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We’re kicking off our Knowledge in Bloom series with noni (Morinda citrifolia)! 🌺

Found throughout the Pacific, noni has a long history of use in traditional medicine and cultural practices. Across different Pacific communities, various parts of the plant have been used in preparations for wounds, inflammation, digestive complaints, and other ailments.

Today, noni can be found in juices, teas, powders, and other products—but how does modern research compare with generations of traditional knowledge? 🔬🌿

Join us as we explore the history, traditional uses, and modern science behind this beloved Pacific plant.

🌱 From generations of knowledge to modern research, there is always more to learn.

Traditional medicinal practices are shared for educational and cultural purposes and do not necessarily represent clinically proven treatments.

Next up in our Knowledge in Bloom series: ʻawa, also known as kava (Piper methysticum). 🌿

Cultivated across the Pacific for generations, ʻawa holds a special place in many Pacific Island cultures. More than a plant, ʻawa is connected to ceremony, community, hospitality, and tradition, with practices varying across different Pacific cultures.

Traditionally, ʻawa has also been associated with relaxation and calming effects. Today, it continues to be studied for its potential effects on anxiety and the nervous system. 🔬

But with traditional knowledge comes the responsibility to understand the plant in its full context—including its cultural significance, modern research, and safety considerations.

🌊 ʻAwa reminds us that Pacific plant knowledge is about more than medicine—it is about people, place, and connection.

Traditional medicinal practices are shared for educational and cultural purposes and do not necessarily represent clinically proven treatments.

For Part 3 of Knowledge in Bloom, we’re learning about māmaki (Pipturus albidus)—a plant native to Hawaiʻi. 🌺

Traditionally, Native Hawaiians have used different parts of māmaki for a variety of purposes, including medicinal preparations. Its leaves have long been prepared as a tea, while other parts of the plant have been incorporated into traditional remedies.

But māmaki is more than medicine. 🌱 Its history is intertwined with Hawaiian relationships to the ʻāina, including traditional uses of the plant for kapa and other everyday materials.

Today, māmaki is commonly enjoyed as an herbal tea, while researchers continue to investigate its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and other biological properties.

🌺 Learning about māmaki means learning not only about a plant, but about the relationship between people, knowledge, and ʻāina.

Traditional medicinal practices are shared for educational and cultural purposes and do not necessarily represent clinically proven treatments.

You may know guava for its sweet fruit—but did you know that guava leaves have also been part of traditional medicine across the Pacific and beyond? 🌿

Guava (Psidium guajava) is native to tropical regions of the Americas but has become established throughout the Pacific, including parts of Micronesia. In communities such as Guam and Pohnpei, traditional knowledge has included the use of different parts of the plant for skin conditions, wounds, digestive complaints, and other ailments.

Modern researchers are now studying compounds found in guava leaves for their potential antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic effects. 🔬

From the garden to the kitchen to traditional medicine, guava is a reminder that the plants around us can carry layers of cultural knowledge and history.

🌱 What everyday plants might hold stories we haven’t heard yet?

Traditional medicinal practices are shared for educational and cultural purposes and do not necessarily represent clinically proven treatments.

Celebrate South Asian Heritage Month by designing the next piece of official APAMSA merch! Submit your original artwork for a chance to be featured on our storefront and win a product featuring your own design! Browse our current collection for inspiration.

Submissions Closed

South Asian Heritage Health Research Grant — Apply Today!
Are you passionate about improving health outcomes & understanding health experiences in South Asian communities? We want to support your work!

This grant is open to researchers, students, and community health advocates exploring topics like chronic disease, mental health, cultural health practices, healthcare access, and beyond. One winner will receive $100 to help bring their project to life!

Fill out our short application and take the next step in advancing health equity and well-being for South Asian communities.

Applications Closed

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Dr. Rupa Juthani, MD, FAANS, a board-certified and fellowship-trained neurosurgeon specializing in neurooncolology about her journey through medicine as a south asian woman. Beyond the operating room, Dr. Juthani is a physician educator, TEDx speaker, mother, and prominent medical content creator known online as @braintumorsurgeon.

