Regional Conference 2025

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~

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 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 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 (@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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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, 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nick Sze

Region V Director

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

Rachel Ablir

Region V Director

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Amy Lin

Region V Director

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Anh Luu

Region VI Director

University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine

Lauren Kang

Region VI Director

The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine

Stephanie Ngo

Region VI Director

University of Kansas School of Medicine

Thy Nguyen

Membership Vice President

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

Kelly Duong

Co-President

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Kaley Qin

Co-President

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Kendrick Choi

Vice-President

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Christopher Vu

Treasurer

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

William Zhang

Outreach Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Rachel Gao

Outreach Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Jessica Tsui

Social Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Ethan Jude Miranda

Social Chair

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago

Dr. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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

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