May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

We are proud to recognize the significant contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make to medical education, research, and the medical field. During this month, we will be featuring interviews with authors and experts in the field and sharing their stories and perspectives.

Roy Kim, MD

Marilene B. Wang, MD

Marilene B. Wang, MD

Biography

Marilene B. Wang is a head and neck surgeon who is currently a Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA School of Medicine and has been a faculty member there since 1992. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports at Thieme.

She is committed to medical student and resident education both in the clinical setting and in the laboratory. She has mentored many students and residents in her head and neck cancer research laboratory, and several have won prestigious awards for their projects in the laboratory. She specializes in treatment of nasal and sinus diseases, skull base tumors, head and neck cancer, thyroid/parathyroid disease, and snoring/sleep apnea.

Fun Fact: Dr. Wang is an avid downhill snow skier and has skied all over the world, including the US, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, and Dubai.

Learn more about Dr. Wang

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

It is an opportunity to reflect on our previous generations who sacrificed and worked so hard to come to the US in search of a better life for their family.

Why do you believe AAPI Heritage Month is important?

We are so blessed to live in a country with diversity, freedom, and opportunity. The countries we came from have rich cultures that add to the uniqueness of the “American” life. Food, holidays, customs, dress, beliefs, etc., all are important reminders of the thousands of years of history behind our cultures. We don’t want to forget or lose these traditions, because they are what make us special.

Does your heritage influence your work? If so, how?

Yes, my heritage and background make me more empathetic to others who come from other countries. I understand what it’s like to look different, have different language skills, and different cultural priorities. It’s important to respect and appreciate these differences.

Why do you think it is important for people with an AAPI heritage to be involved in the medical field?

We serve a vast and diverse population of patients. Patients with AAPI heritage may find cultural barriers to healthcare, possibly from language difficulty, misunderstanding of customs, and fear of their providers who may not understand their needs. Providers with AAPI heritage can overcome these barriers, because of their personal experience and understanding of the cultural differences.

What is your best piece of advice for people with an AAPI heritage who are pursuing a career in the medical field?

Go for it! We need more AAPI providers in all aspects of healthcare. We have so much to offer and can be mentors and role models for younger generations. Keep working hard and don’t give up as you strive toward your career goals.

Nitin Agarwal, MD

Biography

Nitin Agarwal, MD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, where he serves as associate program director of the UPMC/University of Pittsburgh neurological surgery residency program and co-director of the department's Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Deformity Fellowship. He is also director of the department's Minimally Invasive Spine and Robotics Surgery program. He has published over 275 peer-reviewed articles, is an editor for several books, and is a member of the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation Cushing Circle of Giving.

Fun Fact: Dr. Agarwal has been deeply dedicated to martial arts, specifically the disciplines of Taekwondo, Krav Maga and Jiu-Jitsu. For over a decade, he served as a certified instructor, national judge and school owner. Dr. Agarwal credits martial arts with providing mental and physical discipline as well as adherence to a strict honor code.

Read Dr. Agarwal’s full biography

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

On a personal level, coming from a South Asian background, it is humbling to know that there is a meaningful recognition of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. As an academic neurosurgeon belonging to the AAPI community, this historic month offers a time for me to reflect and express my gratitude to those AAPI providers who have advanced neurosurgery to its current state and paved the way for me.

Why do you believe AAPI Heritage Month is important?

In the US, the AAPI community, albeit growing, still represents a minority group. However, the contributions and innovation from this community are vital in many fields, including the health and sciences. Recognition of this is of course warranted, but more importantly, this month serves to condemn and advocate against xenophobia, bias, and Asian-oriented violence.

Does your heritage influence your work? If so, how?

I would say my heritage definitely influences my work in neurosurgery. I come from an Indian background, where family, education, and work ethic mean everything. The following quote on my faculty profile exemplifies these values: “I care for my patients akin to how I care for my family – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Why do you think it is important for people with an AAPI heritage to be involved in the medical field?

There absolutely needs to be more representation of the AAPI community in medicine. Having providers of AAPI heritage in medicine can help address healthcare disparities and make patients of an AAPI heritage feel more comfortable. Most importantly, seeing more providers of AAPI heritage can influence the next generation to pursue a career in medicine.

