Our Mission

Hepatitis Initiative

APAMSA’s Hepatitis Initiative aims to increase awareness regarding the impact of hepatitis on the AANHPI population and support hepatitis screenings. Funding is available through our Hepatitis Screening and Education Grants to support these efforts.

Questions? Contact the Hepatitis Directors Alicia Bui, Bunnarin Theng, and Christopher Huy
Doan, at hepatitis@apamsa.org.

APAMSA supports the efforts of the WHA and NOhep to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030

What is the APAMSA Hepatitis B Pledge?

The APAMSA Hepatitis B Pledge is a pledge to screen your patients for hepatitis B both during medical school and during your career as a physician. Our hope is that this pledge will rally our community and bring awareness to screening for Hepatitis B and to encourage medical students to develop habits of screening they can bring with them in their career as a physician.

This pledge was inspired by conversations with Asian Liver Center and SF Hep B Free – Bay Area, who have had a successful Clinician Hepatitis B Honor Roll. Click here for more information.

Who should be screened for Hepatitis B?

According to the CDC, all newly arriving refugees born in or have lived in countries with intermediate or high prevalence of hepatitis B should be screened for hepatitis B infection with HBsAg, HBsAb, and HBcAb. Do not forget patients born outside of the US but immigrated to the US at a very young age (birth to 3 years old) as often these patients believe they were falsely vaccinated in school and/or don’t identify as immigrants themselves. Additionally, all adults >=18 years old who were born in or lived in countries with low prevalence of chronic hepatitis B should be screened if they belong to the following risk groups:

  • Men who have sex with men

  • People with multiple sex partners or history of sexual exploitation

  • People with history of injection drug use

  • People living with HIV

  • Household contacts of people with chronic HBV infection

  • Subpopulations with prevalence rates >= 2% (ex/ indigenous populations, ethnic minorities)

  • Hemodialysis patients

  • People who have received whole blood or blood product transfusions before migration

  • People with elevated liver enzymes of unknown etiology

  • People with medical conditions requiring immunosuppresive therapy

  • Pregnant women

  • Adults with diabetes under 60 years old

This information was directly pulled from the CDC website. For more information about screening guidelines including guidelines for children and other populations, please check out the following resources:

Immigrant and Refugee Screening Guidelines
Diabetes and Hepatitis B Vaccination

Hi APAMSA members! Are you interested in joining a team of physicians and policymakers on eradicating Hepatitis B? APAMSA is looking for students interested in being a liaison between the National Task Force on Hepatitis B (https://hepbtaskforce.org) and their respective region/school. The position responsibility involves keeping a monthly update on National Task Force opportunities, as well as connecting physicians with students interested in performing research and undertaking projects. Please fill out this form if you are interested, and we will reach out to you with additional information. Feel free to email hepatitis@apamsa.org with further questions!

The annual National APAMSA Hepatitis Conference is held annually in different parts of the country. It is a unique opportunity for medical students and other professional health students from across the nation to come together. Participants network and learn from world renowned hepatologists and hepatitis advocates about the epidemiology, pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and C as well as the advocacy and policy efforts to combat this disease. The goal of the conference is to serve as a catalyst for many diverse hepatitis B and C projects across the country.

This is a particularly valuable conference if you:

  1. Are interested in learning about ways you can get involved with hepatitis B & C initiatives
  2. Want to network with leading hepatologists from across the nation
  3. Want to present a poster to share your hepatitis B & C outreach and/or research activities
  4. Want to attend the AASLD Liver Meeting (participation includes free passes to attend AASLD)

The 2024 Hepatitis B/C Conference will take place on Saturday November 16, 2024 in San Diego, CA! Check out our conference website here.

As always, please feel free to reach out to hepatitis@apamsa.org with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Grant Application

Applications are currently open! Grants are currently being awarded on a rolling basis. Please apply through the application link below. If you have any questions, please email hepatitis@apamsa.org.

Application link: https://tinyurl.com/HepatitisGrant

Make a Difference

APAMSA’s hepatitis project has awarded tens of thousands of dollars in grants to APAMSA chapters countrywide. These grants have been used to screen those at risk for viral hepatitis infection as well as to provide education for health professional who will be leading the efforts in hepatitis awareness.

Hepatitis B/C Screenings

  • Provide free screenings and/or vaccinations at health fairs.

  • Incorporate a hepatitis clinic at a community clinic or at a mobile clinic that aids underserved communities.

  • Work with the American Cancer Society, local health department, or other community organizations in implementing hepatitis screenings.

Hepatitis B/C Education

  • Invite guest speakers (e.g. hepatologists, GIs, public health experts, patients and/or families affected by HBV/HCV) to hold seminars high-risk patients at large community festivals, community clinics, supermarkets, restaurants, community centers, and organizations.

  • Hold educational seminars in dorms, classrooms, health fairs, and churches.

  • Organize educational classes where participants become certified to educate others on hepatitis.

  • Develop and implement a medical education curriculum on viral hepatitis and health disparities.

Grant Levels

Gold: Up to $1500
Silver: Up to $1000
Bronze: Up to $750
Education: Up to $250

FAQs

What else is required in the application?

  • Letter of Support from a Faculty Adviser or Community Leader

    • Note: letter of support author and grant submission author should be separate individuals.

  • Completed Grant Application including Project Budget

How do I get reimbursed?

Send this completed form along with your receipts to hepatitis@apamsa.org and cfo@apamsa.org.

Questions? Contact us at hepatitis@apamsa.org.

Please feel free to reference or print out these resources for any events, such as screenings, education, and community outreach.

Risk Assessment Tools

Educational Brochures

Outreach Materials

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