level I Trauma Center |
| Kayleen Kanani Lau | A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona | Host demographic factors associated with vaginal microbiome composition in a multi-ethnic cohort in the Pacific |
| Mariel Bautista | A. T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona | Social Determinants of Health |
| Adam Lin | Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine – Arizona | Research Productivity and Match Competitiveness (Urology) |
National Board
Thy Nguyen
Membership Vice President
A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
Philip Nguyen-Powanada
Membership Vice President
University of Arizona COM – Phoenix
Melanie Jun
Region VII Director
University of New Mexico SOM
Carol Chen
Region VII Director
University of Arizona Pre-Health – Tucson
Teresa Anh Tran
Region VII Director
University of Arizona COM – Phoenix
Allison Chang
Region VIII Director
University of California, San Francisco SOM
Naomi Tsai
Region VIII Director
Oregon Health & Science University SOM
Julia Liu
Region VIII Director
Oregon Health & Science University SOM
Local Chapter Leadership
Matthew Cho
Co-President
UCISOM
Dylan Ta
Co-President
UCISOM
Jazzmhine Oconer
Mentorship Chair
UCISOM
Megan Jung
Mentorship Chair
UCISOM
Gianna Insogna
Health Education Chair
UCISOM
Trinh Woolridge
Community Outreach Chair
UCISOM
Yinuo (Anna) Zhang
Research Grants Chair
UCISOM
Ashley Sun
Advocacy Chair
UCISOM
Contact Us
QUESTIONS? Email us at region7@apamsa.org or region8@apamsa.org!
STAY IN TOUCH! Instagram: @nationalapamsa @region7apamsa
1st Annual HEAL Summit 2025
We are happy to announce the 1st Annual Hepatitis, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership “HEAL” Summit (previously known as the Annual Hepatitis Conference)!
The conference will take place on Friday, November 7, 2025 from 8 AM to 5 PM and Saturday, November 8, 2025 from 8 AM to 5 PM EST in Washington D.C.!
The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences has graciously partnered with us to put together the best conference yet! APAMSA members and non-members are all welcome to register and attend.
Welcome to the 1st Annual APAMSA Heal Summit!
This year, we will be hosting an Advocacy Day on November 7th where APAMSA members can engage in conversations with legislators in advocating for AANHPI health topics, medical educations, and more. We will also be taking a tour around the Capitol building!
Each year, we strive to collectively engage in the global fight against liver diseases, including hepatitis B and C, and to raise awareness about health disparities and their impact within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) population.
The objectives of the conference are to raise awareness about the impact of liver diseases on the AANHPI community, to encourage future health care providers to advocate for policy changes to address the current health disparities that the AANHPI community face, to provide opportunities for current health profession students to network with prominent leaders in AANHPI healthcare and to provide a venue for students to present their research on topics related to GI/hepatology, oncology, mental health, and more!
Saturday, November 8th, 2025
MORNING
8:20-8:30: Welcome and Introduction by Alicia Bui, Hoang-Viet Tran, and Sophia Choi
8:30-9:00: Opening Remarks by Dr. Emmeline Ha
9:10-10:00: Hepatitis Panel with Dr. Samuel So (Keynote 1)
10:10-11:00: Health Equity with Dr. Arnab Mukherjea (Keynote 2)
11:10-12:00: Outreach with Meredith Wilson
AFTERNOON
12:00-1:00: Lunch
1:00-2:00: Research Presentations
2:10-3:00: Breakout Sessions
- Shave Biopsy Workshop with Cancer Initiatives Committee
- Alcohol Flush with Dr. Eric Gross
- Mental Health Fireside Chat with Dr. Pooja Khaira, Dr. Somin Lim, and Mia Park (Moderator)
3:10-4:00: Residency Panel
4:00-4:30: Closing Remarks and Award Presentation
Organization Booths (12:00-2:00 pm)
- Dr. Eric Gross
- NMDP
- AMA
- APIAHF
Dr. Eric R. Gross
The Health Risks of Alcohol Flush
Dr. Eric Gross (he/him) 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.
Eric R. Gross MD, PhD, FASA (@ericrgross.bsky.social, @ericrgross) is a physician-scientist and practicing anesthesiologist within the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. He runs a NIH-funded research laboratory studying how alcohol metabolism impacts anesthesiology and in general human health.
He is a member of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Center for Asian Research and Education (CARE). Dr. Gross is also the section editor for basic science for the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia and the editorial fellowship director for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Today, Dr. Gross will discuss the health implications of alcohol flushing.
Ms. Meredith Wilson
NIH All of Us Research Program
This talk will provide an overview of the NIH All of Us Research Program, including the Researcher Workbench. The All of Us Research Program is a historic effort to collect and study data from one million or more people living in the United States. The goal of the program is better health for all of us. All of Us’ one-of-a-kind dataset is stored on the Researcher Workbench, a secure, cloud-based platform. Registered researchers can access data from surveys, genomic analyses, electronic health records, physical measurements, and wearables to study the full range of factors that influence health and disease.
Meredith Wilson is an experienced health policy analyst and project manager. Ms. Wilson has significant experience working with stakeholders at Clinovations Government + Health managing multiple projects like the Health IT Maternal Health Initiative with the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy (ASTP) and the technical assistance program for eHealthDC. Prior to joining the Clinovations team, Ms. Wilson served in a project management role at Pyxis Partners to support work with the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program, with a particular focus on researcher engagement. Ms. Wilson also has experience working with private sector clients, like The Kennedy Forum, to conduct policy research and write white papers on behavioral health, substance use, and mental health. Ms. Wilson has developed numerous health policy briefs and serves as a technical writer for multiple federal contracts.
Ms. Wilson received her Master’s in Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Biodefense from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Virginia Tech.
Dr. Arnab Mukherjea
The Importance of Community Representation and Advocacy in the health Professions
There has arguably never been a more challenging time in public health and medicine. Navigating these dynamic and unpredictable social and political environments requires resolve and conviction to advance a health agenda that affords equal opportunities for all communities to achieve optimal health and well-being. Especially for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs), social determinants of preventable health disparities have often been ignored or minimized. This talk will highlight historical influences on the presence and growth of AANHPIs and how the perception of this invisible yet mythically model minority continues to suffer from existing and emerging health disparities, with key differences by subgroup. It will end with a call to action for physicians and other health professions to reach beyond their comfort zones to ensure equity in opportunities for prevention of disease and promotion of health.
Dr. Arnab Mukherjea is a Professor of Public Health at California State University (CSU), East Bay, and serves as the Faculty Director for the Health Professions in the CSU Office of the Chancellor; he is also the Inaugural Director of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Middle Leadership Academy, a joint effort of the CSU AANHPI Student Achievement Program (CSU ASAP) and the CSU Student Success Network.
Arnab completed his undergraduate (BA in Molecular & Cell Biology with a minor in Education) and graduate (MPH in Health & Social Behavior with specialization in Multicultural Health; DrPH in Applied Health Disparities Research) degrees at the University of California (UC), Berkeley and postdoctoral training (Tobacco Control and Chronic Disease Prevention) at UC San Francisco and UC Davis.
Arnab’s applied research interests broadly revolve around using community-engaged methods to understand and address health disparities among understudied Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) subgroups, with a particular focus on contextual and culturally-framed risk factors. His research has been funded by the National Institutes for Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Office of Minority Health, and the state of California’s Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. He maintains membership in the Asian American Research Center for Health (ARCH) and is a Steering Committee Member of the California AANHPI Health Equity Coalition. Arnab firmly believes that community participation is essential for affected groups to understand, address, and ultimately take ownership of their own individual and collective health prospects.
Dr. Somin Lim
AAPI Youth Suicide Prevention & Residency Panel
Dr. Somin Lim (she/her) grew up in Seoul, South Korea before immigrating to Southern California as a 1.5-generation immigrant. She is currently a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow at UC Irvine and serves as the APA Assembly’s Area 6 Resident Fellow Member Representative.
With a lifelong background in both music and medicine, Dr. Lim seeks to integrate creative modalities into psychiatric care to inspire and deepen therapeutic impact. Interests include advocacy, cross-cultural psychiatry, LGBTQI health, eating disorders, and psychotherapy.
Dr. Poojajeet Khaira
AAPI Youth Suicide Prevention & Residency Panel
Poojajeet Khaira, MD is the Academic Chief Resident at MetroHealth Hospital – Case Western Reserve University and a University Hospitals Public and Community Psychiatry Fellow. She serves as Chair of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Assembly Committee of Resident-Fellow Members, Vice Chair of the APA/APAF Leadership Fellowship, and Co-Chair of the APA Resident-Fellow Member Caucus. She also chairs the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association’s (OPPA) Resident-Fellow Member and Social Media Committees. Additionally, she is co-founder of the Sikh Mental Health Summit.
Dr. Khaira has received multiple honors, including the 2025 Association of Academic Psychiatry Resident Psychiatric Educator Award, 2025 APA William Sorum Assembly Resident-Fellow Member Award, the 2025 OPPA President’s Award, and the 2022 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award.
Her work focuses on workplace violence prevention, medical education, advocacy, and cultural psychiatry, and she has authored multiple action papers passed by the APA Assembly.
Abstract submissions for the 1st Annual APAMSA HEAL Summit are now open!
Thank you for your interest in submitting your research for consideration for presentation at the 1st Annual APAMSA HEAL Summit. We look forward to evaluating your hard work. We prefer research to cover GI/Hepatology/Health Equity topics but also accept research related to AANHPI communities.
The poster session is tentatively scheduled for 1 PM to 2 PM. At least one author is required to give a presentation during this time. Poster awards will be given by our judges.
Deadline for Abstract Submission – October 6th, 2025 @ 11:59 pm CST
Final Abstract Decision Notification – October 20th, 2025 @ 11:59 pm CST
Poster Submission Deadline – October 30th, 2025 @ 11:59 pm CST
Please contact us at hepatitis@apamsa.org if you have any questions.
Both steps must be completed in order for you to be fully registered.
Below are our registration deadlines:
- Registration for Advocacy Day* will close on 9/26 as time is needed to schedule meetings and finalize event logistics. No late registrations will be accepted.
*Participants who attend Advocacy Day will be entered into a raffle to receive a $100 travel stipend - Early Bird Registration:
- HEAL Summit ONLY: $30, Ends September 26th, 2025
- Advocacy Day + HEAL Summit: $45, Ends September 26th, 2025
- Regular Registration: $35, Ends October 24, 2025
- Late Registration: $40, Ends November 7, 2025
TRAVEL SUBSIDY:
To receive financial aid to attend the Hepatitis Conference, please fill out the travel subsidy application.
Travel subsidies are awarded per chapter by region:
- Region 3: $100
- Region 1, 2, 4, 5: $150
- Region 6, 7, 9: $200
- Region 8: $250
Chapters with 10+ attendees are eligible to receive an additional $150 travel subsidy.
HOUSING INFORMATION:
Click here for the housing form
National APAMSA has secured discounted housing at The River Inn (924 25th St NW, Washington, DC 20037) from Thursday, November 6 to Sunday, November 9, 2025. The River Inn is conveniently located just a 7-minute walk to the conference venue and 18-minute walk to the Georgetown neighborhood! Discounted rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis for the first 60 people who sign up. The deadline to sign up is November 2, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST. Each room accommodates up to 4 guests (2 queen beds or 1 queen and 1 pull-out bed).
Subsidized Night (Friday, November 7)
- APAMSA will subsidize the cost of the hotel stay for Friday night only, bringing the rate down to $30 per person
- Payments must be made through this payable form before the conference
Additional Nights (Thursday, November 6 and Saturday, November 8)
- Participants who wish to stay additional nights may do so at our discounted rate of $171 + tax per night ($198 total per night)
- These nights must be paid directly to the hotel by your group
Alicia Bui
Health Affairs Vice President
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Sophia Choi
Hepatitis Director
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Hoang-Viet Tran
Hepatitis Director
George Washington School of Medicine
Alexandra Rizaldi
Graphics Committee
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Kevin Shi
Graphics Committee
McGovern Medical School
Jennifer Huynh
Speakers Committee
McGovern Medical School
Kevin Lim
Speakers Committee
Drexel University COM
Anh Le
Logistics Committee
George Washington School of Medicine
Karen Jiang
Logistics Committee
Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine Colorado
Jingyi (Jeni) Zhang
Hosting Committee
George Washington School of Medicine
Quynh-May Nguyen
Hosting Committee
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Lauren Ho
Hosting Committee
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Join our Discord server and check out the #heal-summit channel for announcements, live event updates, connecting with attendees, and addressing questions related to the conference!
Contact Us
Questions? Email us at hepatitis@apamsa.org.
