Speakers
A morning of valuable perspectives from state community leaders in AANHPI health disparities, including, but not limited to:
Opening Speakers
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Mark Takano, US Representative (D-CA)
For more than twenty years, Mark Takano has worked to improve the lives of Riverside County residents, both as an elected official and as a teacher at Rialto High School.
Born and raised in Riverside, Mark's commitment to public service began at an early age. His family roots in Riverside go back to his grandparents who, along with his parents, were removed from their respective homes and sent to Japanese American Internment camps during World War II. After the war, these two families settled in Riverside County to rebuild their lives.
Mark attended La Sierra High School in the Alvord Unified School District, and in 1979 he graduated as the school's valedictorian. Mark attended Harvard College and received his bachelor's degree in Government in 1983. As a student, he bussed tables to help make ends meet. During his senior year, he organized a transcontinental bicycle ride to benefit the international development agency Oxfam America.
Upon graduation, Mark returned home to Riverside and began teaching in the Rialto Unified School District in 1988. As a classroom teacher, Mark confronted the challenges in our public education system daily.
In 1990, Mark was elected to the Riverside Community College District's Board of Trustees. At RCC, Mark worked with Republicans and Democrats to improve higher education for young people and job training opportunities for adults seeking to learn a new skill or start a new career. He was elected Board President in 1991 and helped the Board and the District gain stability and direction amid serious fiscal challenges.
In 2012, Mark became the first openly gay person of color to be elected to Congress.
Mark Takano represents the people of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley, and Perris in the United States House of Representatives. He serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and as a member of the Education and Labor Committee.
Kevin J. Riutzel, DO, MS
Dr. Kevin Riutzel is board-certified family physician practicing urgent care at UCLA and primary care at Kheir Clinic, a federally-qualified health center located in the heart of LA's Koreatown primarily serving AAPI communities - many of whom are first generation immigrants to the U.S.
He finished his undergraduate training at UC San Diego, completed a master's degree in nutrition at Columbia University, earned his medical degree from Touro University Nevada, and finished his family medicine residency at UC Irvine with a particular focus in integrative medicine.
During medical school, he served as the National President of APAMSA for three terms - the first to do so in the organization's history. Prior to holding that office, he served as National Pre-Med Director, Region VII Co-director, and local chapter president.
Prior to his career in medicine, he worked in hospitality, emergency medical services, transportation services, sales/marketing, and in several restaurants. This has given him a wide variety of perspectives that allow him to serve patients from a down-to-earth and humanistic way. He maintains a work-life balance that allows him to re-charge to be able to take care of patients with a fresh approach and an open heart each shift.
He is very honored to be a part of the 2021 Region VII Conference!!
State Panel: AANHPI Health Disparities
Alexander Li, MD
Dr. Alex Li currently serves as the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of L.A. Care, the nation’s largest public health plan with nearly 2.2 million members. Previously, he served as the CEO of the newly formed Ambulatory Care Network of Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) in 2011 and charged with re-organizing DHS’s outpatient primary care and specialty services. Thereafter, he became the Deputy Director of the newly formed Health Agency which sought to combine the Departments of Health Services, Mental Health and Public Health in 2015 in one umbrella agency. He is a practicing physician at 2 DHS clinics (Hubert Humphrey Community Health Center and LAC+USC) and is double boarded in internal medicine & pediatrics. His primary clinical and health system’s interest centers around access to health and social services resources, care transitions & health equity. Alex is widely credited with leading L.A. Care’s designation to be the federally designated Regional Extension Center (HITEC-LA) to support the implementation of electronic health records among providers for L.A. County in 2011 and driving changes with the primary care model and introducing eConsult as a new model to improve specialty access in DHS. Currently, his main charge is to coordinate L.A. Care’s COVID-19 resources to support the public health efforts to keep L.A. County residents safe.
Martina Leialoha Kamaka, MD
Dr. Martina Leialoha Kamaka is a Native Hawaiian Family Physician and Associate Professor in the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine. She is a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, the University of Notre Dame and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is currently a Vice Chair of NCAPIP (the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians) as well as a founder and board member of the ʻAhahui o nā Kauka (Association of Native Hawaiian Physicians) and the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC). Her professional interests lie in the areas of cultural competency training as well as Native Hawaiian and indigenous health.
Francisco S. Sy, MD, DrPH
Dr. Francisco Sy is a professor of Public Health and chair of the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He earned his Doctor of Public Health in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Johns Hopkins University; MS in Tropical Public Health from Harvard University; MD and BS degrees from the University of the Philippines.
At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Sy was a Senior Program Director and AIDS Coordinator in the Division of Extramural Scientific Programs at the National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities (NIMHD). In his 12 years at NIH/NIMHD, he served in various leadership positions including: Director, Office of Community-Based Participatory Research & Collaboration; Director, Office of Extramural Research Administration; and Director, Division of Extramural Activities & Scientific Programs. He was the President of NIH Asian Pacific American Organization (APAO).
