Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have been and continue to be underrepresented in biomedical research, which affects health equity issues within these communities being addressed properly. In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the Asian Health Coalition and the All of Us Program work together to provide a webinar that talks about the importance of precision medicine for AANHPIs through the health equity lens.

As AAPI Heritage Month draws to close, please join us Tuesday, May 31 for this one hour panel discussion featuring:

Dr. Karen E. Kim, MD, MS, is Vice Provost for Research and the National Laboratories, Professor of Medicine, Associate Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, Co-Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Center for Asian Health Equity. Recently, Dr. Kim’s research has focused on developing innovative technology-based solutions to address gaps in health care services among federally qualified community health centers. In addition to her research, Dr. Kim is deeply committed to civic engagement and has dedicated significant time to advancing health through service to numerous nonprofit organizations and national boards. Dr. Kim is deeply committed to civic engagement and has dedicated significant time to advancing health through service to numerous nonprofit organizations and national boards. Kim has been nationally recognized for her advocacy and policy work and received the International Women’s Leadership Award, the Chicago Foundation for Women Impact Award and the Cancer Prevention Laurel for Increasing Health Equity.

Nguyen Park, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA, was a refugee and the first in her family to graduate from college, obtain her masters degree, and is now working on a Doctorate of Medical Science.  She is a physician assistant who has worked in a variety of medical fields, including cardiology, nephrology, and environmental medicine.  She has also taught pediatrics at the University of New Mexico’s PA program while serving as the lead PA for the New Mexico VA Healthcare System where she was also the lead clinician for the Special Environmental Health Registry.  In addition, she is an advocate for genetics education for PAs and for patients and is the president and founder of the Society of PAs in Genetics/Genomics.  She is currently the first PA chosen for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Genomic Medicine Program Management Fellowship currently rotating with the All of Us Research Program. 

Dr. Alok Sarwal, PhD, MBA, is the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice (CAHEP) and affiliated Family Medicine and Dental Clinics. He has been responsible for strategic planning, executive and operational responsibility for creating and sustaining relevant health care programs at CAHEP in order to serve the vulnerable Asian-Pacific Islander and immigrant families. Also, he has been in HHS office of Minority health (Region VIII) executive committee along with various Health Disparity Leadership Councils, and actively working with State Public Health agencies. Currently he is on the executive board of Mile-High Health Alliance and Colorado Safety Net Coalition, serving over thirty clinics focused on helping immigrants and the underserved populations. He has directed numerous grants related to Women’s Health, Screenings for Preventative Care, Health Fairs and Linkage to care, and recently, Asian Health Coalition and AAPCHO Tuberculosis program. He has strong background and experience in Health Information Technology and Telemedicine with work for the FCC.

Serving as panel moderator is Fornessa T. Randal, MCRP, Executive Director of the Asian Health Coalition, Co-Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Center for Asian Health Equity, Chair of Asian Engagement & Recruitment Core. Ms. Randal has over 20 years of experience in health systems innovation, as well as minority and community health planning and implementation. Her background extends to cancer disparities research, public health, outreach, research engagement and executive leadership. She is recognized both locally and nationally for her innovative approach to program design and implementation. Fornessa has disseminated and transformed local health initiatives into statewide and national models and developed prototypes, which have been recognized by both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is the Principal Investigator for several federally funded programs, including the NIH’s All of Us Research Program and leads for the Asian Engagement and Recruitment Core; Hepatitis B Outreach, Awareness, and Education to Immigrants; and the Office of Minority Health-funded All One Community or A1C program guiding reduction of a1c in targeted communities.