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2025 Northeast Regional Conference
Reclaiming the Narrative: Medicine Through Our Lens
Date: Saturday, October 4th, 2025
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College | 1300 York Ave., New York, NY 10065
Registration Details: Click below for more info
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We are very excited to announce that the 2025 APAMSA Northeast Regional Conference will be held at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City! Hosted by APAMSA Regions I, II, and III, all APAMSA members, pre-medical members, non-members, and interested students/faculty are welcome to attend this one-day event featuring a variety of AANHPI speakers, panels, workshops, networking opportunities, research presentations, and more!
Conference Information:
Theme: Reclaiming the Narrative: Medicine Through Our Lens
Date & Time: Saturday, October 4th, 2025 | 9 AM – 5 PM
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College | 1300 York Ave., New York, NY 10065
Please note that this conference webpage is a work in progress. More information will be added as we get closer to the conference date!
Reclaiming the Narrative: Medicine Through Our Lens
As AANHPI students and physicians, many of us have grown up navigating competing expectations– between cultural silence and speaking up, between community values and individual ambition, between inherited traditions and Western medicine. Too often, our voices and stories are overlooked in classrooms, clinical spaces, and leadership. Reclaiming the Narrative: Medicine Through Our Lens is about changing that. This theme calls on us to take ownership of our experiences, challenge stereotypes like the “model minority”, and uplift the cultural wisdom we bring to the practice of medicine. By sharing our narratives, we not only empower ourselves but also reshape healthcare to better serve our patients and communities.
At this conference, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with inspiring speakers, thought-provoking panels, hands-on workshops, and meaningful connections, all united by the mission to reclaim the narrative and redefine what medicine looks like through our lens.
Saturday, October 4th, 2025
9:00 AM: Check-in, Registration, & Breakfast (Student Hearth)
10:00 AM: Introductions & Opening Statements (Uris Auditorium)
10:30 AM: Keynote Address from Lan Ðoàn, PhD, MPH (Uris Auditorium)
11:30 AM: Breakout Session A
Room F1/F2: My Journey as an Immigrant Physician (Usha Krishnan, MD)
Room F4/F5: The Bamboo Ceiling: Leadership in the Asian-American Physician Community (Bryan Le, MD)
Room G/H: I did it my way, from model minority to Professor (Nolan Kagetsu, MD)
Weill Auditorium: Charting Our Own Course: A Panel Discussion on Leadership in Medicine and Community (Roy S. Chuck M.D., Ph.D; Bhargava Chitti, MD; Khamarin Nhann)
12:30 PM: Lunch & Poster Session
Lunch: Student Hearth
Poster Session: LCS 207/208, LCS 209/210
1:30 PM: Breakout Session B
Room F1/F2: Clearing the Air: Debunking Lung Cancer Myths and Highlighting the Asian Experience (Catherine Shu, MD)
Room F4/F5: Happiness for AAPI physicians – an intergenerational dialogue (Philip Chang, MD)
Room A/B: Suturing Workshop (First 30 attendees!) (Arlene Y. Zhou, DO)
Room G/H: Boundaries, Burnout, and Being Human: Psychiatry as a Long Game (Jaclyn Chen, MD)
Weill Auditorium: Menteeship Strategies: Pursuing Research as a Medical Student (Yingfei Wu, MD, MPH)
2:30 PM: Boba Break & Resident Networking Session
Boba Pickup: Student Hearth
Residency Networking Session: LCS 207/208, LCS 209/210, Room A/B, Room C/D, Room E/F, Room G/H, Room R/S, Room F1/F2, Room F4/F5, Archibold Commons
3:30 PM: Breakout Session C
Room F1/F2: The Health Risks of Alcohol Flush (Dr. Eric Gross, MD, PhD, FASA; Lucy Shang)
Room F4/F5: Stepping Up & Speaking Out (Juliann Wang, MD; Tiffany Shu, MD)
Room G/H: Hepatitis B and Beyond: Leadership, Community, and Patient-Centered Care (Perry Pong, MD)
Weill Auditorium: Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) Workshop (Hillary Haas, DO)
4:30 PM: Closing Remarks (Uris Auditorium)
5:00 PM: Conference End
6:00 PM: Post-Conference Social (The Stumble Inn, 1454 2nd Ave)
Keynote Speaker
Lan Ðoàn, PhD, MPH
Lan N. Ðoàn, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She is a social epidemiologist with training and applied experience in conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR) using mixed methods approaches, community-partnered health needs assessments, and participatory systems science methods. Her research focuses on how social determinants of health contribute to cardiovascular and psychosocial health risks and disparities across the life course. She examines the impact of aging on effective health promotion strategies for older adults, particularly addressing social isolation and loneliness through community-tailored approaches.
Breakout Session A
Usha Krishnan, MD
Dr. Usha Krishnan is a Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, as well as Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Comprehensive Care Center. She attended the University of Bombay, Seth G.S. Medical College (India), and completed her residency at Westchester Medical Center and fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. In addition to clinical responsibilities, she is actively involved in medical education at every level. She is closely involved with the Pediatric Cardiology fellowship at Columbia University and is the director of the fellowship Clinical Competency Committee, which oversees fellow education and training. She is the director of medical student and resident education in Pediatric Cardiology and is closely involved with the Foundations in Clinical Medicine and Major Clinical Year training at the medical school. She was inducted to the Virginia Apgar Society of Medical Educators at Columbia University in 2018. She is also actively involved in research, both in Pulmonary Hypertension and Pediatric Cardiology and is PI/co-investigator in multiple clinical trials, both NIH sponsored and other grants.
Bryan Le, MD
Bryan Le, MD, is an attending physician and assistant professor at Montefiore Einstein. He is also the Associate Program Director of the Montefiore Rehabilitation Department residency program. Dr. Le’s clinical focus is on neurologic rehabilitation, with a particular focus on spasticity management, including botulinum injections, baclofen pump management, and cryoneurolysis. He also manages non-surgical musculoskeletal injuries and performs therapeutic injections for shoulder, hip, and knee injuries.
Nolan Kagetsu, MD
Dr. Nolan Kagetsu studied chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After graduating from Albany Medical College (before the creation of APAMSA!), he completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at Mount Sinai West and a fellowship in Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology at NYU. He currently is a diagnostic neuroradiologist at Mount Sinai in New York City. He advises the Mount Sinai APAMSA chapter. Nolan serves on the APAMSA alumni advisory board and serves on the ACR Council Steering Committee. He has written about unconscious bias, microaggression, and being an upstander. He is a Professor of Radiology and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has 2 adult children and lives with his wife in New York City. You can follow him on X (Twitter) @nkagetsu and Instagram @NYCneurorad
Roy S. Chuck M.D., Ph.D
Roy S. Chuck M.D., Ph.D. is a cornea and refractive surgery specialist. He has expertise in the field of laser techniques for refractive eye problems and has published, patented (with products both in development and already in market) and lectured extensively throughout his career. Dr. Chuck also has strong research interests in dry eye, ocular surface stem cells and corneal transplantation. Dr. Chuck, a U.C. Berkeley trained engineer, graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he received his M.D., Ph.D. degree. He then proceeded on to ophthalmology residency in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Washington University School of Medicine, where he also served as faculty Chief Resident. He completed his fellowship training in Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California. Dr. Chuck has served on the faculties of Ophthalmology and Engineering at Washington University, University of Southern California, University of California Irvine and the Johns Hopkins University, where he held the Tom Clancy Professorship in Ophthalmology and was the Director of Refractive Surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute. At present, he is Professor and Paul Henkind Chair of Ophthalmology and Genetics and the longstanding Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, one of the largest eye care centers in the country. Among his other professional appointments, Dr. Chuck serves on the steering committee for the evidence-based medicine Cochrane Collaborative Eyes and Vision Group, as the elected Editor-in-Chief of the ARVO journal Translational Vision Science and Technology (TVST) and as the Secretary for Quality of Care for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Dr. Chuck was also one of the first Asian Americans to assume leadership of a major academic ophthalmology department in the U.S.
Bhargava Chitti, MD
I am currently an attending physician in the Kings County Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology and an assistant professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. I went to medical school at GWU School of Medicine in DC, intern year at Bronxcare Hospital, and residency at Northwell Health/ Hofstra School of Medicine. Focus areas – all kinds of cancer, and also functional radiosurgery – use of radiation to treatment trigeminal neuralgia, psychiatric disorders e.g. OCD, tremor, and seizures.
Khamarin Nhann
Born to refugee parents in the Bronx, Khamarin was recruited into CAAAV’s Youth Leadership Project (YLP) and participated with the program in the early 2000s. After becoming a youth organizer, he led YLP’s Health Justice Campaign for quality healthcare services for Southeast Asian refugees against Montefiore Medical Center. Khamarin was later a co-founder of Mekong NYC in 2012, and currently serves as the Campaign Director. He has waged and won a campaign to improve healthcare services for underserved Southeast Asian refugees in the Bronx to include language justice, patient navigation, and culturally sensitive treatments, and trained over 200 youth organizers. As Mekong’s Campaign Director, he developed community strategies and campaigns through leadership development, community power building and advocacy with elected officials and allies, which includes Anti-deportation and Economic Democracy campaigns. He has built partnerships and solidarity through local and national AAPI, SEA coalition and movement spaces for social justice. Khamarin earned a BS in Health Services Administration for CUNY New York City College of Technology, he is also a Licensed Optician and was a trained leader in Somatics.
Breakout Session B
Catherine Shu, MD
Dr. Catherine Shu is the Price Family Associate Professor of Medicine and a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of thoracic cancers, with a focus on lung cancer. She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, followed by her M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. After residency at Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Shu completed her fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she was appointed Chief Fellow. She currently serves as the Director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Service. She has presented her work at numerous international conferences and has published in the top peer-reviewed oncology journals. She treats the entire spectrum of lung cancer and has a particular interest in earlier stage and surgically resectable disease, specifically on drug combinations to help improve survival in this setting. Additionally, she runs the thoracic oncology clinical trial portfolio and devotes part of her research effort to patients with targetable mutations such as EGFR. Of all her achievements, she is proudest to be able to offer individualized and compassionate care to each and every one of her patients. She understands that each patient and family carries forth a different set of beliefs, goals, and needs. Working alongside an exceptional multidisciplinary team, she is dedicated to improving the survival and bettering the quality of life of her patients.
Philip Chang, MD
Greetings! My name is Philip Chang and I’m currently an attending burn surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center. My life journey started in Mobile, Alabama, as the first born son of Korean immigrants. I attended Harvard for undergrad, University of Alabama for medical school, University of Illinois at Chicago for general surgery residency, and. University of California at Davis for burn surgery fellowship. I have been an attending burn surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and University of Cincinnati prior to coming to Weill Cornell. My hobbies include origami, piano, sci-fi and history reading, kayaking, and paint-by-numbers. I have an amazing spouse, 2 children, and 1 occasionally stubborn dog. Of note, my oldest daughter is planning to apply to medical school next year.
Yingfei Wu, MD, MPH
Dr. Wu is a faculty member in the Division of General Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS). She received her MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, followed by internal medicine training at New York University Langone Health and a general medicine fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and HMS. Her research focuses on improving cardiometabolic disease outcomes through promoting healthier nutrition and addressing health-related social needs such as food insecurity. Clinically, Dr. Wu practices as a primary care physician. Additionally, she serves on the editorial board of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, advises the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), and teaches medical students at HMS. As a past national president of APAMSA, she remains passionate about serving the AAPI community.
Arlene Y. Zhou, DO
Arlene Y. Zhou, DO is a chief general surgery resident at Hoboken University Medical Center in New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University at Buffalo and her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem. During medical school, Dr. Zhou was actively involved in APAMSA, served as Liaison for the local chapter of APAMSA, and later advanced to roles as National Conference Director and Hepatitis Conference Director. She continues to remain active in APAMSA through participation in the Bootcamp series and by mentoring medical students navigating the residency application process. As a first-generation physician, Dr. Zhou is passionate about guiding and supporting students in medicine, helping them navigate the challenges of medical training and pursue their goals in healthcare.
Jaclyn Chen, MD
Dr. Jaclyn Chen is a board-certified psychiatrist in private practice, trained at Stony Brook Medicine (MD, Psychiatry Residency) and Albert Einstein/Montefiore (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship), with an undergraduate background in Human Biology & Biological Engineering from Cornell University. Her clinical focus in psychiatry centers on the comprehensive treatment of ADHD, mood disorders, and bipolar disorder, with a particular interest in stress, burnout, and the ways these conditions impact functioning across personal and professional domains. She also integrates interventional approaches, including ketamine-assisted treatment, as part of a broader toolkit for patients with refractory mood symptoms. In addition to individual care, she works with couples navigating relational challenges, recognizing the powerful role relationships play in mental health. Beyond direct clinical work, she is committed to mental health advocacy, aiming to reduce stigma, promote access to care, and foster open dialogue about psychiatric wellness in diverse communities.