Lassi’s been around for about 5,000 years. It didn’t need a rebrand, a trend cycle, or a big marketing push — it just kept existing, through Mughal rule, Afghan rule, British colonialism, all of it. No one ever tried to commercialize it because there was nothing to profit from. It just stayed what it was: a drink people made at home, for each other.
Sweet with cardamom and rose water, or salty with cumin and black salt. Both are correct. Fight me.

Chai has a rougher history than people realize. The British cleared land and built plantations across Assam and Darjeeling to supply tea back home, using indentured and displaced labor to do it. Indians weren’t even the intended market. Chai only became “chai” once street vendors took the low-grade leaf they were handed and added milk, sugar, and their own spices to it.
So when you drink chai, you’re kind of drinking an act of resistance, disguised as a comfort drink.

This one’s not like the others. It’s pink, it’s salty, and it comes from Central Asian trade routes rather than the usual chai lineage, it’s genuinely closer to Tibetan butter tea than to masala chai.
In Kashmir, it shows up at weddings, funerals, and as the first thing you offer a guest. It’s outlasted the Mughals, the Sikh empire, the Dogras, and the British, mostly because no outside power ever cared enough to try to change it.

Turmeric milk carries about 3,000 years of Ayurvedic tradition, used for everything from inflammation to wound care long before Western medicine took any interest in it. During the colonial period it was often dismissed outright, only to resurface decades later in the West as a wellness trend.
So next time you see “”golden milk”” on a café menu, know the tradition goes back a lot further than the trend.

Looking for guidance on the pre-health journey? APAMSA’s Big Sib/Little Sib Mentorship Program is here to connect undergraduate pre-health students with current medical students for meaningful mentorship, support, and community.

Little Sibs can receive one-on-one guidance on course planning, personal statements, medical school applications, specialty exploration, and more. Big Sibs will have the opportunity to give back, build mentorship experience, and support the next generation of physicians.

NEW THIS YEAR: Little Sibs will get *exclusive access* to APAMSA’s list of Campus Ambassadors! The Ambassadors are current medical students who have generously volunteered to answer questions from pre-health students about their schools to faciliate the process of deciding which schools to apply to and attend.

This program is open for the 2026–2027 academic year, with quarterly check-ins and opportunities to connect at regional and national conferences.

Applications Closed

Are you looking for ways to get involved outside the classroom? Unsure which extracurriculars align with your interests and goals as a future healthcare professional?

Join APAMSA’s Pre-Health Month for our Extracurricular Fair, where medical students will share their experiences with research, clinical opportunities, volunteering, leadership, and other meaningful activities and reflect on how their extracurricular experiences enhanced their medical school applications. Discover new opportunities, ask questions, and learn how different extracurricular paths can help you grow personally and professionally while preparing for a career in medicine.

Date: July 7, 2026
Time: 6 PM PT | 9 PM ET

Are you stuck deciding between an MD or DO program? Are you unsure of what the difference between the two is? Join us for APAMSA’s Pre-Health Month as we explore the similarities, differences, and misconceptions between allopathic and osteopathic medicine. We’ll discuss differences in curriculum, licensing, philosophy of care, and residency competitiveness to help inform you of which path may be a better fit for you!

Date: July 21, 2026
Time: 6 PM PT | 9 PM ET

The Pre-Health Admissions Panel is an opportunity for students who are interested in pursuing medicine to ask questions to Admissions Officers from various institutions. Join to get a better sense of how to prepare for applications and what to expect throughout the whole process!

Date: July 28, 2026
Time: 6 PM PT | 9 PM ET

We are launching the Queer Asian Health Equity Series, a programming series that will be held throughout the year dedicated to exploring the intersections of queer Asian identity and health equity in medicine.

Our first event in the series is the Queer Asian Voices in Medicine panel, featuring physicians and medical students discussing how their queer and Asian identities have shaped their journeys in medicine and approaches to patient care and leadership in healthcare. Participants will also have the opportunity to connect with other queer Asians in medicine and engage in meaningful conversation and community-building.

