2024 Bootcamp Series
Response to Proposed EDUCATE Act (H.R. 7725)
On March 19, 2024, Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC) introduced the Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act (H.R. 7725) to Congress. The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-329) to prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving federal funding, including student loans and federal research grants, if such schools adopt policies and requirements relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These policies include the maintenance of DEI offices and affinity groups, as well as the use of diversity statements. Rep. Murphy, the author of the bill and a practicing urologist, claims that DEI is a divisive and discriminatory philosophy that undermines medical education and results in a less qualified physician force. The bill comes amid an alarming nationwide political assault on DEI, as more than 80 bills restricting or regulating DEI in higher education have been introduced in 28 states and the US Congress since 2023.
As an organization committed to addressing the unique health challenges of AANHPI communities, National APAMSA condemns the EDUCATE Act and will continue to support DEI policies in healthcare and health professions education alongside leading medical associations from across the country. APAMSA affirms that DEI neither exists in opposition to merit, nor does it jeopardize the quality of medical education––these are myths propagated to fuel a political agenda. While by no means perfect, campus DEI structures provide physicians in training the tools to address the health needs of an increasingly diverse population, providing learning environments that help students from various backgrounds overcome implicit biases that contribute to disparities in treatment and health outcomes. The evidence is abundantly clear: diversity in healthcare improves patient outcomes, and in effect creates a more qualified physician force.
National APAMSA unequivocally supports DEI initiatives in our policy compendium (Resolution 40.002) and in recent statements. Attacks on DEI in medical education clearly contradict a core tenet of our mission. We therefore reiterate our opposition to the EDUCATE Act and urge legislators to oppose HR 7725.
For questions or concerns, please reach out to Nataliyah Tahir at rapidresponse@apamsa.org
Ngoc Le
Network Director
Ngoc Le is a current 3rd year medical student at University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Prior to medical school, she worked as a tobacco cessation counselor at UCSD Moores Cancer Center in which she developed a strong passion for preventive medicine and community health. She holds a degree in Master of Public Health with a focus on Health Promotion and she has published in Journal of Global Health Reports. She had the opportunity to participate in the All of Us Research Program last year in which she focused on researching about mental health disparities in Asian Americans.
Ngoc is very excited and honored to be a part of the Asian Health Coalition. She looks forward to contributing and serving the AANHPI communities.
Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation Project:
Call community members about Covid/flu vaccines and update about local resources, and community events.
Angela Chen
Network Director
Angela Chen is currently a second-year medical student at Chicago Medical School. She spent this past summer at UCLA, where she contributed to research focused on improving language equity and patient outcomes for minority elders undergoing surgery. Empowering patients through meaningful patient education has always been a passion of hers. Angela is excited to engage AANHPI communities and learn how we can best serve them through conversation, education, and advocacy.
Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center Project:
I am currently responsible for creating culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate educational material regarding mental and brain health in older adults, touching upon topics since as destigmatizing dementia and depression, recognizing stroke symptoms, maintaining cognitive health, and providing nutritional guidance for brain health. For instance, while the Mediterranean diet has been linked to a reduced risk of dementia, few Asian seniors are familiar with its components or can reap its benefits. By adapting the Mediterranean diet to align with Chinese cuisine, I can recommend ingredients and cultural dishes that are already familiar to my intended audience. It is incredibly fulfilling to be able to bridge the knowledge gap for these seniors by leveraging my cultural background to enhance understanding.
Mytien Nguyen
Network Director
Mytien Nguyen is an MD/PhD student at the Yale School of Medicine. Mytien earned her undergraduate and graduate degree from Cornell University. Her work centers on eliminating barriers that prevent first-generation and low-income college graduates from pursuing a career in medicine. An advocate for health equity, she is a co-founder of the National First Gen & Low-Income Medicine Association.
VietLead Project:
Advancing education and health communication on precision medicine
Jessica Trinh
Network Director
Jessica Trinh is a third-year medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. She is among the first-generation in her family to attend college, completing her B.S. at Yale College. After graduating college, she attended culinary school in London. Born and raised in Rockford, IL, Jessica is passionate about addressing health access disparities and working with underserved communities. Before medical school, she worked at Center for Asian Health Equity in Chicago, IL as an intern in the Chronic and Infectious Disease Department. She has previously served as a Medical Student Ambassador since her first year of medical school.
Asian Health Coalition Project:
As am ambassador, I am producing and editing animated videos for Asian Health Coalition that educate on health concerns that especially apply to minority communities. Examples of videos I have worked on include promoting prostate cancer screenings among Black and Latinx communities as well as a short video series encouraging minorities to be involved in research.
