Network Director

Hello! My name is Sonia Scallon, and I am a third-year medical student at Albany Medical College. My involvement in APAMSA first began as a local chapter member at my medical school after which I served as my chapter’s Co-President. As a Region 2 Director this past year, I enjoyed fostering community between local chapters and connecting chapters with national resources to advance individual goals. I look forward to serving as the Women in Medicine Director this year, during which I hope to expand mentorship opportunities, improve communication, and increase advocacy surrounding challenges women face in medicine. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, painting, and reviewing local restaurants as a Yelp Elite!

Hi everyone! My name is Crystal Choi and I am currently a MS4 at SUNY Downstate. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. For college I attended Hunter College and graduated in 2019. I majored in Biological Sciences and minored in Asian American Studies. Previously, I had the pleasure of serving as local chapter president and Region II Director. As Membership Co-VP, I’m excited to welcome more individuals into the APAMSA family and keep nurturing its growth. In my spare time, I love to explore new food places with friends, do arts and crafts, and cook/bake! One of my favorite childhood activity that still helps me keep my Cantonese in check is watching TVB dramas with my family!

I am Akila, a medical student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. Currently, I am pursuing an NIDDK-funded research training fellowship investigating the effect of nutrition on nephropathy risk in patients with sickle cell anemia. Outside of school, I also volunteer in our student-run free clinic, mentor first-generation college students, and serve in leadership roles in the national American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American College of Physicians (ACP). I am passionate about medical student well-being and serve on my university’s Medical Student Council and Student Wellness and Resilience Committee.

Growing up in Bangladesh, my interest in advocacy developed as a high schooler in Dhaka implementing service projects at my school. Moving to the U.S. for college deepened my interest in health equity. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Biological Sciences in 2016, I pursued a career in public health developing equity-oriented solutions for patients experiencing homelessness and food insecurity. Broadly, my research and advocacy interests include global health justice, medical education, AANHPI data disaggregation, bilingual and bicultural/immigrant health equity, and cancer screening disparities.

I plan on pursuing a long-term career in academic internal medicine investigating factors that contribute to global health inequity, particularly for marginalized and immigrant patients, and implementing interventions to combat that. I am humbled to be training to become one of the first female physicians in my family and enjoy serving as a mentor to students, especially those who are first-generation, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and immigrants. In my free time, I love exploring independent bookstores, reading diaspora fiction, cooking fusion meals, and listening to music, particularly Bengali classics.

Hi APAMSA family! My name is KerCheng Chen (or KC 🙂 and I am an MS2 at the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. I was born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens (where there is a large AANPHI community) and attended college at UPenn where I received a B.S. in Biology. Before entering medical school, I worked as a clinical research coordinator in sleep medicine. Throughout my life, the AANHPI community played an integral role in my academic, professional, and personal growth, shaping my values and passions. I am strongly committed to play an active role in it. Last year, I served as APAMSA’s Co-Social Media Director and this year, I am excited to serve as your Communications Vice President! Outside of school, I enjoy eating good food, photographing friends, and aspiring to become a full-time plant mom.

Joyce H. Lee, MS is currently a third year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She was born in Tainan, Taiwan and immigrated to East Los Angeles when she was 8 years old. Since then, she has completed her B.S. in Physiology and Neuroscience at UC San Diego, worked at Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson) as a Neuroscience Intern, completed her M.S. in Bioethics at Columbia University, worked at NYU School of Medicine as a Research Data Associate researching Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), and conducted independent research. Additionally, she has spent nearly 10 years with the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) as a local chapter Co-President, Regional Director, one of the Membership Vice Presidents, and now the National President on the Executive Board. She enjoys the neurosciences, research, bioethics, medical humanities, and improving the lives of minority populations, especially the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. Eventually, she hopes to integrate all of these interests into her medical practice in the future. After medical school, she aims to to pursue a career in neurology and specialize in either vascular neurology or interventional neuroradiology.

