Hello! My name is Vanessa, and I’m an M3 at Albany Medical College. I was born and raised in NYC, and completed my undergraduate studies at New York University. Before medical school, I worked at an Asian American community health center in Chinatown, which broadened my understanding of social health disparities affecting the AAPI community in NYC—including language barriers, healthcare accessibility, and health literacy challenges. As your new APAMSA Advocacy Committee member, I’m excited to apply my knowledge and experience in immigrant health and health policy to increase awareness and drive action toward improving public health outcomes in the AAPI community.