Breakout Session C
Dr. Eric Gross, MD, PhD, FASA
Eric R. Gross MD, PhD, FASA (@ericrgross.bsky.social, @ericrgross) is a physician-scientist and practicing anesthesiologist within the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. He runs a NIH-funded research laboratory studying how alcohol metabolism impacts anesthesiology and in general human health. He is a member of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Center for Asian Research and Education (CARE). Dr. Gross is also the section editor for basic science for the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia and the editorial fellowship director for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Today, Dr. Gross will discuss the health implications of alcohol flushing.
Lucy Shang
Lucy is a third-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2023 with a degree in Public Health, where she first developed a passion for using medicine as a tool for advocacy and education. At Mount Sinai, she has found a home in the Department of Anesthesiology, where she has founded organizations to bring exploration of the field by students of all backgrounds and lead initiatives to help ease pain and anxiety in the perioperative settings through research, technology, and quality improvement. Growing up in China and seeing the impact of cancer on her own family furthered her commitment to public health advocacy. Today, she partners with Dr. Eric Gross to bring attention to alcohol flush—a condition that affects more than 500 million people worldwide but is rarely talked about—by educating both physicians and communities about its cumulative health risks.
Juliann Wang, MD
Dr. Juliann Wang, MD, MPH, is a second-year resident in Family and Social Medicine at Montefiore. She graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a major in Global Disease Biology. During her time at UC Davis, Juliann volunteered as a patient advocate and undergraduate co-director at the Paul Hom Asian Clinic, a student-run clinic that served the Asian community. After college, she spent two years traveling and worked as a medical scribe and school aide for students with special education needs. She then moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she pursued an MD/MPH dual degree. In medical school, Juliann partnered with community organizations to provide medical services to people experiencing homelessness and helped organize initiatives to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health issue in the state. Her research focused on removing barriers to care for individuals living with HIV. She served as a leader and mentor through her roles as diversity ambassador, APAMSA vice president, and clinical scholar teaching associate. Her interests span a broad range, including carceral medicine, addiction medicine, reproductive health, gender-affirming care, and more. Outside of medicine, she enjoys exploring the city with friends, watching the latest Netflix movies and shows, and cuddling with her dog.
Tiffany Shu, MD
Dr. Tiffany Shu is a PGY-2 family medicine resident at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY. She obtained her BS in Biology from Boston College and her MD from Chicago Medical School. One of her strongest passions is patient education which is highlighted by her experience as a Public Relations Officer for her student run clinic where she worked with the Lake County Health Department to design, publish and distribute 25,000 COVID-19 vaccine flyers during the pandemic. She continues these efforts in projects to incorporate digital media for her patients in the Bronx to increase access for patient education. Dr. Shu is also on the HIV track to expand her scope in becoming a primary care physician for a wider population of vulnerable and underserved patients.
Hillary Haas, DO
Dr. Haas is board certified in Family Medicine, Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (NMM), with special interests in pediatric care and post-surgical recovery through OMM. She currently serves as an associate professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, and also sees patients at her private practice, Haas Osteopathic Medicine, in Manhattan’s Flatiron district. Previously, she taught at Des Moines University’s (DMU) College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she served as assistant professor of OMM in addition to treating patients at DMU’s OMM clinic. Dr. Haas earned her medical degree from Des Moines University, where she also completed an undergraduate fellowship in OMM. She went on to complete a Family Medicine residency at Fox Valley Family Medicine in Appleton, Wisconsin, followed by an additional residency in OMM/NMM at Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine. Outside of her work, Dr. Haas finds joy in yoga, cooking with ingredients from local farms, and spending time outdoors and with the people she loves.
Perry Pong, MD
Perry Pong, MD 余 永新 醫生 is the Director of Medical Education and Training at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. Prior to this, he was the Health Center’s Chief Medical Officer for 16 years and led by three principles: 1) Provide safe quality medical care; 2) Provide a good patient experience; and 3) Provide a good staff experience. In his new role, Dr. Pong teaches new nurse practitioners and doctors to navigate the health system and pilots a coaching program to help staff to further their education, including RN and nurse practitioner programs. Dr. Pong came to the Health Center in 2007 from New York City’s Health and Hospitals/Jacobi Medical Center, where he was the Associate Medical Director for Ambulatory Care Services. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and was born and raised in San Francisco, California. His roots trace back to his great-grandfather, who came to the US in 1888.
Directions to the Venue
Address: Weill Cornell Medicine Sandra and Edward Meyer Research and Education Building (1300 York Ave., New York, NY 10065)
When you walk into the front entrance, please notify security that you’re attending the APAMSA Regional Conference. Signs and ushers will direct you to the second-floor Student Hearth for registration and breakfast.
If Coming from the Airport:
- LaGuardia Airport
- Uber/Lyft/taxi takes approximately 25-40 minutes.
- Public transportation requires multiple transfers between bus and subway. We recommend taking a bus (e.g. Q70-SBS) that connects to the Manhattan-bound F line, then transferring to the Uptown Q line at the Lexington Avenue–63 St stop. Exit at the 72 St stop, which is a short walk from campus. Total commute time is approximately 1 hour.
- John F. Kennedy International Airport
- Uber/Lyft/taxi takes approximately 45 minutes-1 hour.
- There are multiple options for public transportation, including taking the AirTrain from the airport and transferring to the subway system, or to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) then subway. Total commute time is approximately 1 hour.
- Newark Liberty International Airport
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- Uber/Lyft/taxi takes approximately 1 hour-1 hour 30 minutes.
- Public transportation requires transferring from Newark Airport Express bus or NJ Transit railway to subway. The Newark Airport Express bus drops passengers off at Port Authority terminal, and the NJ Transit lets out at New York Penn station. Total commute time is approximately 1 hour.
If Coming by Train:
- If taking a train into New York Penn Station (Moynihan Train Hall), take the Uptown Q line by walking to the 34 St–Herald Square station. Exit at the 72 St stop, which is a 5 minute walk from campus.
- If taking a train into Grand Central Station, transfer to the Uptown 6 subway. Exit at the 68 St–Hunter College stop, which is a 13 minute walk from campus.
Parking: Street parking spots are restricted and limited in number. We recommend parking at a nearby garage.
- 315 E 70 St Garage: $40 for up to 10 hours; $45 for 24 hours or overnight; $20 for up to 12 hours on weekends entering after 6 am and leaving by midnight.
- 420 E 72 St Garage: $41 for up to 10 hours; $48 for 24 hours or overnight; $20 for up to 12 hours on weekends entering after 6 am and leaving by midnight.
- 340 E 74 St Garage: $36 for up to 10 hours; $41 for 24 hours or overnight; $16 for up to 12 hours on weekends entering after 7 am and leaving by midnight.
Campus Map
Accommodations
Hotels within walking distance of campus are limited. We recommend choosing a hotel that’s close to a subway stop on the 6 or Q lines. The 68 St–Hunter College stop on the 6 line is a 13 minute walk from campus, and the 72 St stop on the Q line is a 5 minute walk. The M31, M15, and M15+ SBS buses also have stops within 5 minutes walking distance from campus.
- The Gardens Sonesta ES Suites: 13 minute walk from campus.
- Courtyard by Marriott New York Manhattan/Upper East Side: Approximately 20-30 minutes via M31 bus or Q subway.
- Pod 51 on E 51 St: Approximately 20-25 minutes via M15+ SBS bus or 6 subway.
- The Americana Inn: Approximately 25 minutes via the Q subway.
APAMSA Regions I, II, and III invite you to submit an abstract for the Northeastern Regional Conference on October 4th, 2025. There is no cost for submitting an abstract.
Deadline for abstract submission: September 19th, 2025 @ 11:59 PM EST.
Research Prize Winners:
First Place: Alice Lim, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Second Place: Darin Mak, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Third Place: Emily Nguyen, Eastern Virginia Medical School
People’s Choice Award: Angela Tran, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Harlem
Featured Abstracts and Accepted Posters
Vrindda Atrii
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Risk Factors for Group B Streptococcus Colonization: Investigating Maternal Comorbidities
Aldi Chan
Larner College of Medicine at UVM
Deepening Care Through StoryListening: A Narrative Approach to Understand Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Connectedness in Older Adults and their Caregivers
Vincent Eng
Zucker School of Medicine
Graft usage in 1- and 2-Level Anterior level Discectomy and Fusion at a Large Academic Health System
Hannah Huang
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
What Matters Most: Older Adults Prioritizing Life Prolongation Before Palliative Radiation Therapy Have Better Post-Treatment Outcomes
Helen Ji
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Cultural Influences and Traditional Chinese Medicine Use Among Chinese Americans with Hair Loss
Zion Kang
Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Lung Cancer Awareness Among African, Hispanic and Asian American Communities: Findings from TUFCCC/HC Partnership Community Outreach Core Program
Kaity Kim
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Disparities in Anal Dysplasia Persistence: Influence of HIV Status and Race/Ethnicity
Justin Lam
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Evaluation of an Age-Friendly Health System: 4Ms Assessments and Outcomes in Hospitalized Older Adults
Alice Lim
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Culturally Tailored Nutrition Education for Cambodian Elders: A Community-Based Pilot Program
Anisha Loganathan, Anusha Mudigonda, Shruti Ravikumar
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Exploring Healthcare Access, Awareness, Knowledge, and Practices Across Urban and Rural Communities in Karnataka
Darin Mak
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Development of an AI-driven body composition analysis platform for objective evaluation of liver transplant recipient myosteatosis
Annemarie Nguyen
Penn State College of Medicine
Impact of Virtual ICU Implementation on Clinical Outcomes Across Multiple Critical Care Units: A Before-and-After Study
Emily Nguyen
Eastern Virginia Medical School
One Budget, Different Strategies: A Comparative Study of Community Healthy Priorities Across Asian American Ethnic Groups in Hampton Roads
Tien Nguyen
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Kain Na Tayo!: Exploring How Culturally Tailored Nutrition Videos Can Inspire Heart-Healthy Eating in Filipino Americans
Krithi Pachipala
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Nativity, Language, and Acculturation in Relation to Sun Protection Behaviors: A NHANES Analysis (2011–2018)
Claire Jeeyoung Pak
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Racial and Gender Disparities in the Surgical Treatment of Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Rithikaa Rajendran
Rutgers University
Evaluating Primary Suture Versus Non-Suture Closure Following Incidental Lumbar Spine Durotomy: Complication Rates and Clinical Outcomes
Justin Peter Rosales
TouroCOM – Middletown, NY
Unraveling the Nexus: Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial DNA, and Cerebellar Dysfunction in Down Syndrome
Chandni Shah
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Elucidating Barriers to ASD Diagnoses and Care for Asian American Families in Philadelphia: A Pilot Community-Based Study
Tsering Sherpa-Ngima
UVM Larner College of Medicine
Relationships of Life’s Essential 8 Cardiovascular Health Components with Circulating Neurodegeneration Biomarkers
Laura Sieh
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Baseline coagulation profiles relate to hospital complications after intracerebral hemorrhage
Ria Talathi
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening in Urban India: A Survey-Based Assessment from Mumbai Radiology Clinics
Jalen Tom
University of Maryland School of Medicine
J-splints Provide Comparable Outcomes to Spica Casting in Pediatric Femur Fractures
Angela Tran
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-Harlem
Urolift Clip Artifacts in Prostate Cancer Workup: Advantages of 1.5 Tesla MRI Over 3.0 Tesla MRI in Minimizing Diagnostic Challenges
Hoang-Viet Tran
George Washington University School of Medicine
Disaggregated Data Reveals Hidden Health Disparities in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities: Evidence from Community Health Needs Assessment in Greater Washington DC
Bryant Wang
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Temporal Bone Fractures with Concomitant Facial Bone Fractures: Patterns, Outcomes, and the Cushion Effect Hypothesis
Karen Yang
Weill Cornell Medicine
Gastric Cancer Risk in BRCA1/2 Pathogenic Variant Carriers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Sophia Yu
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Development of A Novel Ophthalmic Anesthesia Curriculum for an Ophthalmology Residency Program
Ying Yu
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Socioeconomic Disparities in Access to Muscle Flap Reconstruction After Oncologic Lower Extremity Resection
Edmund Zhi & Sarah Chang
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
From Indices to Action: Using Social Risk Indices to Inform Workplace Hearing Loss Prevention
National Board
Stephen Lin
Membership Vice President
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philip Nguyen-Powanda
Membership Vice President
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Stephanie Lam
Region I Director
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Brian Vu
Region I Director
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Lara Castaneda
Region II Director
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Middletown
Yue Jiao Jiang
Region II Director
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Harlem
Timothy Liu
Region II Director
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Maggie Zhou
Region II Director
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Stephen Chien
Region III Director
Drexel University College of Medicine
Jeffrey Wang
Region III Director
Drexel University College of Medicine
Lucy Zhou
Region III Director
Drexel University College of Medicine
Local Chapter Leadership
Christopher Chan
Weill Cornell Medical College
Emily Cheng
Weill Cornell Medical College
Michelle He
Weill Cornell Medical College
Starr Jiang
Weill Cornell Medical College
Jasmine Yu
Weill Cornell Medical College
Contact Us
QUESTIONS? Email us at region1@apamsa.org, region2@apamsa.org, or region3@apamsa.org!
