Jack Xie
Hello APAMSA! My name is Jack Xie, and I am in my research year in between M2/M3 at the Ohio State University. I grew up a little bit everywhere, lived in both the East and West Coast. And now I’m in the Midwest! I went to undergrad at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Chemistry with Biochemistry concentration and grad school at Case Western Reserve University with an MS in Medical Physiology.
I am privileged to be part of the class that restarted the APAMSA Chapter at OSU. It has been an exciting year and I am eager to continue to foster collaboration and community building with APAMSA. Being surrounded by like-minded and driven individuals, I hope to contribute my part to the betterment of our APIA community.
Irene Lieu
Hi there! My name is Irene and I am currently a MSII at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. My experience with APAMSA includes serving as co-president of my local chapter and now as Region V Director. Original hailing from the Bay Area, I grew up witnessing the various socioeconomic factors that affect the health of Asian and other minority underserved communities. I have my Bachelors in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley and my Masters in Applied Life Sciences from Keck Graduate Institute. Throughout school, I worked in the NICU for 4 years, which budded my interest for pediatric intensive care. Outside of school, I consider myself a foodie and love making travel itineraries around the restaurants a city has to offer. I also enjoy being outdoors, snowboarding every winter, and am a certified SCUBA diver.
Karen Bach
Hello APAMSA friends and family! My name is Karen Bach and I am currently a first-year medical student at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. Originally from Southern California, I graduated from UCLA in 2017 with my bachelor’s in Physiological Science. For the past two years, I have served as the APAMSA Bone Marrow Director and this year, I am immensely excited to be serving as one of your Region V Directors.
Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley of SoCal, I have always been surrounded by diverse minority groups. Now that I am in the Midwest, I have grown increasingly aware of the lack of AAPI representation that exists out here in these communities. I am incredibly honored to be your Region V Director this year and as your regional director, I promise to work tirelessly and endlessly to put together a strong and successful regional conference. Through wonderful keynote speakers, workshops, and panels, I hope to raise awareness about APIA health, social struggles, and wellness. I am also looking forward to building meaningful connections and relationships across our Midwest chapters. Together with your support, I truly believe that we can have the best regional conference yet!
Stephanie Wentzel
My name is Stephanie Wentzel. I am a second-year medical student at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Being a devoted buckeye, I completed my undergraduate education in Neuroscience and Leadership Studies at OSU. I grew up in a military family where my childhood was divided between various cities in the United States and South Korea. Throughout my years of moving back and forth between two countries, I learned to embrace the beauty of the cultures that make up my biracial identity. Being exposed to diverse communities where I witnessed systematic oppression and social disparities sparked my interests in social justice, human rights and health equity.
I joined APAMSA because I am passionate about our mission to serve the greater Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community through medicine, advocacy, and education. As a future physician and medical student, I want to strengthening the voice of APIDA community in the ears of our government because public policy reflects health policy. I am honored to return as a RD for the 2019-2020 academic year!
Outside of my studies, I am a traveler, avid yelp reviewer, and coffee/tea enthusiast.