At the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Dr. Sy was a Senior Health Scientist in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention for 4 years. In 2003, he volunteered and led the CDC SARS Community Outreach Team in Asian communities in the U.S. to mitigate the fear and stigma associated with SARS. He was the founding President of the Association of Asian Pacific Islander Employees of CDC and ATSDR (AAPIECA). He taught and conducted research in infectious disease epidemiology for 15 years at University of South Carolina (USC) School of Public Health. Dr. Sy is the Editor of AIDS Education & Prevention - An Interdisciplinary Journal for 28 years.
Melissa Cheng, MD, MOH, MHS
Dr. Melissa Cheng joined the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health after her completion of residency in 2011. She graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine in 2008. She also has a Master of Health Science in International Health with an emphasis on complex humanitarian emergencies from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2003 and Master of Occupational Health from the University of Utah in 2010. Dr. Cheng is the medical director for the University of Utah Occupational Medicine Clinic, which consists of three clinics in the Wasatch Front and she maintains a full spectrum occupational medicine practice. She also consults with major businesses and organizations like Biofire, Union Pacific Railroad and US Customs Border Patrol regarding occupational safety and health. Her educational teaching interests include teaching residents and graduate students in occupational and environmental health and health professionals about SBIRT, a universal screening program for substance use disorder. She was the program director for the University of Utah SBIRT training program and is the founder and director for the Utah SBIRT program. Her research interests includes evaluating the effectiveness of opioid use within the workers compensation system. She has given both local and national presentations on "opioids in the workplace."
Chapter Updates
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
UCSD School of Medicine
University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Michelle Vo, MD
Michelle Vo, MD, Assistant Professor (Clinical), is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She pursued Triple Board Residency training in Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Utah, serving as Chief Resident of the Triple Board Program for the 2012-2013 academic year. Dr. Vo was appointed as faculty in the Child Psychiatry Division following her completion of Triple Board training in 2013. She practices outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry, including service from 2018-2020 as Medical Director of The Children's Center, a therapeutic preschool and community mental health nonprofit organization serving children from birth to age 6. As the early childhood psychiatry consultant on the Utah Psychotropic Oversight Program (UPOP) team, she reviews and consults statewide on evidence-based, trauma-informed mental health treatment for children in state custody ages 0 to 6. Dr. Vo provides clinical supervision for resident physicians in rotations across her sites of practice, supervises a child psychiatry clinical elective in systems-based psychiatry, and she is co-Course Director for the Relational Leadership Initiative in the AVP Office of Health Sciences Education.
In the School of Medicine she is faculty advisor for Project Progress, a grassroots, student-led initiative to improve access to medical education for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Her academic special interests include primary prevention mental health interventions, systems-based advocacy for access to mental health resources, and fostering resilience in individuals, families, and communities. In July 2015, Dr. Vo began her appointment as Director of Student Wellness in the School of Medicine, where she built and currently directs a multidisciplinary mental health and wellness program for medical students. In 2020, she was promoted to Senior Director of Student Wellness in School of Medicine Student Affairs. Dr. Vo is Triple Board-Certified in general pediatrics, general psychiatry, and child & adolescent psychiatry.
Panel: AANHPI Experiences in Medicine
Michael W. Yeh, MD
Dr. Michael W. Yeh established the UCLA Endocrine Surgery Program in 2006. Under his leadership, the Program has gained national and international recognition for clinical excellence in the management of complex endocrine diseases.
After pursuing his studies at Stanford University and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Yeh trained in general surgery at UC San Francisco. He then completed the prestigious T.S. Reeve International Fellowship in endocrine surgery at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
Dr. Yeh is an expert in minimally invasive parathyroid surgery, thyroid cancer, and adrenal tumors, including pheochromocytoma and adrenocortical carcinoma. He has published more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters on these topics.
Joyce Pang, MD
Dr. Joyce Pang is a general surgery resident at the University of New Mexico. She completed her BA in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley and her MD at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. As a medical student, she co-founded the APAMSA chapter at the University of Nevada, Reno and served as the coordinating manager. She is currently completing the second of two research years, and her research interests include medical/surgical education, learner mistreatment, DEI initiatives in surgery, and colorectal surgery. She was honored with the “Outstanding Resident Teacher Award” from the Association for Surgical Education this year, and intends to continue to work in academic medicine after completing her training. Outside of work, she enjoys spoiling her three dogs (two pugs and a lab mix) and tending to her “bordering on problematic” houseplant collection.
William Fang, MD
Dr. William Fang is a resident physician at the Keck Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in biology. Dr. Fang went on to pursue teaching in San Diego, where he was recognized for his innovative techniques for teaching high school science curriculum in underrepresented communities. He then received his MD degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine where he developed an interest in primary care and building trust with patients. Dr. Fang believes in bringing transparency into his healthcare practice, as well as incorporating his teaching experience into patient care. As an advocate for all patients, he aspires to transform preventative medicine by focusing on exercise and sports medicine.