2025 Region V and VI Conference
The Red Thread We Mend: Roots and Resilience Through Healing and Care
Date: October 11, 2025
Location: University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago
Address: 1853 W Polk St, Chicago, IL 60612
Check-In: 845 S Damen Ave MC802, Chicago, IL 60612 (Nursing Event Center 3rd floor)
Registration Details: Click below for more info
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We are delighted to welcome you to University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago for APAMSA’s Combined Region V & VI Regional Conference!
The Red Thread We Mend: Roots and Resilience Through Healing and Care
In today’s dynamic world of healthcare, it is more important than ever to remember our shared histories, experiences, and communities—these are the threads that connect us. The Red Thread We Mend symbolizes the strength of the AANHPI experience, weaving together our roots with the compassion and care that shape our future in medicine.
To celebrate this theme, the APAMSA Region V & VI Conference at UIC will bring together students, physicians, and community leaders for a day of dialogue and growth. Attendees can look forward to inspiring speakers, interactive workshops, panels on health equity, a poster session, and meaningful networking opportunities. Together, we will trace the threads of our shared stories and weave them into a legacy of healing and care.
October 11, 2025
Please note that events are split between the Nursing Event Center (NURS) on 845 S Damen Ave MC802, Chicago, IL 60612 and UIC College of Medicine West Tower (CMWT) on 1853 W Polk St, Chicago, IL 60612
Registration, lunch, and the poster session will take place at the Nursing Event Center (NURS)
7:55am – 8:40am | Check-in & Breakfast | Nursing Event Center (NURS) 3rd floor
9:15am – 9:20am | Opening Remarks | CMWT 527
9:20am – 9:35am | NMDP | CMWT 527
9:35am – 9:45am | All of Us | CMWT 527
9:45am – 10:25am | Keynote with Dr. Sonali Paul | CMWT 527
10:25am – 10:30am | Break
10:30am – 11:30am | Breakout Session 1
CMWT 420 Lounge | A Hands-on Approach to Treating Neck Pain and Stiffness
CMWT 429 | High Yield Radiology | USMLE
CMWT 527 | Building Trust and Health Equity: Medical Engagement with Immigrant and Refugee Communities Presentation by Chinese Mutual Aid Association (Chicago)
11:30am – 12:30pm | Breakout Session 2
CMWT 420 Lounge | Suture Clinic with Surgical Society at UICOM
CMWT 527 | Intubation Workshop with EM IG at UICOM
CMWT 429 | IUD Workshop with Family Medicine Residents at UICOM
12:30pm – 1:00pm | Lunch
1:00pm – 2:00pm | Poster Session & Networking
2:15pm – 3:15pm | Breakout Session 3
CMWT 527 | The Health Risks of Alcohol Flush
CMWT 429 | Advocating for Health Equity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Other Pacific Islanders in 2025
CMWT 420 Lounge | Achievement ≠ Worth: Finding Freedom in Training and Beyond
3:30pm – 4:30pm | Panel
CMWT 527 | Resident Panel
CMWT 420 Lounge | Medical Student Panel
4:35pm | Closing Remarks & Raffle | CMWT 429/527
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Sonali Paul, MD, MSTransplant Hepatologist & Assistant Professor of Medicine
UChicago
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.
Workshop Speakers
Justin Le, MS2Osteopathic Medicine Committee Member
Rowan-Virtua SOM
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.
Dr. Allison Law, DOClinical Associate of Family Medicine
UChicago
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, MS3Region VI Director
University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine
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.
Dr. Catherine Wang, MD, MSLOphthalmology Resident, PGY-3
University of Illinois-Chicago
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, MD, PhDAssociate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Stanford University
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, MPHAssistant Director of Population Health Research Operations
All of Us
UChicago
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.
Dr. Marshall H. Chin, MD, MPHRichard Parrillo Family Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine
UChicago
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.
Dr. Jonathan Lio, MDAssociate Professor of Medicine
UChicago
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.
Dr. Maggie Liu, MDInternal Medicine Resident, PGY-3
University of Illinois-Chicago
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, MBASenior Program Partner for Member Recruitment
NMDP
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.
Dr. Vikrant Garg, MDDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, PGY-2
University of Illinois-Chicago
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, MDDermatology Resident, PGY-1
Northwestern University
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 YapDirector of Strategic Initiatives
Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMMA)
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 VienManaging Director
Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMMA)
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.
Directions to the Venue
Cook County Hospital Off-Site Parking Garage
- 1800 W Polk St, Chicago, IL 60612
- 2 minute walk to College of Medicine West Tower
- All-day parking $5
Juvenile Center Off-Site Parking Garage
- 1111 S Hamilton Ave, Chicago, IL 60612
- 12 minute walk to College of Medicine West Tower
- All-day parking $2
The poster session will be held at the College of Nursing building (NURS) which is a 2 minute walk from the College of Medicine West Tower (CMWT).
Congratulations to everyone whose abstracts have been accepted to our conference!
Community Health
Joy Ku – MOSAAIC @ UChicago: Fostering Strong Partnerships with Community-based Organizations for Outreach and Recruitment in AANHPI Communities
Christine Lin – Community Health Worker-Led Intervention to Increase Hepatitis Delta Virus Screening among Immigrants in the Metropolitan-DC Area
Brianna Le – Addressing Women’s Health Disparities: Preventative Care Screening in AANHPI Patients at a Student-Run Free Clinic
Arshum Mirzaeifard, Pratik Thakur – Analysis of Referral Completion Rate at the Columbus Free Clinic Based on Patient Contact Method
Alicia Wang – Bridging the Gap: Expanding MOUD Access in Chicagoland Emergency Departments
Jasmine Yang, John Cha, Jonathon Truong, Amy Dong – Free Tuberculosis and Hepatitis B Screenings with Focus on Asian and African-Born Populations in Franklin County Ohio
Shouli Zhu – Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake: Associations with Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Geographic Factors in Ohio
Suki Cheung – More Than Just Flushing: What Chicago’s Chinatown Knows (and Doesn’t Know) About the Genetics of Alcohol Metabolism
Mustafaa Munir – Beyond Translation: Understanding Burmese and Haitian Communities’ Perceptions on Child Development to Bridge Gaps in Neurodevelopmental Care
Diana Duque – Association of the Social Vulnerability Index with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Incidence and Survival Rates in Metropolitan Detroit
Joshrick Sablan – Assessing Mental Health Capacity in Guam: Gaps in Screening, Infrastructure, and Provider Preparedness Among Pacific Islander Populations
Kaomi Yang – Staying Connected, Staying Healthy: The differential role of social participation on healthcare utilization by rural and urban residence among older Thai adults
Clinical
Khoa Vu – Disease Activity in Still’s Disease: A Longitudinal Analysis
Cuong Luu – Salvage Deep Brain Stimulation After Failed Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor: Targeting Considerations and Electrophysiological Findings
Prishha Thiagarajan – Parental Incarceration, Emotional Support, and Pediatric Chronic Pain Among Children in the United States: A National Study
Ming Wu – Investigating Innovations in Keloid Prevention and Treatment in Asian Populations: A Translational Perspective
Audrianna Wu – Unique Challenges in Managing Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in Asian Populations
Vincent Kageyama and Nandi Tumbayar – Review of Hepatitis-B Screening and Vaccine Behaviors Among Asian-Immigrant Communities in the U.S
Ethan Nguyen – Understanding Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Among Asian Americans: A Scoping Head and Neck Literature Review
Jessica Toledo – Breaking the Model Minority Myth and Revealing the Exclusion of Asian Americans in Diabetic Retinopathy Research
Brandon Park and Shravani Khisti – A Scoping Review of Artificial Intelligence Methods for Early Detection of Retinoblastoma in Asian Populations
Sung-Ki Lee – Silent Signals: Prognostic Value of Non-Specific ST–Segment and T-Wave Abnormalities in the ICU
Arnima Singh – Applying the Integrated Behavioral Model to Better Understand Asian Women’s Decisions to Participate in a Unique Clinical Trial
Joy Ku – Disaggregating AANHPI Health Data in Electronic Health Records Utilizing Self-Reported Primary Language?
Ian Kang – Risk factors contributing to 30-day and 1-year mortality event scores following major lower extremity amputation for limb ischemia
Evan Huang – Examining Primary Side Effect of CDK4/6 Inhibitors in Stage III/IV Asian Breast Cancer Patient Population Comparing Adjunct Therapy with Aromatase Inhibitors: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review
Catherine Chang – Investigating Atopic Dermatitis as a Contributor to Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy
Emily Zeng – Navigating Abortion Access in Post-Dobbs’s Illinois- An Overview of the Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access (CARLA)
Sarah Kim – OTC: Over the Counter, or Open to Contamination?: A Review of OTC Lubricating Eye Drops Safety
Ali Akram – The Unseen Risk of Asian American Underrepresentation in US Glaucoma Studies
Ethan Nguyen – Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Asian American Populations: Early Detection, Treatment, and Genetic Predisposition
Elton Tong, Catherine Tran – Improving Clinician Knowledge of Asian-Specific BMI Cutoffs for Cardiometabolic Risk: A Quality Improvement Project
Basic Science
Akansha Khadka – DUOX2 Gene Mutations and the 2’-Fucosyllactose Human Milk Oligosaccharide Regulate Inflammatory Responses in Crohn’s Disease Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Macrophages and Human Intestinal Organoids
Aileen Huang – Investigating the Role of ANGPTL2 in Trabecular Meshwork Dysfunction and Intraocular Pressure Regulation in Glaucoma
Michelle Yang – Aminoglycoside Induces RIPOR2 Translocation and Phosphatidylserine Externalization via Distinct Mechanisms
Anshika Kapoor – Loss of GPR68 Enhances Amphetamine-Induced Locomotor Sensitization in a Sex-Dependent Manner
National Board
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
Local Chapter Leadership
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
Contact Us
QUESTIONS? Email us at region5@apamsa.org and region6@apamsa.org!
2025 Region IV & IX Conference
Rooted in Resilience
Date: September 27th, 2025
Location: Baylor College of Medicine
Registration Details: Click below for more info
On behalf of Region IV, Region IX, & Baylor APAMSA, we are delighted to welcome you to Houston for APAMSA’s Region IV-IX Joint Regional Conference!
Rooted in Resilience
In these tumultuous times for healthcare, it’s more important than ever that we reconnect with both our purpose and our strength. Rooted in Resilience, the AANHPI community draws from a rich history and diverse perspective to shape and strengthen the field of medicine. To celebrate and reflect on this fact, we are excited to announce this upcoming in-person event hosted at Baylor College of Medicine – open to both members and non-members of APAMSA.
Attendees can look forward to an exciting day filled with AANHPI speakers, engaging panels, interactive workshops, valuable networking opportunities, thought-provoking poster session, and more as we honor our roots and plant the seeds of resilience for the future!
September 27th, 2025
| 8:30 AM | Alkek Lobby | Registration |
| 9:00 AM | Kleberg | Opening Remarks w/ Dr. Connie Tran |
| 9:30 AM | Kleberg | Keynote w/ Dr. Stephen Chao |
| 10:15 AM | Kleberg | All of Us |
| 10:30 AM | Kleberg | NMDP (formerly Be The Match) |
| 11:00 AM | M321, Kleberg, M323, M313/314 | Breakout Session 1 (Policy, Alcohol Flush, Research, NMDP) |
| 12:00 PM | Alkek Lobby | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | Kleberg/M321 | Poster Session/Networking |
| 2:00 PM | M303/M323/M313/314, Kleberg, M321 | Breakout Session 2 (Sim Skills, Residency Panel, Premed Panel) |
| 3:00 PM | M303/M323/M313/314, Kleberg, M321 | Breakout Session 3 (Sim Skills, Advocacy, Hepatitis) |
| 4:00 PM | Kleberg | Closing Remarks |
Post-Conference Social TBA
Dr. Connie Khanh Vu Tran, M.D., FASAOpening Remarks
Associate Professor - Department of Anesthesiology
Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Connie Tran is a proud first-generation Vietnamese American and the first and only in her family to pursue a career in medicine. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine, she brings both clinical excellence and a deep commitment to mentorship and advocacy. Dr. Tran believes in supporting the next generation of learners and has been involved in multiple organizations to showcase medicine, especially anesthesiology to under representative students. She serves as Advisor and Director of the Yellow Squad within Baylor’s Learning Community, where she provides guidance, encouragement, and holistic support to medical students throughout their journey.
