National Board Bio

Hi! I’m Lauren and I’m an MS2/rising MS3 at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. I grew up in Portland, Oregon and went to college at Washington University in St. Louis, where I got my bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry and served as one of the founding board members of their pre-medical APAMSA chapter. Having been both a pre-medical and medical school chapter leader at Region VI institutions, I’m excited and honored to have been entrusted with overseeing the operations of the entire region. APAMSA has given me so much in the way of community, leadership, and personal growth over the years, and I hope I can give just as much back to the organization during my first term on National Board! In my free time, I enjoy reading murder mysteries and teaching Kpop dance, both for UChicago’s Kpop dance organization and occasionally out in the community.In my free time, I enjoy hiking, exploring different cuisines, traveling, playing frisbee and tennis, and embroidery.

Hi! My name is Anh T. Luu, and I am currently a second-year medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. In the summer of 2024, I pursued cardiovascular research on congenital heart disease (CHD) at Stanford, followed by research on the impacts of physical activity on CHD. Currently, I am particularly interested in pediatric radiology and pediatric cardiology.

I was born in Loma Linda, California, and raised in a small town in the Central Valley. Growing up in a rural area, I did not have a large AANHPI community, but since joining APAMSA in 2021, my AANHPI family has grown significantly. I have served as a local chapter Year 1 Representative and Conference Chair, a Community Outreach Subcommittee member, and now the Regional VI Director. This year, I hope to foster meaningful connections between local chapters and their members, bridging gaps in underrepresented AANHPI populations.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking, exploring different cuisines, traveling, playing frisbee and tennis, and embroidery.

Hi! My name is Amy Lin and I am a rising M3 at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. I was born in New York and spent my first few years of life in Fuzhou, China before returning to Ohio. Growing up in a small town, I wasn’t exposed to much diversity, yet my parents kept me in touch with my cultural roots. Therefore, I’ve always tried to find ways to express my cultural identity. Now as a medical student, I am able to integrate my experiences and passion to advocate for the health of the AANHPI community. Outside of school, I enjoy dancing, trying out new recipes, and traveling.

Rachel Ablir is a third-year medical student at Michigan State College of Human Medicine. She was born and raised in Southern California and later attended UC Berkeley, where she majored in Public Health. During her gap years, she served as the Clinic Director at Mabuhay Health Center, a free clinic primarily serving uninsured Filipino elderly in San Francisco. She also worked on community-based research projects addressing health disparities in underserved populations, particularly AANHPI communities and deaf and hard-of-hearing children. She joined APAMSA during her first year of medical school then later served as the local chapter Vice President the following year. She is eager to continue advocating for the health of Asian American communities and integrating culturally-sensitive healthcare as a future medical provider.

Hello! My name is Nick Sze, and I am an incoming third-year at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. I am originally from the Columbus, Ohio area and completed my undergraduate at Ohio University. My past APAMSA experiences include being the co-president of the Wright State chapter and serving on the 2024-2025 Hepatitis Committee. I am excited to serve as one of the Region V Directors this year to promote AANHPI health and community in the Midwest, where I have grown up and lived for nearly my whole life! In my free time, I enjoy birdwatching, travelling, and spending time with friends and family.

Helen Heo is a fourth-year MD/PhD student at the Duke University School of Medicine. Originally from Milwaukee, WI, she completed her B.S. in Neurobiology and Molecular Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before spending a year in San Francisco, CA as a SENS Research Foundation Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. She then moved to Durham, NC to pursue her MD/PhD training at Duke. She is completing her PhD in lab of Dr. Cagla Eroglu, where her research focuses on the development and specification of white matter astrocytes.

She has been involved in Duke’s chapter of APAMSA for the past four years, serving as chapter president in 2023-2024. She then served as National Conference Logistics Director for the 2025 National APAMSA Conference at the Duke University School of Medicine. She is looking forward to connecting more with the southeast APAMSA chapters as a Region IV Director!

Diane Janelle, “D.J.”, is currently a second year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Georgia. She completed her B.S. in Nursing at Georgia State University and worked as a registered nurse before deciding to pursue medicine. She is the eldest daughter to Filipino immigrants, and loves staying in touch with her culture. So naturally, APAMSA was a perfect fit for her, integrating both the Asian American experience and the love for healthcare. Outside of school, she loves to travel, exercise (she just finished her first half marathon and she is a hot yoga enthusiast), and try new places to eat. Her current medical interests are EM, IM, OB/GYN, Anesthesia, and Pathology.

Danika Ng is currently a second year medical student at the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine. She has completed her B.S. in Biology with dual honors, worked at Atrium Health as a certified nurse aide for three years, volunteered at Shelter Health Services (a nonprofit clinic dedicated to providing free medical care to unhoused women and children), and conducted independent research. Additionally, she founded a local APAMSA chapter at her medical school, where she served as Chapter President, before taking on an APAMSA National Board leadership role as Region IV Director. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, snowboarding, gardening, and watching Youtubers play horror video games because she is too afraid to play them herself. After medical school, she aims to pursue a career in internal medicine and specialize in cardiology.

Hi! I’m Lucy, a medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. I grew up between Atlanta, Beijing, and Virginia, and studied at University of Richmond where I majored in Biology and Healthcare Studies with minors in Business and Music. During my gap years, I worked as a MA and later in healthcare consulting, and spent time traveling as a digital nomad and volunteered with an AANHPI student organization. Attending a predominantly white institution motivated me to join APAMSA to help foster a more connected community for AANHPI medical students. I previously served as Co-President of the DUCOM chapter and am excited to continue advocating for our community. I’m passionate about medical humanities, innovation, mentorship, and addressing disparities in health literacy and access within immigrant communities. In my free time, I love reading novels, learning music production, creating digital art, traveling, trying new foods, and catching live music whenever I can.

Hi APAMSA! My name is Jeffrey Wang, and I am a rising fourth-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM) in Philadelphia. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and graduated from UCLA with a BS in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology in 2019. Following undergrad, I stayed in LA to work in Skid Row for over a year prior to moving back home to San Antonio during the middle of the pandemic, where I then worked as a certified Medical Assistant for an anesthesiology/pain medicine clinic. I applied and was accepted into a one-year specialized Master’s program at Drexel, where I eventually matriculated into their medical school beginning in 2022. As DUCOM’s past APAMSA co-president, I’m very excited to continue to serve AANHPI communities as Region III Co-Director!