What is your best piece of advice for people with an AAPI heritage who are pursuing a career in the medical field?

Always be available, affable, and accountable. I attribute my success in medicine to my sponsors and my strong adherence to these “three A’s”.

Matthew Sakumoto, MD

Biography

Matt Sakumoto, MD is a virtualist primary care physician in San Francisco. He is also fellowship-trained in clinical informatics at UCSF, with a focus on virtual care and provider efficiency tools for the EHR. With prior industry experience at multiple telehealth startups and as a clinician-advisor to many early-stage companies, he is passionate about exploring and expanding the digital health landscape. He is also active in AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) as the chair of the Primary Care Informatics Working Group, and he currently serves as an Associate Editor with the Applied Clinical Informatics Open Journal.

Fun Fact: Matt loves home cooking as a hobby (and really started to step up his game during the pandemic lockdown). He is a frequent contributor to the "Shelter in Place Cooking" Facebook group, and some of his favorite cookbooks are "Aloha Kitchen" by Alana Kaysar, "Korean America" by Eric Kim, and "Dessert Person" by Claire Saffitz. Follow his food and eating adventures.

To the Applied Clinical Informatics Open Journal

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

I’m a 4th-generation Japanese-American (“yonsei”) born and raised in Hawaii, so both Asian American and Pacific Islander culture shaped a lot of my culture and heritage growing up, through family, classmates, and friends. For me growing up, the AAPI population was the majority of minorities. It was not until I moved to the Midwest for college and medical school that I realized the importance of celebrating, observing, and preserving the culture that I was surrounded by on a daily basis growing up.

Why do you believe AAPI Heritage Month is important?

I think the most important part about celebrating AAPI Heritage Month is highlighting the unique contributions, customs, and cultures of the diverse groups that represent the AAPI population. It can provide a platform to celebrate the customs and traditions of different communities. For instance, events could be organized to celebrate cultural holidays and festivals and provide opportunities for cultural workshops, such as cooking classes, language lessons, or cultural dance lessons. These gatherings can help to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the customs and traditions of different AAPI communities.

More recently, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and changing perspectives of AAPI individuals, AAPI Heritage months can serve as a means of promoting greater understanding and appreciation of AAPI cultures among non-AAPI individuals. By raising awareness of AAPI cultures and history, AAPI Heritage Month can help to combat stereotypes and prejudices that AAPI individuals may face in society.

Does your heritage influence your work? If so, how?

As a virtualist primary care physician and researcher on telehealth and digital empathy, I lean heavily on my early cultural experiences. Growing up on an island 5000 miles away from the next nearest land mass, unknowingly at the time, set me up to always think globally. I was inspired by stories about how the earliest Hawaiians navigated and sailed from Polynesia using just the stars, and my earliest aspirations were to be an astronaut. While my career has a more terrestrial focus now, this sense of exploration and adventure continues to drive me. In my daily work, I’ve realized both Japanese and Hawaiian cultures have a focus on holistic health, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. This sense of balance helps me address all aspects of a patient's health, including mental and emotional wellbeing, in addition to physical health. Additionally, in both Japanese and Hawaiian cultures, there is an emphasis on the impact nature and our surroundings have on our health and happiness. To me this is a clear parallel to the impacts of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) on our patients health and happiness.

Why do you think it is important for people with an AAPI heritage to be involved in the medical field?

Representation matters. There is an increasing influx of patients from Micronesia, the Philippines, sub-regions of China, and other countries who are not currently represented in our clinical workforce. Language and cultural concordance is so important to building patient trust and rapport. Additionally for research in health disparities and analyzing the digital divide, it is important to have representation on the research team from someone who can understand the unique cultural context of subgroups beyond the single broad category of “Asian/Pacific Islander.”

What is your best piece of advice for people with an AAPI heritage who are pursuing a career in the medical field?