Outside the operating room and classroom, Dr. Tran enjoys experimenting with new recipes and sharing her culinary creations with her family, residents, and students.
Dr. Stephen Chao, M.D., M.P.H. Keynote: AANHPI Health Equity in a Post-COVID World
Assistant Professor - Family and Community Medicine
McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Stephen Chao, MD, MPH (pronouns: he/him/his) is a family physician who practices in the underserved safety-net/community health setting in Houston, Texas. He is the medical director of the Squatty Lyons Health Center in Humble, Texas, one of the twelve Community Health Centers that are part of Harris Health System — the county clinic and hospital network which serves approximately one million under-insured and uninsured people in Harris County, the third most-populous county in the United States. Dr. Chao is an Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He previously was a staff physician at Legacy Community Health Services, a federally qualified health center in Houston, Texas, and was previously on the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine as well.
Born and raised in Houston, he attended Rice University, graduating with degrees in Biochemistry and Health Policy. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and also completed his family medicine residency training at UT Health San Antonio. During medical school, he interned with the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum and also served as the National Executive Vice-President of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association.
Upon returning to his hometown of Houston, Dr. Chao became involved in the Chinese American Doctors Association of Houston and was elected president of the Association from 2016-2017. He also was involved with the national civil rights organization, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, serving on the Greater Houston chapter board for more than ten years. His interests include care for immigrant and refugee populations, community health, and public policy. Dr. Chao also recently served on the national board of Physicians for a National Health Program. He believes in providing health care for all.
Dr. Nhu Thao Nguyen Galvan, M.D., M.P.H., FACSHow to Get Involved in Advocacy as a Physician
Associate Professor - Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
N. Thao Galvan MD, MPH, FACS is an abdominal transplant surgeon specializing in liver and kidney transplantations for children and adults. Her focus has evolved to translational science and policy, concentrated on a) biofabrication for end-organ disease, b) clinical outcomes and surgical technique, and c) transplant policy and ethics. She has published over 100 manuscripts on these topics and has received grants from the Southwest Pediatric Device Consortium on biofabrication research, and the ASTS-Natera SERD grant on psychosocial determinants of health and quality of life in pediatric liver transplant patients. She serves as a Health Policy Scholar at the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine since 2019 and on the Ethics Committee of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (2020-2026). She has been awarded the James IV Traveling Fellow Scholarship and will be inducted into the ACS Master Surgeon Educator (associate) this year.
Dr. Mabel Perez-Oquendo, Ph.D.Research Skills for Medical School Students
Assistant Professor - Huffington Department of Education, Innovation, & Technology
Baylor College of Medicine
Mabel Perez-Oquendo, PhD, is the Director of the Student Opportunities for Advancement in Research (SOAR) Office and Assistant Professor in the Huffington Department of Education, Innovation & Technology at Baylor College of Medicine. She holds a PhD in Genetics and Epigenetics and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Academic Administration at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She leads a comprehensive research support program for over 800 medical students across Houston and Temple campuses. Her scholarship centers on mentorship, faculty engagement, and educational programs, with a focus on creating sustainable models for student research success.
Dr. Eric Gross, M.D., Ph.D., FASAAsian Health Public Outreach Effort Regarding the Health Risks of Alcohol Flush
Associate Professor - Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Eric R. Gross MD, PhD, FASA is a physician-scientist and practicing anesthesiologist within the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine at Stanford University. He runs a NIH-funded research laboratory studying how alcohol metabolism impacts anesthesiology and in general human health. He is a member of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Center for Asian Research and Education (CARE). Dr. Gross is also the section editor for basic science for the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia and the editorial fellowship director for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Today, Dr. Gross will discuss the health implications of alcohol flushing.
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
Dr. Anoop Agarwal, M.D.Preparing for Residency Panel
Associate Professor - Medicine-Pediatrics (Residency Program Director)
Baylor College of Medicine
Anoop Agrawal, M.D. is an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He has served as Program Director for the combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program since 2013. He also serves as faculty advisor for the Graduate Medical Education Resident Council. His passion is in faculty development and the integration of technology into medical education. He was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2015 for his innovations in developing best practices for utilizing mobile tablets in bedside teaching. His current interests have focused on implementing and advancing generative artificial intelligence in medical education. He has been invited to share his work at numerous international, national and regional meetings including the International Association for Health Professions Education, ACGME, AAMC, Society of Hospital Medicine and many others.
Dr. Agrawal received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and completed his medical residency in the combined internal medicine and pediatrics program at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Galant Chan, M.D.Preparing for Residency Panel
Associate Professor - Medicine-Infectious Diseases, Program Director of Medical Education
Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Galant Chan 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. Kei Takagawa, M.D.Preparing for Residency Panel
Chief Resident - Medicine-Pediatrics
Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Kei Takigawa is currently the chief resident at Baylor College of Medicine’s Internal Medicine-Pediatrics program. He got his Bachelor’s degree in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania followed by his M.D. at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. His current interest lies in transition of care in chronic GI conditions and is planning on pursuing a fellowship in adult gastroenterology this fall. Given his Japanese heritage and growing up in El Paso, TX, he enjoys working with immigrant communities and was therefore drawn to Baylor as his Spanish has been useful in providing care, especially within the Harris Health System.
Dae Gun Chung Kim, M.D.Preparing for Residency Panel
PGY2 - Psychiatry
Baylor College of Medicine
Dae Gun Chung Kim was born and raised in a missionary Korean family in Bolivia, South America. He came to the USA at the age of 14. He got my Bachelors or Science Cornell University. He went to Medical College of Georgia for my MD degree, and now I am studying at Baylor College of Medicine, doing Psychiatry residency, with focus on Child Psychiatry. His interests are developing a more specific test for ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), and the intersection between religion and mental health.
Simulation SocietySimulation Skills
Baylor College of Medicine
The BCM Simulation Society is an organization dedicated to running simulated emergency cases in preparation for regional and national sim competitions (last year we competed at nationals in DC and got third place!) and to help supplement the BCM curriculum with hands-on learning opportunities. The skills learned in these simulations help build skills with assessing and stabilizing patients, deciding on interventions and testing, and forming a differential. Students build confidence with handling emergency situations and making real-time care decisions in an environment that mimics the feeling and challenges of the clinical setting.
Rice Asian Diasporic and Asian American Research (RADAAR) Collective Histories of Asian American Formations, Advocacy, and Activism
Rice University
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.
Soyoon Lee is a graduate student in the Sociology program at Rice University. She was born and raised in South Korea and explored interdisciplinary fields in Korean academia, including Philosophy, Sociology, and Women’s Studies. Her research interests are family sociology, gender, health & medicine, and qualitative methods. She is currently working on her thesis project on Filipino immigrants in Houston, focusing on how Filipina healthcare workers understand the meaning of nursing and caregiving work.
Zainab Abdali (she/her) is a PhD candidate in English at Rice University. Zainab researches contemporary South Asian and Arab art and literature, exploring how artists, musicians, writers, and filmmakers articulate anti-war resistance and solidarity through their work. Zainab is a co-founder of the Rice Asian Diasporic and Asian American Research Collective (RADAAR), which serves as a hub for research, community-building, and advocacy work around Asian and Asian American Studies in Houston and in Texas.
Jasmin Lee (she/her) is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Rice University. Her research interests fall at the intersection of education justice, race/racism, and social movements. Jasmin has been involved with RADAAR since 2022, having joined because she’s committed to carving out space for Asian diasporic histories and experiences within higher education institutions.
V Lundquist works on novels produced under conditions of authoritarianism, contemporary transphobia, and social reproduction. Her dissertation investigates anglophone novels and the mediation of rising fascism through the figural trans person, with an emphasis on the production of space. V’s other work concerns comparative Asian totalitarianisms, with a particular focus on the literature of North Korea, North Korean defectors, and unconverted long term prisoners.
Karen Siu (she/her/hers) is a PhD candidate in English at Rice University. She is a scholar, teacher, and advocate specializing in Asian American literature, art, and history. As a child and grandchild of Vietnamese refugees, her work is personal and political, intertwining oral histories and creative nonfiction in her writing, research, and teaching. She co-founded the Rice Asian Diasporic and Asian American Research Collective (RADAAR), a space for advocacy, scholarly exchange, and community partnerships in order to raise consciousness about Asian American Studies and Asian American political organizing in Texas.
T-Shirts
$15 Pre-Order
(BUY NOW and SAVE)
Conference Exclusives
Tote Bag: $12
Stickers: $2
Alkek Building Address: 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030
Parking Map
Campus Map
Oral Presentations
Asians Be Checked (ABC): Hepatitis B Screening & Education for Asian Americans in South TX
Nicole Nguyen – UTHealth San Antonio Long School of Medicine
CABG vs PCI – Post-stroke Atrial Fibrillation and Mortality in Hyperthyroid Patients
Thien Ly Nguyen – UTHealth Houston McGovern
Engineering CAR-T Cells to Enhance Anti-tumorigenic Properties for Cancer Treatment
Janssen Fang – Texas A&M College of Medicine
Accepted Posters
Stay tuned for a list of featured abstracts and accepted posters!
National Board
Shawn Lim
Region IX Director
University of Texas Medical Branch
Danika Ng
Region IV Director
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Aliza Ali
Region IX Director
University of The Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
Diane Janelle Camonayan
Region IV Director
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Francis Khuong
Region IX Director
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Helen Heo
Region IV Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Local Chapter Leadership
Samuel Li
President
Baylor College of Medicine
Michael Xie
President
Baylor College of Medicine
Sonia He
Vice-President
Baylor College of Medicine
Grace Zhou
Vice-President
Baylor College of Medicine
Eric Shin
Treasurer
Baylor College of Medicine
Stephanie Zhang
Treasurer
Baylor College of Medicine
Sarah Zhang
Service Chair
Baylor College of Medicine
Audrey Nguyen
Social Chair
Baylor College of Medicine
Rachael Johnson
Class Representative
Baylor College of Medicine
Contact Us
QUESTIONS? Email us at region4@apamsa.org and region9@apamsa.org!
2025 National Conference
2025 National Conference
Date: March 7-9, 2025
Location: Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
Registration Details:
General Registration Waitlist
Banquet Tickets – SOLD OUT
Discounted Housing Form and Reservation – CLOSED
General Registration – SOLD OUT
Early Bird Registration and House of Delegates Registration – CLOSED
Research Abstract Submission – CLOSED
Travel Subsidy Application – TBA
In recent years, APAMSA National Conferences have embraced a forward-thinking approach while also engaging in a thorough reflection of past experiences. This dual focus has worked to bring our community together in a concerted effort to address healthcare disparities. Given the alarming rise in anti-AANHPI hate crimes and the surge in mental health crises exacerbated by the pandemic, addressing AANHPI mental health has become more critical than ever.
In line with these values, our theme for the 2025 APAMSA National Conference is: “Blossom: Healing Our Communities and Inspiring Transformation.” The stigmatization of mental health issues within AANHPI communities has often led to inadequate support, conflict, and deep hurt. Therefore, it is essential that our conference fosters open dialogue on this subject. We will explore complex issues such as intergenerational trauma, which can perpetuate cycles of mental health challenges and cultural disconnection. We will also address the need for racial healing, recognizing that historical injustices have lasting impacts on our well-being.
Additionally, we will confront the realities of burnout and moral injury, which are increasingly common among healthcare providers and community leaders. By engaging in these discussions, we aim to develop strategies and insights that will empower future healthcare providers to effect meaningful change.
Reminiscent of the iconic cherry blossom trees on Duke’s campus, our goal is to inspire a new generation of AANHPI healthcare trainees to “blossom” into providers who are not only aware of these challenges, but also equipped with the tools and empathy needed to foster transformation within our communities. Through these conversations, we hope to build a stronger, more resilient network capable of addressing both individual and systemic issues related to AANHPI mental health and healthcare equity.
