National Board

Hello, my name is Anne Francine Pino and I am a first year student at Penn State College of Medicine. I am originally from NJ and attended Seton Hall University where I received my B.A. in English Literature. As a first generation Filipino-American I am passionate about AANHPI health, expanding diversity in medicine, and medical humanities. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies with my dog and hiking.

Hi! My name is Skylar Luu, and I am a medical student at Albany Medical College. I was born and raised in Albany. I then attended college in Baltimore where I obtained my B.S. in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. I was first exposed to APAMSA when I attended a regional conference and joined the club at the beginning of medical school. I was a Region 1 Director last year and am excited to continue to serve as part of the national board!

Hi everyone! My name is Dennis, and I’m currently a 3rd year medical student at the University of Vermont. I grew up in San Francisco, CA and majored in Human Biology and Society while at UCLA. I’ve really enjoyed living in the Northeast for the first time in my life, and in my free time I love finding scenic routes to run along or explore. I look forward to serving as one of the Region 1 directors this year!

My name is Reanna Doña-Termine and I’m an MD/PhD student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. I recently finished my PhD, studying the various genomic effects of extrinsic stresses on in vitro model systems to better understand response mechanisms innately built-in at the cellular and molecular level. Before medical school, I studied Microbiology, Mathematics and Biomedical Engineering at Ohio State University, Go Bucks! In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family (especially those in Hawaii, Italy and Germany), training for marathons and cooking up new recipes.

Hello! My name is Sonia Scallon, and I am a third-year medical student at Albany Medical College. My involvement in APAMSA first began as a local chapter member at my medical school after which I served as my chapter’s Co-President. As a Region 2 Director this past year, I enjoyed fostering community between local chapters and connecting chapters with national resources to advance individual goals. I look forward to serving as the Women in Medicine Director this year, during which I hope to expand mentorship opportunities, improve communication, and increase advocacy surrounding challenges women face in medicine. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, painting, and reviewing local restaurants as a Yelp Elite!

Hi everyone! My name is Crystal Choi and I am currently a MS4 at SUNY Downstate. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. For college I attended Hunter College and graduated in 2019. I majored in Biological Sciences and minored in Asian American Studies. Previously, I had the pleasure of serving as local chapter president and Region II Director. As Membership Co-VP, I’m excited to welcome more individuals into the APAMSA family and keep nurturing its growth. In my spare time, I love to explore new food places with friends, do arts and crafts, and cook/bake! One of my favorite childhood activity that still helps me keep my Cantonese in check is watching TVB dramas with my family!

I am Akila, a medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. Currently, I am pursuing an NIDDK-funded research training fellowship investigating the effect of nutrition on nephropathy risk in patients with sickle cell anemia. Outside of school, I also volunteer in our student-run free clinic, mentor first-generation college students, and serve in leadership roles in the national American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American College of Physicians (ACP). I am passionate about medical student well-being and serve on my university’s Medical Student Council and Student Wellness and Resilience Committee.

Growing up in Bangladesh, my interest in advocacy developed as a high schooler in Dhaka implementing service projects at my school. Moving to the U.S. for college deepened my interest in health equity. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Biological Sciences in 2016, I pursued a career in public health developing equity-oriented solutions for patients experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. Broadly, my research and advocacy interests include global health justice, medical education, AANHPI data disaggregation, bilingual and bicultural/immigrant health equity, and cancer screening disparities.

I plan on pursuing a long-term career in academic internal medicine investigating factors that contribute to global health inequity, particularly for marginalized and immigrant patients, and implementing interventions to combat that. I am humbled to be training to become one of the first female physicians in my family and enjoy serving as a mentor to students, especially those who are first-generation, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and immigrants. In my free time, I love exploring independent bookstores, reading diaspora fiction, cooking fusion meals, and listening to music, particularly Bengali classics.

Hi APAMSA family! My name is KerCheng Chen (or KC 🙂 and I am an MS2 at the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. I was born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens (where there is a large AANPHI community) and attended college at UPenn where I received a B.S. in Biology. Before entering medical school, I worked as a clinical research coordinator in sleep medicine. Throughout my life, the AANHPI community played an integral role in my academic, professional, and personal growth, shaping my values and passions. I am strongly committed to play an active role in it. Last year, I served as APAMSA’s Co-Social Media Director and this year, I am excited to serve as your Communications Vice President! Outside of school, I enjoy eating good food, photographing friends, and aspiring to become a full-time plant mom.

Joyce H. Lee, MS is currently a third year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She was born in Tainan, Taiwan and immigrated to East Los Angeles when she was 8 years old. Since then, she has completed her B.S. in Physiology and Neuroscience at UC San Diego, worked at Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson) as a Neuroscience Intern, completed her M.S. in Bioethics at Columbia University, worked at NYU School of Medicine as a Research Data Associate researching Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), and conducted independent research. Additionally, she has spent nearly 10 years with the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) as a local chapter Co-President, Regional Director, one of the Membership Vice Presidents, and now the National President on the Executive Board. She enjoys the neurosciences, research, bioethics, medical humanities, and improving the lives of minority populations, especially the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. Eventually, she hopes to integrate all of these interests into her medical practice in the future. After medical school, she aims to to pursue a career in neurology and specialize in either vascular neurology or interventional neuroradiology.

Hello everyone! My name is Ming Lin and I am currently a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from Tufts University in 2014 and a M.S. in Medical Science from Boston University School of Medicine in 2019. Previously, I’ve worked over 5 years as a trilingual patient navigator at Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center for cancer patients from underserved Boston communities, and as an adult ESL teacher for immigrants in Boston Chinatown. I also served as a member of the Commission on Cancer at Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center. I am a co-founder of The HAAPIE Initiative and a past Regional Director (VI) of the National Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association. I received the 2022-2023 HONORS Award from the American Society of Hematology to further a clinical and research career in cancer health disparities. I hope to pursue an Internal Medicine/Psychiatry residency and ultimately go into Hematology/Oncology, with a career focus on cancer disparities, psycho-oncology with culturally-aligned psychosocial support, quality of care, and health-related quality of life, particularly serving immigrant, AANHPI, and LGBTQ+ communities. When I indulge myself, I love to imagine what life would be like if I were a chaebol and could afford a closet full of fancy coats, cook, rewatch Sasha Velour’s infamous lipsync (IYKYK) as a nightly ritual, compose music, and root on my bb’s Chelsea/Real Madrid FC.