It’s hard to pick a single piece of advice, but I can pass along wisdom from mentors and role models that I have worked with over the years. 1) Be an advocate for diversity and inclusion: Use your position in the medical field to advocate for greater diversity and inclusion, both within the healthcare industry and in society at large. Work to promote cultural competency and understanding among your colleagues and patients, and speak out against discrimination and bias. 2) Take care of your own health and wellbeing: The medical field can be demanding and stressful, so it is important to prioritize your own health and wellbeing. Make time for self-care activities, seek support when needed, and maintain a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout. 3) Embrace your cultural identity, but still be yourself: Your cultural identity can be a strength in the medical field. Don’t be afraid to stand out and embrace and celebrate your heritage and use it to connect with patients and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.

Ludy Shih, MD

Dr. Shih is a neurologist focused on movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia, and essential tremor (ET). She is also a Framingham Heart Study and BU Alzheimer's Disease Research Center investigator with research interests in how PD, dementia, ET and related disorders intersect with cognitive impairment and aging. Her work includes using neuroimaging analytic techniques, wearable sensors, and other methods to assess and characterize neurologic impairment in order to develop clinical and translational tools for diagnosis and management of disease among diverse populations. Her investigator-initiated work has been funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Consortia for Improving Medicine with Innovation and Technology (CIMIT), and the Tremor Research Group (TRG).

Fun Fact: Dr. Shih is Canadian by birth. Before she, her mom, dad and sister were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1983, they traveled with passports from four different nationalities. Airport immigration officials always looked at them with some curiosity.

Dr. Shih devotes a fair amount of time to work, but outside of that, she spends the rest of it trying to stay connected with and re-connecting with the people she cares about, whether it’s about kids, books, movies, tennis, or just happy shared memories.

Read Dr. Shih’s full biography

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

To be honest, until recently, I didn't pay too much attention, and maybe part of that was trying to suppress my "otherness." But I think as I have progressed in my career, I have begun to see how my heritage impacts the work that I do, and I suspect many others may feel this way too over time.

Why do you believe AAPI Heritage Month is important?

These days it seems to me we are all aware of our individual differences and how our past informs our present and our future. My own values came in large part from my family -- who originate from Taiwan, Japan and China -- and their collective past experiences, and of course were shaped further by my own life experiences. As an individual who identifies as AAPI, I celebrate my uniqueness, and proud of the positive things I am able to share with many.

Does your heritage influence your work? If so, how?

My interpretation is that I inherited a strong work ethic, a strong sense of fairness, and a desire to contribute to societal good. When I am having trouble or am weighing decisions, I fall back on these pillars, and hope that my actions reflect what I value.

Why do you think it is important for people with an AAPI heritage to be involved in the medical field?

Human health is a basic right. There is so much work to do, and everyone can contribute, with so many complementary roles to play. From science to policy to care to advocacy and education, all hands are needed on deck.

What is your best piece of advice for people with an AAPI heritage who are pursuing a career in the medical field?

Focus on acquiring skills. Be humble and embrace your inner novice. Seek out those who model something you think is special and calls to you, and figure out how you can do that too. Pick off little parts of the problem that can be solved, but keep your focus long-term on the hard problems, because if you don't, who will?

Malli Barremkala, MD

Samuel Lin, MD

Biography

Dr. Samuel Lin is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and holds appointments as an attending Plastic Surgeon with Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at BIDMC and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, Massachusetts. He is board certified by both the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Lin graduated from medical school in 1998 and has been practicing plastic surgery in the Boston area since 2007.

Listen to a Fun Fact about Dr. Lin

Read Dr. Lin’s full biography

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

When I think about this question, I think back to my parents when they arrived here from Taiwan. My mom was originally in Canada and then she came to Chicago and trained as a classical pianist. My dad was an engineer who first arrived in the U.S. in 1968 at the height of the civil rights movement, and he arrived in Jackson, Mississippi, and during a hotbed of a lot of activity in a lot of places in the U.S.

And one story that comes to mind during his arrival is something that's just so unique to me and something that I recounted when I was speaking about him at his funeral a number of years ago. And that's when he arrived with only the money in his wallet and was boarding a bus or got on a bus with his suitcase, got up at his stop and had taken his suitcase and the bus began to go on when it all of a sudden stopped. And there was a person who called out from the bus who actually had his wallet. He had left his wallet on his seat on the bus. So this person stopped the bus and gave him back his wallet. And he went on his way. And it sort of speaks to the amazing sort of quality of human beings anywhere at any time.