Friday, March 7
Duke University School of Medicine: Trent Semans Center for Health Education
8 Searle Center Dr, Durham, NC 27710
7:30-9:00pm – Anti-Racism Caucus
Saturday, March 8
Duke University School of Medicine: Trent Semans Center for Health Education
8 Searle Center Dr, Durham, NC 27710
7:30-8:30am – Check in
8:30-9:05am – Welcome Address
9:05-9:50am – Keynote Address
10:00-10:45am – Breakout Session 1
11:00-11:45am – Breakout Session 2
11:45-12:50pm – Lunch
12:00-1:45pm – House of Delegates (HOD) Meeting
1:45-2:45pm – Poster Session, Diversity Mixer
3:00-3:45pm – Breakout Session 3
4:00-4:45pm – Breakout Session 4
5:00-5:45pm – Closing Ceremony, Election Results
6:00-7:30pm – Alumni Mixer
7:30-10:00pm – Banquet at Namu Korean Eats, Beer Hall & Coffee Bar
Sunday, March 9
Duke University School of Medicine: Trent Semans Center for Health Education
8 Searle Center Dr, Durham, NC 27710
10am-1pm ET / 7am-10 am PT – Transition Meeting for elected leadership and outgoing National Board (hybrid)
Discounted housing is now closed, but please see our guide to hotels for housing recommendations close to the conference venue!
The 2025 APAMSA National Conference has secured discounted accommodations at The Residence Inn Durham McPherson/ Duke University Medical Center Area from Friday, March 7, 2025 through Sunday, March 9, 2025. The Residence Inn is an 8 minute drive to the conference venue, the Trent Semans Center for Health Education at the Duke University School of Medicine, as well as 15 minute to downtown Durham! Shuttle services to the conference venue will be provided.
The Residence Inn Durham McPherson/ Duke University Medical Center Area: 1108 West Main Street, Durham, North Carolina, USA, 27701
Discounted housing is available on a first come, first served basis. Please register for discounted housing here by February 10th, 2025 at 11:59PM EST. To register, please fill out one form per room (max 3 people) and complete 1 reservation per room. It is your responsibility to pay for the hotel room and split the cost if relevant. Failure to do so will result in forfeiting your room and penalty on APAMSA National Conference.
If you are interested in finding a roommate, please use the conference Discord channel!
Cost: average $169/night for a King Studio Room (king bed + sofa bed)
Max Occupancy: 3 people
The 2025 APAMSA National Conference has secured discounted flights with United Airlines and Delta Airlines.
United Airlines: Please check out the infographic below for instructions on how to make your flights reservations.
United Meetings Online Instruction (1)
Delta Airlines: Please read instructions for making your flight reservations below.
Delta Air Lines is pleased to offer special discounts for APAMSA.
Please click here to book your flights. You may also call Conferences and Events® at 1.800.328.1111* Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (EST)
Meeting Event Code: NY3EV
*Please note there is not a service fee for reservations booked and ticketed via our reservation 800 number.
Abstract submission for the Research Poster Session is open until December 31st, 2024. Sign up here!
– Poster presentations are in-person and after lunch time during the conference (Saturday, March 7th, 2025).
-Abstracts categories include: Basic Science; Translation & Clinical Health; Community Health, Epidemiology, Education, and Policy; and Healthcare Professional and Trainee Wellbeing
– At least one author will need to be available at all times to give a quick oral presentation and answer questions during this session.
– There will be judges who will be selecting for the most outstanding abstracts in each category during the abstract presentation session.
Please note:
– Abstract approval decisions will be emailed to the corresponding author.
– Upon approval of submission, presenters will need to provide a demonstration of conference ticket purchase to confirm their attendance at this poster session.
Poster Printing:
– We are happy to announce that we will have discounted poster printing in partnership with PhD Posters! Printed posters will be available for pick-up at the conference venue. Please place orders here.
– If you are printing your poster prior to arrival at the conference, please make sure it is within these dimensions: 36in (width) x 42in (height)
Feel free to contact research@apamsa.org with any questions!
Helen Heo
National Conference Logistics Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Jamie Lim
National Conference Logistics Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Katrina Hon
National Conference Speaker Relations Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Kelly Pu
National Conference Speaker Relations Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Allan Chen
National Conference Finance Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Hannah Ford
National Conference Communications Director
Duke University School of Medicine
Logistics
National Conference Committee Members
Duke University School of Medicine
Jessica Guo, Jamie Karl, Mindy Kim, Helen Heo, Jamie Lim, Nathan Sattah
Speaker Relations
National Conference Committee Members
Duke University School of Medicine
Sophia Chang, Katrina Hon, Grace Kim, Joyce Liu, Kelly Pu
Communications
National Conference Committee Member
Duke University School of Medicine
Robyn Guo, Sonia Lin, Hannah Zang, Daphne Zhu
Finance
National Conference Committee Members
Duke University School of Medicine
Allan Chen, Zikang Tan, Christian Zirbes
Thank you to our Sponsors!
For those who are interested in having an exhibitor booth at the National Conference, please contact conference@apamsa.org and CC externalvp@apamsa.org and sponsorship@apamsa.org in your email by January 25th, 2025 so that we can draft a sponsorship contract and create an invoice for you. Thank you for your interest!
Check out the National APAMSA Instagram to follow our speaker reveals and see our 2025 National Conference Booklet for the full speaker list!
Never been to Durham, North Carolina before? Come explore our city! Known as the Bull City and the City of Medicine, we hope you can experience all of the fun activities and yummy food this area has to offer!
Check our Exploring Durham Guide!
Image source: Downtown Durham Inc
Please see here for information on parking at the conference venue and transportation in Durham!
Please check back soon for more information!
ALUMNI & PHYSICIAN CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Alumni Directors’ Welcome Message:
Hello alumni/residents/physicians! This year, we are excited to announce the addition of physician-specific programming at National Conference, including our affiliate’s National Asian Physician Association (NAPA) Inaugural Roundtable Discussion, focused on professional growth for AANHPI physician leaders and community health. We hope to see you soon!
All events are specifically geared toward physicians and open to everyone.
To RSVP for in-person attendance, register for the APAMSA Conference as a Physician/Alumni link HERE: https://bit.ly/NCalumniregistration
BREAKOUT SESSION #2, 11:00 – 11:45 AM: North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) Event
Location: Lab 5-6 (Rm 3055-3056)
As a doctor, you want to make sure that your patients are getting the best possible care. For patients who are struggling with mental health conditions, however, your passion and care for them may not be enough to overcome the systemic barriers they’re facing. Learn how you can use your position as a healthcare professional to advocate for change on personal, community, and legal support systems that lead to the best outcomes for the patients you care for. Panelists will discuss health advocacy on all levels and real-life examples and outcomes of mental health advocacy efforts in the US.
BREAKOUT SESSION #3, 3:00 – 3:45 PM: Duke/UNC Faculty Panel
Location: Learning Hall (Rm 2050)
Join a distinguished panel of faculty physicians from Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest as they share their diverse clinical, academic, and research experiences. This session will provide valuable insights on addressing Asian American stereotypes, navigating racism in clinical settings, personal relationships in medicine, pursuing leadership opportunities, and more.
BREAKOUT SESSION #4, 4:00 – 4:45 PM: National Asian Physician Association (NAPA) Roundtable Discussion
Location: Classroom 4 (Rm 4067)
For years, APAMSA alumni have envisioned a “physician version of APAMSA.” NAPA brings that vision to life by fostering connection and collaboration among Asian physicians nationwide. NAPA’s mission is to advance the health of Asian Americans and empower Asian physicians through leadership and professional development, workforce wellness, and community engagement. This inaugural roundtable is a chance to connect, share insights, and advance Asian physician representation and community health. The hybrid event is free, and light bites and drinks available to all in-person attendees.
Option to join virtually, RSVP via Zoom Registration link HERE: https://bit.ly/NAPA-NCZoom
6:00 – 7:30 PM: Alumni/Physician Mixer
Location: Namu, 5420 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC 27707
It is our pleasure to invite all residents, physicians, and alumni to the Alumni/Physician social & mixer event, free of charge, to connect with APAMSA alumni/residents/attendings from all over the country.
7:30 – 10:00 PM: Banquet
Location: Namu, 5420 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC 27707
(open to people who purchased banquet ticket)
This year’s banquet will take place at and be catered by Namu. Namu is a Korean fusion restaurant, beer hall, and coffee house and is one of The Eater’s 18 Essential Durham Restaurants.
Contact Us
Questions? Email us at conference@apamsa.org.
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2024 Hepatitis Conference
WELCOME TO THE 18TH ANNUAL APAMSA HEPATITIS CONFERENCE!
We are happy to announce the 18th Annual Hepatitis B/C Conference will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024 from 8 AM to 5 PM PST in San Diego, CA! The UC San Diego School of Medicine APAMSA Chapter has graciously partnered with us to put together the best conference yet! APAMSA members and non-members are all welcome to register and attend.
Each year, we strive to collectively engage in the global fight against liver diseases, including hepatitis B and C, and to raise awareness about health disparities and their impact within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) population.
The objectives of the conference are to raise awareness about the impact of liver diseases on the AANHPI community, to encourage future health care providers to advocate for policy changes to address the current health disparities that the AANHPI community face, to provide opportunities for current health profession students to network with prominent leaders in hepatology and to provide a venue for students to present their research on topics related to GI/hepatology.
Medical Education & Telemedicine Building
Ong Family Auditorium
3160 Biomedical Sciences Wy
La Jolla, CA 92093
SCHEDULE
8:00 – 8:50 AM Registration and Breakfast
9:00 – 9:10 AM Introduction & Opening Remarks by Dr. Araneta, UCSD Associate Dean of Diversity and Community Partnerships
9:10 – 10:00 AM Saira Khaderi, M.D., M.P.H.
10:10 – 11:00 AM Robert Wong, M.D., M.S., FACG, FAASLD
11:10 – 12:00 PM Wendy Lo
12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 PM Research Poster Session & Oral Presentation
2:10 – 3:00 PM Breakout Sessions
3:10 – 4:00 PM Robert Gish, M.D., FAASLD
4:00 – 4:30 PM Closing Remarks
Tzu-Hao (Howard) Lee, M.D.Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Howard T. Lee is a gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. He completed his medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology training at Duke. Dr. Lee’s academic and clinical interests include viral hepatitis, liver transplant and health disparities, with a special focus on the LGBTQ+ population.
Saira Khaderi, M.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor, Transplant Hepatology Medical Director, Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Khaderi is a transplant hepatologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and has a special interest in viral hepatitis elimination and hepatocellular carcinoma. She is the Medical Director for Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center (BSLMC). Project ECHO uses video conferencing to develop expert health care networks to manage complex liver diseases in underserved areas. In the past 10 years, ECHO BSLMC has treated over 2,800 patients for HCV/HBV across the United States (most of whom are uninsured). She is also on the Steering Committee for Hepatitis C Elimination in Texas, AASLD Hepatitis C SIG, and the AASLD’s Women’s Initiative Committee.
Robert J. Wong, M.D., M.S., FACG, FAASLD
Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine
Robert J. Wong, MD, MS, FACG, FAASLD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, and staff physician at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System. He is a passionate advocate and clinician-scientist whose work has focused on highlighting and addressing healthcare disparities and inequities among individuals with viral hepatitis and chronic liver diseases. Dr. Wong’s current research continues to focus on epidemiology, outcomes, and health services research in liver diseases, with particular emphasis on healthcare disparities among under-served, vulnerable, and ethnic minority populations with HBV and HDV, steatotic liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. His work has been supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American College of Gastroenterology, and others. He has authored over 250 publications and work has been published in high impact journals including, JAMA, Hepatology, Gastroenterology, Journal of Hepatology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and American Journal of Gastroenterology. Dr. Wong’s collaborative research, advocacy, and educational projects span broadly and includes working with AASLD, ACG, Hepatitis B Foundation, American Liver Foundation, Global Liver Institute, Chronic Liver Disease Foundation, and others. His current work in the field of HBV focuses on improving disease awareness and reducing stigma, improving implementation of universal HBV screening, expanding and simplifying HBV treatment criteria, and continuing to address existing gaps in timely linkage to care and treatment particularly among vulnerable populations.
Wendy Lo, B.A.
Advocate, Speaker, Consultant, Wendy Co Consulting, LLC
Wendy Lo is a patient advocate, speaker and consultant for liver health, patient inclusion and hepatitis elimination. After being diagnosed and living with chronic hepatitis B for nearly three decades, Wendy broke her silence by sharing her personal story openly. From patient turned advocate, she is on a mission to raise awareness, promote understanding, tackle stigma, influence policy and advance clinical research to fight the hepatitis epidemic. Her advocacy spans speaking appearances, consulting on patient engagement, community outreach, and activism for public health and policy changes.
Wendy is also a health seeker turned health coach, mindfulness practitioner and personal fitness trainer. Her previous career in the software industry spans 20+ years with roles in global education services, go-to-market strategy & execution, and information technology (IT) consulting. Visit wendylo.com for more information.
Robert Gish, M.D., FAASLD
Medical Director, Hepatitis B Foundation
Principal, Robert G. Gish Consultants, LLC
Dr. Gish is a fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, the American Society of Transplantation and American College of Physicians.
