National Board

Hi! My name is Hersh Gupta and I am a 1st Year MD/PhD student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Along with serving as the South Asian director for APAMSA, I also volunteer for educating predominantly Asian high school students on Hepatitis C and do research on studying genetic causes of disease in various populations. I went to undergraduate at Brown where I earned my degree in chemistry and computational biology. Afterwards, I spent 2 gap years at the Broad, studying cancer genomics. Outside of school, I enjoy cooking, exploring NYC, and exploring Netflix.

Hey! I’m Daniel Jung and I’m an MS1 student at University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine. I’m very interested in tech, so one of my interests as a medical student is getting exposure to the new technological innovations in medicine and networking with fellow peers who also find them fascinating! When I’m not busy with school, I like to do creative activities. I love listening to music (K-rnb and Jpop) and making music as well (Lofi, hip hop). I also like to create content! Connect with me at @Daniel.k.jung on instagram 🙂

Hi there, I’m John P. Lee, a medical student at the Penn State College of Medicine. My current involvement with the Penn State College of Medicine includes being a student in the Global Health Scholars Program for the São Paulo, Brazil site and doing research in the fields of infectious diseases, neurosurgery, vascular surgery, and refugee healthcare. Beyond Penn State, I am the 2023 Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) National Medical Education Director, and I am an officer in the US Navy Reserve as part of the Health Professions Scholarship Program.

Prior to medical school, I graduated with a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Biological Anthropology from Penn State University Park and then graduated with an M.S. in Anatomy from the Penn State College of Medicine. I spent four years as an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Lebanon Valley College where I taught general anatomy, functional musculoskeletal anatomy, human physiology, and exercise physiology. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, hiking, kayaking, skiing, reading, playing board games and card games, learning new languages, and cheering on the Indianapolis Colts!

Mālō e lelei! My name is Piueti Tu’ulelei Maka and I am a Tongan MD student at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Hawai’i. Outside of school, a few of my leadership roles include my service as the Pasifikas in Medicine Vice President: Chair of Internal Affairs, Western Region ​​National Association of Medical Minority Educators Student Ambassador, and ‘Imi Ho‘ola Post-Baccalaureate Program Student Ambassador. Before medical school, I obtained my B.A. Biology from Pepperdine University and worked various jobs that gave me extensive experience in medicine, fashion, and general labor. For research, I focus on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) minority issues, especially as it relates to health, and also participate in various surgical subspecialty research. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, trying new restaurants, photography and videography, and spending time with my loved ones and cats!

Hi everyone! My name is Michael Nguyen and I am a third-year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, attended Stanford University for undergrad, and worked in tech for a few years before deciding to pivot into medical school. As a gay, first-generation medical student raised by Vietnamese refugees, I am deeply passionate about giving back to underserved communities and advocating for health equity and social justice. In my free time, I enjoy dancing (formerly on a hip-hop dance team), playing video games, and exploring new restaurants across Philly.

Hello! I’m Kirsten Nguyen and I’m a current MS2 originally from Southern California. I went to Cal for undergrad where I majored in genetics and minored in education, and am now in Tennessee for medical school. I’m passionate about finding advocacy and identity groups wherever I go, and APAMSA has really helped with staying connected to my culture and community no matter how busy medical school gets. I love exploring new volunteering events, coffee shops to study at, group dinner ideas, music, and ways to be in the sun!

Hey! My name is Sarah and I am a senior undergraduate at Stanford University with roots in Seoul, Korea and Irvine, CA. I study Human Biology with a concentration in Biotechnology and Health Policy, which stems from my fascination with using technology and evidence-based research to heal others and my personal experience dealing with high costs of care in my family. My interests lie at where the two halves of my concentration meet, specifically current regulations of medical technology. I am excited to use this position to educate myself and the APAMSA community about health policy and the actions that we can take as a collective to advocate for those we care about.

I currently serve as Stanford Pre-Med APMSA Chapter’s Co-President and served as the Editor Director on the National Board during the 2022-2023 term. In my free time, you can find me seeking out the next live music concert, taking pictures of my friends, playing tennis (badly), and playing the violin (acceptably).

Hi there, I’m Sandra Phanita Kumwong, I am a full-spectrum doula and current DO student at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, NY. I’m a born and raised New Yorker with Thai-Mon-Teochew heritage. I obtained my Bachelor’s in Sociology with minors in Asian American Studies and Biology from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. I was a Community Health Program Coordinator at the National Black Leadership Commission on Health where I implemented NYC’s first COVID outreach and vaccination equity programs. I’m passionate about Reproductive Justice and worked as a sexual health educator in a youth clinic (The Door NYC), in public high schools (Peer Health Exchange), and as a gynecological skills instructor for students in medical professions. I plan to practice sexual and reproductive health care with holistic and justice-minded lenses. I currently train and mentor young doulas and reproductive justice advocates with Advocates for Youth. You can read some of my works in “Becoming an Abortion Doula” in Colonize This! 2nd edition and Rewire News’ “Why Asian Americans Need Better Sex Ed”. In my spare time, I love to take long walks with no destinations, practice yoga, and bird watch!

Hi everyone! My name is Eric Kim, and I am currently completing an MSc in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School. I will be returning for my 5th year at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and plan to apply into Internal Medicine. I served as a Region II Director from 2019 to 2021, as well as the Rapid Response Director from 2022 to 2023. I am excited and honored to continue serving as the Rapid Response Director for this coming term!

Hello! My name is Ashley Tam and I’m a third year medical student at Oregon Health & Science University. As a child of immigrants I was constantly surrounded by Chinese culture and traditions, but it wasn’t until undergrad when I was surrounded by AANHPI peers and I realized how important that was to me. After being a Director for the 2023 National Conference, I’m really excited to continue working with APAMSA! When not running around for rotations I like to play phone games, bake Chinese pastries, watch anime, and try out new restaurants.