And certainly, at that point, he only had what he had in his wallet and was able to finish out his schooling at the university and have actually had all of this and then come up to Chicago and was able to really settle down and have a family. I was born in Chicago, and so since then, you know, times have changed and maybe they haven't in certain parts, depending on your perspective. But we all have arrived with our families to this country by land, by sea, by air, and made our lives and generations of lives at this point. So we all have a background and heritage to come from. And I think it's just important to realize each of our characteristics and for this month, our AAPI brothers and sisters, it's great to great to see you and great to see all your success stories.

Why do you believe AAPI Heritage Month is important?

Well, when I think about this question, I think that everyone's heritage is important, and this is a great month to celebrate all of our colleagues who have Asian American heritage in their lineage. There have been lots of contributions to history and science and civic contributions over many, many years, and I'm just so proud of everything that we've accomplished in time and those who have received recognition, worthy recognition, but more importantly, I think it speaks to all those who have not been recognized for their contributions and it's those heroes that we continue to celebrate as well.

I think that it's important to take pause and realize that we're all in this race together and I'm reminded of a an excellent quote by our former main journal’s editor in chief Robert Goldwyn, who was a former chief of my hospital, who had a lot of great and very insightful and sage quips over his lifetime, one of which was “Everyone is someone” and I've oftentimes quoted him as saying that, saying in particular. So because it really speaks to how he saw everyone in the world and he was an amazing humanitarian and always will be remembered that way.

But to recap: This AAPI Heritage Month is really important and I'm so happy to be a part of it.

Does your heritage influence your work? If so, how?

Well, I think that in our heritage of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, I think that there is this tendency for us collectively to be viewed a certain way after certain stereotypes. And certainly that's not the case for each and every particular person. We are considered in the press some sort of model minority, at times.

Though at the same time, we're not lumped into any category. We are, you know, we are minorities, but we're not in classic minorities as folks would think of as with other ethnic categories. And yet we are sort of almost lumped within the majority. But certainly we we're not the majority and we don't look like the majority. So we're sort of in this gray zone of existence in this country, carving out our own way through hard work. Many people work hard, and everyone wants to provide for their families.

But it affects me because in my work I see a cross-section of a lot of different kinds of people from people that look like me and people that don't look like me, and different backgrounds and people who have recently arrived and people who've been here for many, many years and several generations. So I approach this by thinking about how I can relate to each and every person, regardless of what they look like and whatever, regardless of how they see me, either in terms of trying to find a personal connection with each and every patient.

Why do you think it's important for people with an AAPI heritage to be involved in the medical field?

Well, as with other ethnicities and minorities I think it's always important to continue to serve the greater good and serve people, help people, and these are all cliches or very things that are easy to say, but I relate it speaks to the truth of what it means to look at your occupation not as a job, but as a mission and not as a job.

And I think that looking like the people that you're going to serve is very much an important part of what has, I think, happened in this country recently and in other minorities as well. But it's also important, I think, to remember that one doesn't have to always look like the person that they're taking care of. Just as long as you are the best that what you can be and that's all you can do. It doesn't matter what you look like, honestly and as long as you can be the best, whatever that occupation person is, the people I think will come to see and come to trust you.

On the other hand, you know, being a role model for younger generations of people that look like you is super important. And I think that's why it's going to continue to be important for folks with an AAPI heritage to be continually involved in not only the medical field but across all fields.

What is your best piece of advice for people with an AAPI heritage or pursuing a career in the medical field?

Well, this is a great question and I think that it's, you know, in a word or phrase, just go for it. Follow your dreams. This is the, I think, the best country in the world. And there's lots of opportunities to make this happen. If one wants to work hard. And I think it's amazing that there are so many opportunities and so many people from diverse backgrounds and origins that you could draw upon. And it really exists here and everywhere. So really go out, meet people, take advantage and lots of programs, and especially in this day and age, with the advent of all these virtual platforms, it's more than easy, more than easier than ever to connect with people near and far to further your dreams.