He has served on the editorial boards of American Journal of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Journal of Hepatology, Digestive Diseases and Sciences, and Gastroenterology, among many others. He co-authored a public health policy for liver health in Vietnam focusing on HBV and is also assisting with the development of viral hepatitis health care policies in Georgia, Armenia, and the Philippines. He was a major early contributor to decipher methods for the detection of hepatitis B and C virus and characterizing their epidemiology and clinical presentation in humans. He was involved in studies that led to the genotypic classification strategies and methods now in use worldwide. He has published more than 700 original articles, abstracts, and book chapters.
Robert G. Gish, MD, is currently the Medical Director of the Hepatitis B Foundation in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Nevada Schools of Medicine in Las Vegas and in Reno. He serves as an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacy at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCSD, a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Loma Linda University. In addition, he is the Medical Director of the American Pacific Health Foundation in San Diego, CA. Dr. Gish is currently seeing patients, both in-person and via telemedicine, at various clinics in San Diego, Folsom (El Dorado Hills), Santa Rosa, and Valley Springs. He is a staff physician at La Maestra, a federally qualified health center in San Diego. Dr. Gish also serves as a Board Member of the Viet Nam Viral Hepatitis Alliance (VVHA).
Abstract submissions for the 18th Annual APAMSA Hepatitis Conference are now open!
EXTENDED DEADLINE: November 2, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST
Thank you for your interest in submitting your research for consideration for presentation at the 18th Annual National APAMSA Hepatitis Conference. We look forward to evaluating your hard work. We prefer research to cover GI/Hepatology topics but also accept research related to AANHPI communities.
The poster session is tentatively scheduled for 1 PM to 2 PM. At least one author is required to give a presentation during this time. Poster awards will be given by our judges.
Please contact us at hepatitis@apamsa.org if you have any questions.
REGISTRATION:
To register, please fill out and pay through the registration form. Both steps must be completed in order for you to be fully registered. Below are our registration deadlines:
- Early Bird Registration: $30, Ends October 5, 2024
- Regular Registration: $35, Ends November 2, 2024
- Late Registration: $40, Ends November 9, 2024
TRAVEL SUBSIDY:
We are providing the first 30 chapters a $100 subsidy towards their travel and other conference expenses. To receive financial aid to attend the Hepatitis Conference, please fill out the travel subsidy application.
HOUSING INFORMATION:
Alex Le
Health Affairs Vice President
Texas A&M College of Medicine
Christopher Huy Doan
Hepatitis Director
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Alicia Bui
Hepatitis Director
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Bunnarin Theng
Hepatitis Director
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Hoang-Viet Tran
Hepatitis Graphics Committee
George Washington School of Medicine
Nick Sze
Hepatitis Graphics Committee
Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
David Wang
Hepatitis Graphics Committee
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Sophia Choi
Hepatitis Speakers Committee
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Madeline Pan
Hepatitis Logistics Committee
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Roland Yu
Hepatitis Speakers Committee
John Sealy School of Medicine at UTMB Galveston
Luke Sequeira
Hepatitis Speakers Committee
Brown University
Leah Katz
Hepatitis Logistics Committee
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Middletown
Louis Zhang
Hepatitis Logistics Committee
UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine
Contact Us
Questions? Email us at hepatitis@apamsa.org.
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2024 Region IV & IX Conference
Crossing Silk Roads: Exploring Intersections and Connections of AAPI Identity and Healthcare
Date: Saturday, October 12th, 2024
Location: Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Registration Details: Click below for more info
Conference Information:
Theme: “Crossing Silk Roads: Exploring Intersections and Connections of AAPI Identity and Healthcare”
Date & Time: Saturday, October 12, 2024 | Time 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Emory University School of Medicine | Atlanta, GA (2015 Uppergate Dr, Atlanta, GA 30307)
Schedule
Pre-Registration: 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM
Welcome: 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Opening Statements and Introduction: 8:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Keynote Speaker: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Be The Match: 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Breakout Session 1: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Lunch: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Poster Session: 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM
Breakout Session 2: 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM
Breakout Session 3: 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM
Closing Statements: 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Stay tuned as we reveal more speakers!
Dr. Sandra Wong, MD, MS
Sandra L. Wong, MD, MS, an accomplished surgical oncologist and health services researcher who joined Emory School of Medicine as Dean in March 2024. She also serves as the chief academic officer for Emory Healthcare.
Dr. Wong is a surgical oncologist specializing in the management of soft tissue sarcomas, melanoma and non- melanoma skin cancers. She is among the most widely recognized health services researchers in academic surgery, with an extensive record of research funding and more than 250 peer-reviewed studies to her credit. She has held leadership positions in several prominent professional organizations including the Society of Surgical Oncology, the Society of University Surgeons, and the Society of Surgical Chairs. Wong has been honored with numerous medical student and resident teaching awards.
She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of California Berkeley. After receiving an MD from Northwestern University Medical School, she completed a surgical residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Wong spent a decade at the University of Michigan where she was an instrumental leader as a vice chair of academic affairs and an associate chief of staff. As chair of the Department of Surgery at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of research, education and clinical operations. During her tenure at Dartmouth, she co-founded the federally-funded Center for Rural Health Care Delivery Science, which provides infrastructure to train junior investigators who focus on solving challenges associated with the provision of equitable health care.
Dr. Amy Chen, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS
Amy Y. Chen, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS is the Willard and Lillian Hackerman Professor and the Inaugural Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at The Emory University School of Medicine. She serves as the Director of Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery and was the Program Director for the Head and Neck Surgery Fellowship. Her expertise is in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. She has also served as Director of Health Services Research in the Department of Surveillance and Health Policy Research of the American Cancer Society. She serves on the Board of the American Thyroid Association, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence, and the Partnership for Southern Equity.
Dr. Chen has been instrumental in developing a team approach to patient care. She developed and currently leads the multidisciplinary thyroid and head and neck tumor conferences. Her primary focus of research is in measuring outcomes of oncology treatment as well as measuring determinants of successful outcomes of care. Dr. Chen’s research agenda is to create a multi-disciplinary, multi-site center dedicated to health services research, outcomes, and quality of care. Her secondary focus of research is directed toward translational research of head and neck and thyroid malignancies. She is also an implicit bias facilitator and a diversity, equity and inclusion champion.
Dr. Chen joined the Emory faculty in 2001 after a fellowship in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Prior to that fellowship she was a resident in Otolaryngology and General Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, also in Houston.
She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health. She also recently completed her Master of Business Administration at Goizueta Business School at Emory. Dr. Chen has received numerous awards and honors, among them the Helen F. Krause, MD Trailblazer Award, Emory Eminent Physician Award, the Margaret Butler Award for Outstanding Mentor of Women Head and Neck Surgeons, Emory School of Medicine Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, Top Atlanta Doctor, Gussack Memorial Award for Teaching, Percy Memorial Research Award, the Rande Lazar Health Services Research Award, the American Head and Neck Society Scholarship Award, and The Women’s Fund for Health, Education and Research Grant. She is married and birthed two daughters. She misses her recently deceased rescue yellow Labrador retriever.
In January 2025, she will be moving to City of Hope Cancer Center in Newnan, GA as Chief of Surgery and Director of Thyroid Oncology.
John William Eley, MD, MPH
Bill Eley is a native of Georgia who received his Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, Doctor of Medicine, and Master of Public Health from Emory University. He holds faculty appointments of Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health. A Board-certified medical oncologist, he has practiced oncology within Emory Healthcare and at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Eley was initially appointed in the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) where he investigated disparities in cancer survival. He has taught medical students clinical epidemiology and served on the Admissions committee at the Emory University School of Medicine (SOM). In 2000 he became Associate Dean and Director of Admissions in School of Medicine and in 2004, he was appointed Executive Associate Dean for Medical Education and Student Affairs. In his current role he oversees the six degree programs within the School of Medicine and the Graduate Medical Education programs and is overseeing the Medical Education Curriculum Transformation Initiative.
Dr. Eley is committed to the spread of compassion – compassion for others and self, as embodied by the Cognitive Based Compassion Training (CBCT) course developed at Emory. He is privileged to teach CBCT within the School of Medicine and is interesting in incorporating compassion training in the field of medicine.
Dr. Reena Hemrajani, MD
Dr. Reena Hemrajani completed medical school at Florida State University and internal medicine residency, followed by chief residency at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She subsequently served as an academic hospitalist and in residency education leadership at George Washington University and VCU. In 2017, Dr. Hemrajani moved to Atlanta to be an academic hospitalist in the inaugural Hospital Medicine Program at Grady Memorial Hospital. At Emory, she has held roles as the Associate Division Director for Faculty Development in Hospital Medicine and Associate Program Director for the residency. In 2022, she stepped into the role of the Internal Medicine Residency Program Director at Emory and values her role in supporting residents to achieve their goals. In her free time, she is an avid city walker in the vibrant neighborhoods of Atlanta, enjoys trying out new local restaurants, and takes advantage of opportunities for travel.
Dr. Emily Herndon, MD
Emily Herndon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine at Emory and currently serves as a Staff Physician at Emory Student Health. She, along with a registered dietician and chef, teaches a second-year elective on Culinary Medicine. She is a graduate of Emory School of Medicine, a past Small Group Advisor and Clerkship Director, and practicing community physician for over 20 years. Much of her clinical experience was working at a Grady Neighborhood Center that served many immigrants and people from a wide variety of cultures. She enjoys traveling, cooking, dancing and yoga.
Contact Information: eherndo@emory.edu
Dr. Wei Huang, MD, PhD
Dr. Wei Huang is an Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. She received her medical degree in Shanghai, PhD in Neuroscience/Psychology at Vanderbilt University, and residency training at UNC Chapel Hill. Besides being a Board-certified physiatrist, Dr. Huang is also certified in Integrative Holistic Medicine and is a certified acupuncturist in Georgia. She is the founding physician of the first acupuncture clinic and the first integrative medicine clinic at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, and often acts as a consultant to regional medical centers about acupuncture services. She is currently co-Medical Director of Emory Acupuncture Service. Dr. Huang serves on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of PMR. Her own research and publications have been in sleep, pain, traumatic brain injury, and geriatric medicine; but her long-standing passion is to integrate the best of world’s traditional medicines with Western Medicine in clinical practice.
Dr. Jeane Khoo, DO
Dr. Abhi Kole, MD, PhD
Dr. Abhi Kole received his MD from Emory and PhD in Immunology from the University of Oxford. He is a graduate of the Internal Medicine residency program at Emory and was subsequently a fellow with the HEAL Initiative (Health Equity, Action, and Leadership) through UCSF and spent two years in India with this program. He returned to Grady as a hospitalist in 2020. He also teaches the Community Learning and Social Medicine course for first-year medical students. His areas of interest are in addressing structural causes of inequity in our healthcare system.
Contact Information: akole@emory.edu
Dr. Gerald Lee, MD
Dr. Gerald Lee, MD is an associate professor of pediatrics and medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He is an allergist/immunologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Grady Memorial Hospital. He completed his Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at Saint Vincent’s Hospital in New York City and an Allergy/Immunology fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He is the director of the Emory allergy/immunology fellowship and the preclinical immunology thread for the medical school. His academic interests are medical education, quality improvement in allergy/immunology, and hosting the AllergyTalk podcast.
Dr. Rebecca Sanders, MD, PhD
Dr. Sanders has served as Emory Pediatrics Residency Program Director since 2021. She works as a hospitalist for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at both the Hughes Spalding and Arthur M Blank campuses. She has a strong interest in curriculum development, particularly in improving mental health care education for pediatric residents and fellows. In her spare time she loves reading, gardening, and building Lego.
Dr. Jessica Wu, MD
Dr. Wu was born in Los Angeles, CA but moved to Houston, Texas at a young age. She then spent the next twenty-years in the Lone Star state, where she acquired her love for country music, football, and BBQ (mostly the sides!). She attended The University of Texas-Austin (Hook ‘em!) and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Business Administration. After doing a year of research at MD Anderson, Jessica attended The University of Texas Medical Branch – Galveston for medical school.
At this time, Jessica decided it was time to explore places outside of Texas. She left the great state of Texas and moved back to Los Angeles for her General Surgery training at USC. During her residency at USC, Jessica developed an interest in hernia surgery and bariatric surgery. Her research focused on optimizing hernia surgery and bariatric surgery outcomes at a safety-net hospital. Given such interest, Jessica is currently pursuing a MIS fellowship at Emory University with hopes of becoming a future hernia, foregut, and bariatric surgeon.