Annalisa Okimoto
Network Director
Annalisa Okimoto is a third year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and counts herself as incredibly privileged to have grown up fully surrounded by the richness of AANHPI cultures. Annalisa moved to Boston in 2015 for college and medical school, and she am currently doing her third year rotations in Northern California. Moving from Honolulu to Boston to California has exposed her to just how varied the AANHPI health care experience is and the idea that the AANHPI community is not a monolith but composed of innumerable unique communities across the country, all with different strengths and needs. Annalisa is happy to be back in her second year as an All of Us Ambassador and excited to continue learning about and advocating for AANHPI health.
Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance Project:
I am currently working on an outreach project aimed at collecting stories from AANHPI community members in Southern California about their personal experiences with mental health conditions. This includes their experiences seeking mental health care/helping family members suffering from mental health disorders, and the impact their cultural backgrounds have had on their journey with mental health. We aim to collect these video testimonials from populations served by OCAPICA’s various community-based regional partners across Southern California and disseminate their unique and important stories on social media to increase awareness about mental health and its interplay with culture in AANHPI populations.
Anne Hong Nguyen
Network Director
Anne Nguyen is an MS-2 at New York Medical College. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2021, with a B.S. in biochemistry and minor in Asian American Studies. While an undergraduate, she spearheaded health education efforts and provided free health service for immigrant populations in Orange County, California with Vietnamese Community Health. Anne also worked with the Describing Asian American Well-being & Needs in Cancer study to assess the psychosocial needs of Asian American metastatic cancer patients. As a medical student, she continue to conduct research to survey the mental health needs of Southeast Asians, search for ways to improve the collection of minority demographics in clinical research, and participate in the APAMSA Southeast Asian Committee. In her future career, Anne strive to continue serving underserved populations with an emphasis on compassionate care that recognizes the intersectional needs of patients.
Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA) Project:
I am supporting CSEA with the opening of their Behavioral Health Outpatient clinic that aims to serve Southeast Asian mental health needs with a culturally responsive approach. This includes looking through policy recommendations for working with the Southeast Asian community and utilizing culturally sensitive cognitive-based therapy to address the somatic symptoms of mental health. I am also conducting a research project with the Asian Health Coalition using the All of Us data browser to assess the use of fatigue as a measure of poor mental health in Asian Americans.
Arthur Bookstein
Network Director
Arthur Bookstein is a third-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with degrees in Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health, and minors in Bioengineering and Conservation & Resource Studies. He completed his Master in Public Health with an emphasis in Biostatistics & Epidemiology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. He intends to pursue further training in Medicine-Pediatrics and Oncology, and become a physician who advocates for vulnerable populations through clinical practice, research and policy. His research interests include cancer health disparities and prevention, global oncology, and Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivorship. He has published research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (CEBP), and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In his free time, he enjoys long-distance cycling, language learning, and volunteering.
Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) Project:
My project is a multi-faceted campaign to empower the health of local Japanese and other AANHPI communities in Los Angeles. My primary focus involves creating health education classes on topics like healthy aging and cancer screening, which are offered in both English and Japanese at community centers. As part of the outreach aspect of my campaign, I am also providing multicultural health resources at local community events and recruiting participants from underrepresented groups to join the All of Us Research Program. Additionally, I am helping to launch a new Mental Health Ambassadorship program under LTSC, which will encourage high school students from Japanese and other AANHPI communities to engage with mental health and dispel cultural stigma surrounding this topic.
In terms of research, I am currently conducting an analysis of language and cultural barriers and their impact on HBV/HCV and Liver cancer among Asian Americans in the All of Us database.
Michael Yi
Network Director
Michael Yi is a current fourth year medical student at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, has completed a research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Murad Alam at the Northwestern University, and is passionate about minority and disadvantaged populations. He has published in the JAAD, JID, JEADV, AODR, and the Journal of First-Generation Student Success, created multiple social media videos to improve awareness of health issues in minority communities, led numerous school-wide events, and has been a mentor for First-Generation Asian-American students and prospective medical students. In his free time, Michael enjoys reading, snowboarding, and finding the best tacos restaurants.
Asian Health Coalition Project:
As an ambassador, I am working on YouTube videos and shorts that discuss public health disparities that affect various minority populations. I have also taken part in the NIH’s Research Scholar Program for the past two years and presented my work on the association between dermatologic and psychological conditions in Asian-American populations at the Research Scholar Program’s Research Symposium.