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Time: 5 PM PT | 8 PM ET

This Pride Month, National APAMSA’s LGBTQIA+ Committee is highlighting Queer Asian Voices in Medicine, a year-long initiative inviting queer Asians in medicine and healthcare to share their stories and experiences.

We want to hear from you! Visit the link below to submit your story. The form will remain open year-round, but please submit by June 22nd to be featured during Pride Month.

National APAMSA’s LGBTQIA+ Committee is conducting this needs assessment to better understand the experiences, needs, interests, and priorities of queer Asian pre-medical and medical students. The goal of this survey is to guide future programming, educational content, advocacy efforts, mentorship opportunities, and community-building initiatives that are meaningful, inclusive, and representative of our members.

We want to hear from you! Visit the link below to complete the survey. Responses will be reviewed on a rolling monthly basis, but we encourage early submissions. Your responses are anonymous unless you choose to provide contact information.
Estimated completion time: 5-10 minutes

This Pride Month, National APAMSA’s LGBTQIA+ Committee is launching a Queer Asian Physician Mentorship Project to help queer Asian pre-health and medical students connect with physicians and trainees across specialties.

This directory is designed to support conversations around medicine, identity, career development, and community. Visit the link below to view the mentor list.

Rooted in Hawaiʻi’s rich cultural history, Lei Day began in 1928 as a celebration of aloha, a day to honor connection, kindness, and community through the giving of lei. What started as a simple idea grew into a lasting tradition that reflects the beauty of relationships woven with intention and care.  Celebrate the spirit of Lei Day with us by reflecting on the connections that shape your journey in medicine and beyond. From our APAMSA ʻohana to yours, we wish you a joyful and meaningful Lei Day!

Dr. Bright Zhou’s talk, “The Activated Asian American,” is a timely conversation on advocacy vs. activism, identity, and how medicine can support collective healing in our communities. Dr. Zhou is an attending at USC FMR, whose journey into medicine began in archaeology, excavating ancient sites around the world. Today, they bring that same curiosity to patient care: centering storytelling, advancing culturally reflective medicine, and advocating for linguistically and culturally inclusive healthcare.

Asian Americans experience some of the highest rates of mental distress, yet they remain among the least likely to seek support. Stigma, cultural taboos, and the model minority myth continue to create systemic barriers that prevent many from accessing the care they need. It is time to break the silence and confront this crisis directly. Please join APAMSA for a virtual program hosted through the Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus for Public Health, in partnership with the United Chinese Association WAVES (Wellness, Advocacy, Voices, Education, Support). We are honored to welcome Dr. Lily Chen, who will lead an important discussion on “Silent War: The AAPI Youth Mental Health Crisis.” Join us for an essential conversation as we listen, learn, and work toward a future where AANHPI youth mental health is no longer overlooked.

National APAMSA honors the legacy of AANHPI physician advocates who have shaped medicine, challenged inequities, and uplifted communities, often against the odds. From breaking barriers in training to leading movements for health equity, their work reminds us that representation isn’t just about presence, it’s also about impact.

Their voices have advanced culturally responsive care, expanded access for underserved populations, and redefined what it means to be a physician-leader. Because of them, future generations don’t just enter medicine, they belong in it.

As we celebrate their contributions, we also recognize the responsibility we carry forward: to advocate, to serve, and to continue building a more equitable healthcare system for all.

See our post on Instagram!

APAMSA is proud to collaborate with Dr. Krysti Vo, dual board-certified psychiatrist, for a meaningful conversation exploring identity, belonging, and mental health within the AANHPI community and medical training spaces. Together, we’ll discuss how cultural identity, community expectations, and lived experiences shape mental health journeys for students and future physicians, while highlighting the importance of advocacy, representation, and culturally informed support systems. Join us for an engaging dialogue centered on healing, connection, and empowering the next generation of AANHPI healthcare leaders.

Close out AANHPI Heritage Month with APAMSA’s nationwide Fundraising Week, taking place May 24–May 30. Follow along on Instagram as our National Board members lead fundraising efforts through their stories, highlighting the impact of our work and the communities we serve. Every donation directly supports student-led community health initiatives, expands outreach, and empowers future physicians to address critical health disparities.