Dr. Ju Zhang, PhD
Ju Zhang is a postdoctoral fellow in bioethics at the Emory University Center for Ethics. She received her Ph.D. in philosophy from The University of Texas at Austin in 2022. Her current research focuses on developing and defending a trust-oriented model of the patient-physician relationship. Her goal is to promote reasonable patient-physician trust by modifying relevant concepts such as patient autonomy, informed consent, and justified intervention in light of her model. She intends to extend her research on patient-physician trust to nonexpert-expert trust in general and to trust between a relatively disadvantaged individual/group and a relatively advantaged individual/group. She is also interested in studying trust and cooperation among communities, societies, and nations, believing that reasonable trust is key in tackling global issues such as climate change and pandemics.
Email: ju.zhang@emory.edu
Christopher Doan
Christopher Doan is a an MS4 from UTMB Galveston and has recently been recognized as a member of the GHHS and AOA. He grew up in the Dallas metroplex and attended UT Dallas for his undergraduate degree. He is currently one of the National APAMSA Hepatitis Initiative Directors and has research interests in AANHPI disaggregation of cancer data, cancer screenings, and medical humanities. Previously, he also served as a local chapter president and was one of the founding members of the Hepatitis B screening initiative with outreach to Asian immigrant fishermen working in the Galveston port.
Need help finding accommodations? Check out our Accommodations Guide!
Michael St. Entrance
Walk to Entrance
APAMSA Regions 4 and 9 invite you to submit an abstract for the Regional Conference on October 12, 2024. There is no cost for submitting an abstract.
Deadline for abstract submission: September 28, 2024
Submissions are now closed. Thank you all who submitted their abstracts. If you have not bought your ticket, please do so as soon as possible.
Accepted Posters
“Novel compound heterozygous mutations in ILNEB syndrome”
- Hannah Wu
“Kidney Utilization in the Context of a Shifting Donor Landscape”
- Helen Jeon
“Our Approach to Vitrectomy Surgery in Diabetic Retinopathy is Changing Due to Intraoperative Fluorescein Angiography Guidance”
- Mariam Omar
“Comparing Outcomes for Proximal Tibia Replacement in High Grade Primary Bone Sarcoma, Low Grade Primary Bone Sarcoma and Metastatic Bone Disease”
- Linhan Ha
“Revolutionizing Mandibular Osteoblastoma Treatment: The Power of Computer-Assisted Virtual Surgical Planning”
- Leon Liu
“Mechanisms of Action of Kavalactone on Nociceptive Pathways: A Systematic Review”
- Daiana Takashima
“Clearance of Purinergic Molecules with Hemodialysis”
- Zijian Tan
“Prevalence of Comorbid Conditions in Young Men Presenting with Erectile Dysfunction”
- Troy La
“Characteristics of Men Switching Testosterone Formulations – Who, What, and Why”
- Troy La
“Utilization of Long-Term Video EEG Monitoring in Pediatric Patients: Experience of a Large Pediatric Tertiary Care Center”
- Phillip Sumardi
“Use of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) to Predict Left Ventricular Mass Index (LVMi) in the Pediatric Population: A Single-Center Experience.”
- Isha Patel
“Understanding Cultural Barriers and Mental Health Disparities in Treatment-Seeking Behaviors Among Asian Americans”
- Carrie Chen
“Skin Cancer Screening and Perceptions Quality Improvement”
- Danielle Flores
“Enhancing Alzheimer’s Dementia knowledge and utilization through trainings for healthcare professionals”
- Winnie Chen
“Hidden Epidemic of India’s Most Marginalized: Sickle Cell Amongst Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes”
- Supriya Jain, Esha Mohnalkar
“Sex Ed for Med”
- Harrison Goodall
“Improving Health Literacy and Diabetes Management Adherence with Updated Novel Educational Technology”
- Michael Xie
“Transfer of low-risk patients in emergency general surgery: Patient survey on the process of care and perceptions of safety”
- Min Hyuk Jang
“Metabolic Biomarkers of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Among Post-Menopausal Women”
- Ivy Nguyen
National Board
Amelia Huynh
Membership Co-VP
Pacific Northwest University
of Health Sciences
Paul Tominez
Membership Co-VP
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
James Chen
Region IX RD
University of Texas Medical Branch – John Sealy School of Medicine
Daiana Takashima
Region IV RD
Emory University School of Medicine
Jerry Liu
Region IX RD
Texas A&M School of Medicine
Yuna Seo
Region IV RD
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (North Georgia)
Francis Khuong
Region IX RD
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Neil Vuppala
Region IV RD
Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Local Chapter Leadership
Brandon Lee
Emory University School of Medicine
Janet Mao
Emory University School of Medicine
Katherine Tong
Emory University School of Medicine
John Choi
Emory University School of Medicine
Hithardhi Duggireddy
Emory University School of Medicine
Max Su
Emory University School of Medicine
Margaret Lim
Emory University School of Medicine
Akshay Nair
Emory University School of Medicine
Contact Us
Questions? Email us at region4@apamsa.org or region9@apamsa.org
2024 Region VIII Conference
Welcome to the Region VIII Conference!
Turning the Tide
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM l Registration starts at 9:15 AM
Location: University of California, Irvine l Nelson Auditorium, 1003 Health Sciences Rd, Irvine, CA 92617
Tickets: $8 Early Bird price until 9/28/24 l $10 for General Admission
Lunch and swag are included in all tickets!
APAMSA Region VIII and the UCI APAMSA chapter are ecstatic to invite you to the annual Region VIII Conference hosted at the University of California, Irvine in Irvine. We are excited to host this event, celebrate all backgrounds, and uplift AANHPI communities through our conference “Turning the Tide.”
Our theme highlights the shift in narrative towards unity, commemorating diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and acceptance of all. Through this conference, we hope to uphold this goal by hosting influential speakers in the AANHPI sphere, facilitating pre-medical and resident/attending panels, and featuring the research contributions of APAMSA members.
Please join us for a lovely day of celebration, as well as networking with fellow medical and pre-medical students from neighboring chapters! We are excited to welcome you to Irvine!
Saturday, October 19th, 2024
9:15 AM – 10:00 AM l Registration
10:00 AM – 10:40 AM l Keynote Speaker l Dr. Donna Tran
10:45 AM – 11:25 AM l Lung Cancer in Asian American Women: A Rising Disparity l Dr. Jeffrey Velotta
11:30 AM – 12:10 PM l Women in Medicine l Dr. Alison Taur, Dr. Susan Wu, Dr. Sunny Park, Dr. Shravani Reddy
12:10 PM – 12:50 PM l Lunch, LGBTIA+ Mixer, & Exhibitors for NMDP, All of Us, Vot-ER
12:50 PM – 1:30 PM l Poster Session l Plumwood Room 166
1:35 PM – 2:00 PM l National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)
2:05 PM – 2:30PM l All of Us
2:35 PM – 3:15 PM l HEAL-IM Program and Holistic Medicine l Dr. Hwang
3:20 PM – 4:00 PM l Breakout Session
- Residency Panel (Nelson Auditorium): Dr. Donna Tran, Dr. Shiree Lee, Dr. Charissa Lau, Dr. Michael Sy, Dr. Catherine Wu, Dr. Kevin Naito
- Pre-Medicine Panel (Tamkin Room F110): UCISOM Dean of Students Dr. Megan Osborn, UCI Med Students
- Ultrasound/Hepatitis Workshop (MedEd 2nd floor Clinical Skills Center)
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM l Closing
Jacob Hwang, ND
Jacob Hwang is a naturopathic doctor and integrative health specialist who uses a whole-person approach to patient care with emphasis on emerging evidence and health promotion. He earned his doctoral degree in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington and completed a three-year naturopathic residency program at Bastyr University Clinic and UCI Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute. Besides seeing patients and training learners, Dr. Hwang also contributes to various educational initiatives.
Dr. Hwang uses an integrative approach to treating diseases, which encompasses a comprehensive diagnostic process, evaluation of social determinants of health, and unique consideration for the individual patient presentation. His clinical toolbox typically involves lifestyle interventions, dietary recommendations, evidence-based nutraceutical supplements, and limited pharmacological therapies. In addition, Dr. Hwang believes having a collegial healthcare team is important to maintain patient-centered care and allow shared insights to make the best clinical decision. He enjoys coordinating and working alongside other medical specialists and healthcare providers.
Megan Osborn, MD
Dr. Osborn is Vice Chair for Education and Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She also serves as the Associate Dean for Students for UCI School of Medicine. Dr. Osborn is passionate about medical education, ophthalmologic, ENT, and hematologic emergencies.
She has more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has won the Clinical Pathologic Case (CPC) Competition twice and the ACEP National Faculty Teaching Award. Dr. Osborn serves as the Senior Associate Editor for the innovative Journal of Education and Teaching in Emergency Medicine (JETem).
Sunny Park, MD
Dr. Sunny Park is double board-certified in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, and Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. She specializes in cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries of the face and neck, and has a private practice in Newport Beach. After attending UC Berkeley for her BA and MPH, she obtained her MD from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery at Penn State University followed by a fellowship in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at LSU Shreveport. She has lectured regularly at the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery meetings and has volunteered for medical mission trips overseas, most recently in 2019 to Vietnam. In addition, Dr. Park has been chosen as a Physician of Excellence in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery by Orange County Medical Association and Orange Coast Magazine every year since 2021.
Shravani Reddy, MD
Dr. Shravani R. Reddy is a UCI Health gastroenterologist who specializes in esophageal disorders. Her clinical interests include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), achalasia, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer.
She earned her medical degree at American University of the Caribbean. She completed a residency in internal medicine followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology, both at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke.
She has a particular interest in esophageal disorders and has completed additional training through the American Neurogastroenterology Motility Society. She has a passion for medical education and has taken an active role in various teaching capacities, including curriculum development and procedure-based instruction.
Alison Taur, MD
Dr. Alison Taur (she/her) serves as Regional Coordinating Chair of Nuclear Medicine for Kaiser Permanente Southern California and as Clinical Assistant Professor for the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. She graduated from University of Michigan Medical School and completed her Nuclear Medicine residency at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition to her clinical and administrative duties, Dr. Taur devotes her time to training, education, and advocacy for equitable transgender health care both within and outside of KP. She helped found the multidisciplinary Pediatric GenderCare Clinic at KP San Bernardino County. Dr. Taur also helps facilitate a trans teen support group and is active in her local PFLAG chapter. She lives with her wife of now 27 years and three sons in Newport Beach and enjoys playing double bass and feasting on exquisite sushi.
Donna Tran, MD, MPH
Donna Tran, MD, MPH, is a psychiatry resident at Stanford Health Care and earned her MD at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and MPH at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. During medical school, she served as the National President of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association from 2021 – 2023. In 2024, she was appointed as the District 10 Representative on the Senior Citizens Commission of the City of San Jose and interned under U.S. Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-19). Previously, she worked on health policy in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) and presented to the President Biden’s Advisory Commission for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander AANHPI (PAC-AANHPI/WHIAANHPI), advocating for public mental health. For research, she focuses on health inequities, leadership, primary care, and advocacy. In her free time, Donna enjoys bouldering, her French bulldog, Boba Princess, and TED Talks/podcasts.
Jeffrey Velotta, MD, FACS
Dr. Jeffrey Velotta, MD, FACS is a thoracic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, and Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Science at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Dr. Velotta’s clinical and research interests involve innovative techniques and regionalization pathways for lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and mesothelioma. In addition, his most recent research involves improving lung cancer screening uptake in Asian Americans and identifying key factors in the rising incidence of lung cancer in non-smoking Asian American women.
Conference Address
Nelson Auditorium
1003 Health Sciences Rd, Irvine, CA 92617
Airport: John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana)
Valid Parking Location: General unmarked and AR reserved stalls Lot 83, Lot 83D, or Health Sciences Parking Structure,
Parking Valid Time: All Day
Sales Window: 10/09/2024 – 10/19/2024
Permit Rate: $16 /registration
Direct Link: https://apps.parking.uci.edu/parkbyplate/s/purchase.cfm?code=ODYBMKWW
There will be pedestrian signs put up to help direct you, but please feel free to contact us if you run into any difficulties finding where to go.
Housing: Below are some recommendations that are close by UCI!
We are welcoming posters from all research fields. ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED.
Julia Liu
Region VIII Director
Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU)
Christine Nguyen
Region VIII Director
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU)
Brandon Tang
Region VIII Director
University of Southern California (USC)
Naomi Tsai
Region VII Director
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
Amelia Huynh
Membership Vice President
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU)
Jiyeon Lee
Mentorship Chair
University of California Irvine (UCI)
Justin Chiu
Research/Grant Chair
University of California Irvine (UCI)
Ryan Hoang
Co-President
University of California Irvine (UCI)
Frank Lee
Health Education Chair
University of California Irvine (UCI)
Catherine Zhang
Co-President
University of California Irvine (UCI)
Contact Us
Questions? Email us at region8@apamsa.org.