Helen Xun, MD

Historical Perspectives explores the history of medical advancements within cultures and their contributions to medicine. Here we can choose to create content that educates our audience about significant figures, discoveries, and innovations.

Symbolic image of the heart and with ECG in the background

Tetsuko Akutso, MD, PHD (1922–2007)

Dr. Tetsuko Akutso was a Japanese American surgeon and pioneer in the field of artificial heart development. In 1957 he moved to the US as a research fellow with the Cleveland Clinic. There, he was a member of the team that conducted the first successful experimental implant of a total artificial heart in the United States. His work led to the second implantation of a total artificial heart in a human being in 1981.

(Sources: oregonclinic.com & ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Margaret Chung, MD (1889-1959)

Margaret Chung is a well-known surgeon and philanthropist, established one of the first western medical schools in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1920. She was the first known Chinese-American female physician.

(Source: nam.edu)

Harvey Akio Itano, PhD (1920-2010)

Dr. Itano was a Japanese-American scientist whose collaboration with Linus Pauling changed the course of sickle cell anemia research and helped to establish the field of molecular medicine.Using electrophoresi, Itano found that the hemoglobin from the red blood cells of sickle cell anemia patients differed from healthy hemoglobin, a finding that represented the first demonstration of a disease caused by an abnormality in a single molecule.

(Source: ISCRM)

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi, MD (1865-1887)

Dr. Joshi was the first Indian female doctor of western medicine. She was the first woman from the erstwhile Bombay presidency of India to study and graduate with a two-year degree in western medicine in the US. Dr. Joshi was also the first woman ever to go to aboard and obtain a degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Women’s Medical College Pennsylvania, USA, as early as, 1886.

(Source: myana.org)

Har Gobind Khorana, PhD (1922-2011)

Dr. Khorana was an Indian-American biochemist, a pioneering figure in the 20th century study of protein synthesis, and the first Asian and Indian born Nobel laureate in Physiology/Medicine. Dr. Khorana joined the Institute for Enzyme research at the University of Wisconsin, became a naturalized U.S. citizen, and conducted the landmark research in Physiology/Medicine for his work (with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley) showing how the arrangement nucleotides determines protein synthesis and cell fate.

(Source: ISCRM )

Graphic of a upper body sceleton with orange coloured shoulder bones

Tsai-Fan Yu, MD (1911-2007)

Dr. Yu was the first woman to be appointed a full professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1973. She earned her medical degree in 1936 from Peking Union Medical College and moved to the US in 1947. Her most famous contributions were for treatments for gout, which she helped found a lab to study in the 1950s. Her research demonstrated the connection between gout and a buildup of uric acid in the body.

(Source: Eureka blog)

Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are:

Less likely to report having a personal doctor. In fact, 19.4% of Asian adults compared to 12.9% of whites report being without a usual source of health care. Cambodians and Vietnamese are three times more likely to skip doctor visits due to cost compared to all Asians or U.S. residents.
Less likely to have blood pressure monitoring and pap smears. Cervical cancer screening rates are significantly lower among Asian American women in California compared to the general population. Only 60.5% of Vietnamese women reported receiving a pap test in the past three years compared to 86.2% of all women in California.
Higher disease incidence. The incidence of breast cancer among AAPI women increased from 87.0 to 97.8 cases per 100,000 women from 1990 to 2001, a growth rate that has increased faster than any other racial/ethnic group.
Asian americans are least likely to receive mental health treatment – only 20.8% of Asian adults with a mental illness received treatment in 2020. There are many systemic barriers to accessing mental health care and quality treatment for Asian Americans, which are exacerbated by stigma and a lack of culturally relevant and integrated care.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Thieme Spotlight

Historical Perspectives

Tetsuko Akutso, MD, PHD (1922–2007)

Margaret Chung, MD (1889-1959)

Harvey Akio Itano, PhD (1920-2010)

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi, MD (1865-1887)

Har Gobind Khorana, PhD (1922-2011)

Tsai-Fan Yu, MD (1911-2007)

Journal Highlights

Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Seminars in Liver Disease

Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery and JRM Open

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