Dr. Fang loves playing tennis and enjoys woodworking for his friends and family.
Pre-Med Mentorship Panel
Susie Pham, MS4
UNM (New Mexico)
Piueti Maka, MS2
UH (Hawaii)
Michael Le, MS3
UCLA (California)
Aileen Lee, MS2
UACOM-T (Arizona)
Paul Cabugao, MS3
UNLV (Nevada)
Medical Student
(Utah)
Workshop Breakout Sessions:
Community-Based Advocacy & Professional Development
Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED)
Olivia Wu, Kiana Tom, JayJay Jiang, Janis Yue
Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED) is an all volunteer, multi-ethnic, intergenerational organization based in Los Angeles Chinatown that builds grassroots power through organizing, education, and mutual help.
You can learn more about CCED at ccedla.org. You can find them on Instagram @ccedla.
Alice A. Kuo, MD
Dr. Alice Kuo is Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and of Health Policy and Management in the Fielding UCLA School of Public Health; Chief of Medicine-Pediatrics at UCLA. Her research interests include access to and delivery of developmental services, cognitive and language development in young minority children, and services for children and adults with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Dr. Alice Kuo is the Principal Investigator of the AIR-P (www.airpnetwork.ucla.edu) and a professor, practicing pediatrician, and researcher at UCLA. Since 2014, she has been the Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)-funded Health Care Transitions Research Network (HCT-RN) for Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to her research, Dr. Kuo has been involved in educational programs at several levels, from undergraduate students to post-graduate fellows. Since 2006, she has been the Director of the MCHB-funded Pathways for Students into Health Professions for disadvantaged undergraduate students interested in public health and health professional careers. In 2016, she became the Director of the MCHB-funded University of California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (UC-LEND) program (www.uc-lend.med.ucla.edu); and in 2020, became the Director of the MCHB-funded MCH Center of Excellence at UCLA, also known as the UCLA Maternal and Child Health Training program (www.mch.ucla.edu). At the post-graduate level, Dr. Kuo is the Director of the UCLA Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program, which she founded in 2003. At the national level, she has been the chair of the Health Care Transition Committee for the Medicine-Pediatrics Program Directors Association since 2012.
Clinically, Dr. Kuo sees primary care patients at the Medicine-Pediatrics Comprehensive Care Center in Santa Monica, the first ambulatory practice at UCLA with extended hours in the evenings and on weekends and holidays. She also precepts residents and students at the Simms-Mann Health Center in Santa Monica. She also directs the School Function Program at the Venice Family Clinic, a primary care-based model for addressing learning issues and mental health problems in children.
Dr. Kuo received a BA in Biology from Harvard University, her MD from UCLA, her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a focus on Early Childhood and Special Education from the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA, and her MBA in Healthcare Administration from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management.
Karen Kwan
Rep. Karen Kwan has served in the Utah House of Representatives from the 34th district since 2017. She was elected to the Utah Legislature in 2016 to represent the residents of Taylorsville, Murray. Millcreek, and West Valley City.
Rep. Kwan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology both from Pepperdine University. She has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Salt Lake Community College, where she was named the SLCC 2014 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer.
Rep. Kwan has always been passionate about serving her community and has served selflessly through various community and civic engagement organizations. She worked as program assistant at the Asian Association of Utah and Adviser at the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs at the University of Utah. Before running for office, she sat on the Governor’s Asian-American Council. Rep. Kwan is proud to be the first Chinese-American in the Utah Legislature but hopes she will be the first of many.
As a member of the Utah State Legislature, Rep. Kwan serves on leadership as Minority Caucus manager and avidly works on legislation to support local businesses, invest in quality education, enhance the care of senior communities, preserve family values, and advance equality for all Utahns.
Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS
Tony Kuo, M.D., M.S.H.S. directs the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. He also serves as the Director of the Office of Senior Health for the County of Los Angeles. Dr. Kuo has more than 15 years of clinical practice experience in continuity, urgent/emergency and homeless shelter care. His professional interests span the continuum of medicine and public health. They include undergraduate and graduate medical education; nutrition and physical activity promotion; tobacco control policy; cardiovascular health promotion; diabetes prevention; patient-centered care; and social programs that affect health.
Dr. Kuo received his Medical Degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine and his Master’s in Health Services from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Fielding School of Public Health. He is boarded in Family Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has joint appointments in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Kuo is also Co-Program Leader for the Population Health Program at the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Refugee & Immigrant Center - Asian Association of Utah (RIC-AAU)
Shu Cheng, PhD
Dr. Shu Cheng is the CEO and Executive Director of the Refugee & Immigrant Center - Asian Association of Utah (RIC-AAU). The mission of the Refugee & Immigrant Center is to improve the quality of life for refugees and immigrants in Utah.
In 1977, a group of Asian refugees and immigrants living in Utah saw a need for additional supports and services beyond the scope of existing resettlement agencies. At that time, Utah was a key resettlement state for refugees coming from Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other Asian countries. In response to this need, the Asian Association of Utah was founded in a small classroom.