National Board Bio

Kelly is a master’s student in history at Oxford and third-year medical student at the Duke University School of Medicine. She is originally from Minnesota, studied biomedical engineering at Columbia University, and spent a gap year before medical school doing computational neuroscience research at Yale. She’s a former National Conference Director and Alumni Director in APAMSA. Her scholarly interests include epilepsy, mental health, and history of medicine. Outside of medicine, she enjoys running, hiking, and visiting museums.

Kimsa Nguyen is a medical student at California Health Sciences University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and will be the first in her family to become a physician.Prior to medical school, she earned an MPH in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health from University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and an undergraduate degree from University of California, Davis in Cell Biology. She is passionate about health equity, social impact, and reproductive justice. She is enthusiastic about working in the intersection of public health and medicine to address health disparities and to engage in meaningful systems-level change to ensure that people can live their best, healthiest lives. Outside of medicine, she loves to spend time in nature, travel, and cook for her loved ones!

Brian Leung is a rising fourth-year osteopathic medical student at Touro University Nevada, College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada. He was born and raised in San Jose, California. He received his Bachelors of Science in Biology and Community Health at Tufts University in Somerville/Medford, Massachusetts. During medical school, Brian completed the San Francisco Chinatown Externship hosted by the Chinese Hospital and the Chinese Community Healthcare Association, where he was able to explore the different medical specialties that served the AANHPI community in San Francisco. He hopes to practice family medicine as a primary care physician after medical school.

In his previous role as Rapid Response Director, Brian led APAMSA’s collaborative advocacy efforts, partnering with NCAPIP and organizations like LMSA, SNMA, and SOMA to address pressing current events. Now, as Advocacy Vice President, he is focused on building an expansive network of physician advocates to champion the AANHPI community and drive awareness of systemic health inequities. During his free time, Brian enjoys cooking, learning new languages, and spending time with his family.

Elizabeth Nguyen is an MS4 at the University of Texas San Antonio Long School of Medicine. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and completed a BS in Biology at Emory University. She began serving APAMSA as the Community Engagement Lead for her local chapter and was the 2025-2026 Community Outreach Director for the National Board. She is now the Health Affairs Vice President on the Executive Board. She is interested in a career in ophthalmology or internal medicine. Outside of school, she enjoys playing piano, reading, knitting, and playing tennis.

Emily Chen is currently a third-year medical student (M3) at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. She was born in Guangzhou, China, and immigrated to the United States with her parents at a young age. Prior to medical school, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University. Emily currently serves as Co-President of her local APAMSA chapter, where she has been heavily involved in the organization’s hepatitis outreach and Mandarin education initiatives. She previously served as one of the Region V Directors and now returns as External Affairs Vice President, where she is excited to continue strengthening APAMSA’s partnerships, financial sustainability, and national programming for AANHPI communities. In her free time, Emily enjoys dancing to K-pop, trying new restaurants, and cooking.

Callista is a rising fourth-year medical student at California Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is from Arcadia, California, and graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Psychobiology and a minor in Gerontology. Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley and attending a university with such prominent AANHPI communities has kept her connected to her roots and inspired her to learn how a career in medicine can give back to the communities that she grew up in. She has served on APAMSA’s National Board as a Social Media Committee Member (2024-2025) and Social Media Director (2025-2026).

Outside of school, she is either reading on her emotional support Kindle, watching Lakers games, or finding new boba spots. Fun fact: she and her friends developed a boba-themed finance-tracking app during a Hackathon, which went viral in the subtle Asian traits Facebook group and was featured on NextShark!

James “Jameson” M. Chua, MS, is an osteopathic medical student at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine, Class of 2027. Born to Chinese-Filipino immigrants, James grew up in San Diego, California, where he eventually earned his Bachelor of Arts in Biology, from the University of San Diego. As an undergraduate, he was deeply involved in campus life as a lifelong brother of Sigma Pi fraternity, an active member of the Filipino American Student Organization, and a researcher in comparative immunology as a member of the Hohman Lab group.

Following graduation in 2019, James worked at The Scripps Research Institute and the UC San Diego School of Medicine, where he conducted antibody development research on SARS-CoV-2 during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. His work contributed to the global response to COVID-19 and was published in journals including Science and Nature Communications. After two years of intensive research, James experienced burnout, which prompted him to realign with his long-standing goal of pursuing medicine. To strengthen his medical school application, he completed a post-baccalaureate program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and subsequently earned a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Drexel University College of Medicine in 2022.

Following his time in Philly, James began his journey to becoming an osteopathic physician, or, as he fondly calls it, a “bone wizard,” at Touro University Nevada in 2023. Since then, he has immersed himself in the medical school community, becoming an active member of his local APAMSA chapter, as well as the volleyball club and culinary medicine club.

In APAMSA, James has held positions both on a local and national level. Locally, he has served as a chapter president, where one of his favorite memories is bringing together his chapter to participate in Community Impact Week 2025 to volunteer at Three Square, the largest food bank that serves Clark County, Nevada. Nationally, James has served as the Fundraising Director from 2024-25, and now, as a two-term National President from 2025-26 and 2026-27.

James aspires to become a psychiatrist, with plans to subspecialize in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and a particular emphasis on culturally responsive and LGBTQIA+ affirming care.

Jack Nguyen is a third-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Originally from Pasadena, California, he completed his B.S. in Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology. He is passionate about fostering community and supporting AANHPI voices in medicine through his involvement with APAMSA. He hopes to contribute to initiatives that promote cultural representation, mentorship, and health equity. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and exploring new video games.

Hayoung Ahn is a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, pursuing a concurrent master’s degree in Education. Originally from New York City, she studied Neuroscience & Psychology at Harvard University, after which she conducted research as a lab manager at the University of Chicago. Simultaneously, she took on several volunteer leadership roles for organizations that promote mental health advocacy and Asian American health. Hayoung hopes to blend her interests in media and creative arts with medicine and education in the future. Outside of school/work, Hayoung enjoys hiking and relaxing in nature, going to concerts, and creating social media content!

Amy Dinh is a third year medical student at California Health Sciences University, College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) in Clovis, California. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA and later completed her B.S. in Psychobiology from University of California, Los Angeles. She involved herself in AANHPI spaces as a former intern and administrative assistant to the Southeast Asian Campus Learning and Retention (SEA CLEAR) Project at UCLA and in the last two years as a member and as the volunteer coordinator at her local APAMSA chapter, where she organized a community skin care screening event with local dermatologists. In her free time, she enjoys painting, arranging and transcribing music, and baking.