Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Month arose in the 1970s from former congressional staffer Jeanie Jew who approached Rep. Frank Horton about designating a month to recognize Asian Pacific Americans. In the early 1990s, President Bush proclaimed May to be the official Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month and May was chosen to commemorate the migration of the first Japanese immigrants in the mid-1800s and the completion of the transcontinental railroad by over 20,000 Asian immigrants.
NIH Oxford-Cambridge (OxCam) Scholars Jenny Hsin and Olive Jung collaborated with Student Programming Vice Chair Theressa Ewa to create the first AANHPI Heritage Month event for the NIH OxCam Scholars. To kick off the event, Jenny Hsin, who organizes the monthly IBRA Clinical Case Conferences, invited Dr. Lindy Zhang, Clinical and Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins/NIH Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program to present her research on Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST) associated with the disorder Neurofibromatosis Type I (NF1).
Dr. Zhang first went through a thorough case presentation of NF1, explaining the criteria for clinical diagnoses and the progression of the disease. She then went on to explain that MPNST is an aggressive tumor that commonly arises in patients with NF1 and her research focuses on finding ways to treat MPNST. Specifically, Dr. Zhang works on identifying small molecule inhibitors to target the RAS signaling pathway involved with the growth of MPNST.
Following Dr. Zhang’s talk, Jenny invited four speakers to highlight the range of diverse experiences of AANHPI scientists at the NIH:
Lindy Zhang, MD is currently a clinical and research fellow in the Johns Hopkins/NIH Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program.
T. Jake Liang, MD is the NIH Distinguished Investigator, Chief: Liver Diseases Branch, Section Chief: Liver Diseases Virology Section, Liver Diseases Branch, Section Chief: Clinical Research Section, Liver Diseases Branch.
Swee Lay Thein, MB, BS, FRCP, FRC. Path, D. Sc, is the Chief of the Sickle Cell Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH.
Avindra Nath, MD is a Senior Investigator in the Section of Infections of the Nervous System at NINDS and Clinical Director of NINDS, NIH.
The NIH’s theme for this year’s AANHPI Heritage Month is “Reclaiming My Identity.” To this effect, the speakers talked about their experiences with learning to embrace their identities. Dr. Thein, who has lived in Malaysia, the UK, and the US, wisely commented, “Blossom where you are planted.” Meanwhile, Dr. Liang encouraged us to take pride in our heritage and learn to speak up. To Dr. Liang, “silence is not an option.” Despite whatever differences we might have – appearances, culture, or language – we still belong.
Our speakers also discussed the importance of mentorship and helping to support the next generation of scientists. Dr. Zhang explained to us that there is a bamboo ceiling in academic medicine. The barriers to Asian Americans finding leadership positions in academia often revolve around lack of access to mentorship. Consequently, Dr. Nath talked about different types of mentorship. While we all may have mentors and advisors, we should also seek out advocates – people who are willing to help you advance your career by putting you forward for opportunities.
Jenny remarked, “In recent years, DEI efforts revolving around AANHPI communities have grown and we’re learning that the ‘model minority’ is a myth that is more harmful than helpful. We’re finding our voices and I wanted to celebrate that by inviting speakers with rich experiences and backgrounds to talk to us about the importance of AANHPI heritage. I’m proud to see our OxCam community come together to support these efforts. It was amazing to have such inspiring speakers for our first AANHPI Heritage Month event. The diverse experiences and perspectives of our panelists have encouraged me to continue what I’m doing and make a space where I feel that I belong in science and medicine.”
The International Biomedical Research Alliance is proud to sponsor events aimed at creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community and training experience for Scholars in the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program. Please reach out to our Director of Communication, Education, and Professional Development, Alexandra Ambrico, at aja@biomedalliance.org if you would like to be involved in hosting and/or supporting future events.