Hello everyone! My name is Ming Lin and I am currently a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology from Tufts University in 2014 and a M.S. in Medical Science from Boston University School of Medicine in 2019. Previously, I’ve worked over 5 years as a trilingual patient navigator at Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center for cancer patients from underserved Boston communities, and as an adult ESL teacher for immigrants in Boston Chinatown. I also served as a member of the Commission on Cancer at Tufts Medical Center Cancer Center. I am a co-founder of The HAAPIE Initiative and a past Regional Director (VI) of the National Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association. I received the 2022-2023 HONORS Award from the American Society of Hematology to further a clinical and research career in cancer health disparities. I hope to pursue an Internal Medicine/Psychiatry residency and ultimately go into Hematology/Oncology, with a career focus on cancer disparities, psycho-oncology with culturally-aligned psychosocial support, quality of care, and health-related quality of life, particularly serving immigrant, AANHPI, and LGBTQ+ communities. When I indulge myself, I love to imagine what life would be like if I were a chaebol and could afford a closet full of fancy coats, cook, rewatch Sasha Velour’s infamous lipsync (IYKYK) as a nightly ritual, compose music, and root on my bb’s Chelsea/Real Madrid FC.

Hello everyone! My name is Amelia Huynh and I am a second-year medical student at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences. I was born in San Francisco and graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. Afterwards, I pursued my M.S. at Keck Graduate Institute where I had the pleasure of working with with Pfizer Inc. As a former Region VIII Director and now Membership Vice President, I am committed to upholding our roots and to promoting cross cultural healthcare practices that honor and respect the diversity of our community. Ultimately, my goal in APAMSA is to build an inclusive and equitable support system that ensures every member is provided with the care and resources they need to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends, food blogging, watching anime, and hosting game board nights.

Hi everyone! My name is Annie, and I’m a 5th year MD/PhD at the University of Connecticut. I grew up in Massachusetts, and I got my Bachelors in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale. Since starting medical school, I’ve been involved in health policy in APAMSA and the American Medical Association, centered on my strong interest for the advocacy for underrepresented and minority groups, focused on health-related issues that disproportionately impact BIPOC individuals, people with disabilities, and victims of domestic violence. I am so excited to continue bringing my advocacy interests to APAMSA as this year’s Advocacy VP. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, mixing cocktails for my friends, social dancing, and decorating my apartment on a student’s budget.

Hi everyone! My name is Suzanna Tom (you can call me Suz), and I am a rising MS4 at USF Morsani College of Medicine, in the SELECT program. I’m originally from Sam Francisco (#yayarea), went to UC Berkeley for my BS in Chemical Biology, worked as a pediatric scribe at UCSF before starting medical school. My journey with APAMSA started with my local chapter where I was the Community Outreach Chair, and I honestly wasn’t planning on joining National Board until I attended my regional conference and was inspired to join other likeminded individuals in creating positive change for our AANHPI community on a more coordinated, national front. Since then, I served as RD4 before returning this year as External Affairs Vice President. I am very excited for this next year as we continue to expand our reach, work with other organizations to make our community’s desires known and to address healthcare disparities, implement new ways to support our members through medical school and beyond, and finally serve as a safe haven that folks can always come back to. In my free time, I like to watch Korean dramas and anime, cook recipes that remind me of my grandma, stay active with weightlifting, tennis, and volleyball, and annoy/cuddle with my cat Kyo!

Hi! my name is Victoria Shi and I am finishing my M3 year at the UMKC School of Medicine before I am off to a yearlong research fellowship in Dermatology at Northwestern this coming summer. I grew up in Pennsylvania before moving to a suburb of New Jersey. I enjoy traveling, nature, exploring big cities and trying new restaurants! Both my local and national APAMSA families have given me such a strong sense of community. My role as prior co-President of my local chapter for two years was so fulfilling– we hosted health fairs targeting different AANHPI populations. I’ve loved these opportunities to directly interact with and support the AANHPI community! I first joined the APAMSA national board in 2019 as a Region VI director and I was alumni-co director last year. This year, I’m excited to create opportunities for mentorship between AANHPI alumni, medical students, and pre-health students so these communities can uplift each other.