Recognize
Acknowledging those in the AAPI community who have made significant advances in the field of public health.
Recharge
Getting to know the AAPI Engagement Committee Executive Sponsor & learn about how HHS is meeting the needs of the AAPI community.
Reach
Celebrating the accomplishments of our colleagues and leaders who are breaking barriers every day.
React
Preparing the next generation for career development in biomedical research.
Every May during Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and throughout the year, we celebrate and focus on diversity, inclusion, and leadership to advance the AAPI community. This year, our attention turns to having real conversations with each other. Join us along the journey as we recognize strong leaders who have made significant advances in the field of public health and are focused on empowering the next generation of leaders, are recharged in our mission to support, retain and advance AAPIs at NIH, celebrate the reach and accomplishments of our colleagues and leaders who broke through barriers and faced down challenges, and finally, prepare the next generation to be reactive in their personal and career development.
Recognize
Conversations with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) leaders at NIH:
Tips on leadership and empowering the next generation
LIVE Panel Discussion | Tuesday, May 4, 2021 | 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST
featuring
Introduction by Dr. Lawrence Tabak
Panelists
Dr. Noni Byrnes, Dr. Michael F. Chiang, and Dr. Rena D’Souza
Moderated by
Dr. Christina Liu
Recharge
HHS’s sister agencies.
Reach
Join our AAPI Strategist, Caroline Goon, MS, MBA, in conversation with powerhouses here at NIH who are breaking barriers for the AAPI community.
Tam Vo, PhD, shares his views on dismantling stereotypes, debunking the “model minority” myth, and why he is so passionate about diversity and inclusion. Richard Aragon, PhD, reflects on his upbringing in Hawaii, talks about building the capacity and passion for public service in his community, and how he’s harnessed failure in his life to take risks and achieve progress. An interview with leading cybersecurity executive, Jothi Dugar, highlights her journey in STEM as a woman of color, how she challenges people to think differently, and why we all should fall in love with chaos. Finally, Janice Lee, DDS, MD, FACS, talks about her experience growing up in Canada and the culture shock of coming to the US, and how she is making a difference encouraging the next generation of women considering a path to become a surgeon.
React
Exploring Internships in the Federal Government:
Pathways for Students and Young Professionals to Future Careers in the Federal Government
LIVE Virtual Event sponsored by FAPAC | Thursday, May 27, 2021 | 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST
featuring
Former and current NIH Post-Docs, CRTA/IRTA and Presidential Management fellows, and more
*Registration is free for all students (high school, college, graduate, recent graduates/young professionals).
If you are a student or recent graduate without an active .edu e-mail address, visit our alternative registration site.
NIEHS Diversity Speaker Series
Meet the Strategist for the NIH Special Emphasis Portfolio for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)
Growing Pains: The Journey to Being My Authentic Self
Caroline Goon; Principal Strategist, Portfolio for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI); NIH Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Thursday, May 13, 2021; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Join on Zoom: https://bit.ly/3g9SeCx
Brought to you by the Office of Science Education and Diversity
Individuals with disabilities who need accommodation to participate in this event should contact Suzy Osborne at 984-287-3813 or suzanne.osborne@nih.gov. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at least 5 business days in advance of the event.
National Institutes of Health • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Join us.
NIEHS Diversity Speaker Series:
“Growing Pains: The Journey to Being My Authentic Self”
Caroline Goon
Principal Strategist, AAPI
EDI/NIH
Thursday, May 13, 2021
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EST
Join on Zoom
https://bit.ly/3g9SeCx
NIH Director’s Message
This May, NIH joins the nation in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We must recognize and reflect on our colleagues' achievements and the many science, engineering, and health contributions made by this community. This year's theme, “Conversations: A Celebration of Perspectives,” highlights their stories and explores ways that everyone can fully participate in addressing the community's challenges. As I discussed at our first virtual town hall on Achieving Racial Equity at NIH, these conversations aim to help us move toward racial equity here at NIH.
Among the major tragedies of the last few years have been acts of racist violence against the AAPI Community, exposing unacceptable bias against a group that has contributed much to our country over the decades. Respect for all ethnicities and races is a fundamental value that NIH believes in and is essential to achieving our mission.
We are happy that Dr. T. Jake Liang, NIH Distinguished Investigator, Chief of the Liver Diseases Branch and Deputy Director of Translational Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, has agreed to take on the new role of Executive Sponsor and Champion for the AAPI Engagement Committee. I am confident that together, all of us can thoughtfully advocate for justice and continue to support our AAPI colleagues.
To learn more about the Portfolio for Asian American and Pacific Islanders and to get involved in efforts to address the need for outreach, recruitment, retention, and advancement of AAPI and other diverse populations at NIH, please contact Caroline Goon in EDI's Special Emphasis Portfolio Branch.
Sincerely yours,
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
EDI Director’s Message
The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is pleased to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. We pay tribute to and recognize the contributions that generations of AAPIs have made to American history, society, and culture during the month-long commemoration.
I invite you to join me on the journey through this year’s theme, “Conversations: A Celebration of Perspectives,” as we highlight diversity as the backbone of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We recognize our colleagues’ achievements and are proactive in building up and preparing the next generation of leaders.
Our colleagues have worked so hard as the COVID-19 pandemic turned all of our worlds upside-down; yet, we collectively continued to fulfill the mission of enhancing health, lengthening life, and developing solutions to reduce the burden of illness and disabilities. Fulfilling this mission could not have been done without the AAPI community. Across the United States and world, members of the AAPI community faced acts of intolerance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have witnessed how misinformation about the coronavirus and the usage of anti-Asian rhetoric to describe the virus manifested as racist and xenophobic acts against AAPIs.
We are committed to self-reflection at both the individual and organizational levels to do better and be better. Anti-racism and our equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts should represent all our communities, including AAPIs. We firmly denounce and reject racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. As part of this year’s campaign, I invite you to join me as we celebrate our colleagues and learn from their stories of how they overcame challenges and broke through barriers. On behalf of EDI, we thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Treava Hopkins-Laboy
Acting EDI Director
Other ways to stay connected throughout the month of May.
-
1:00 PM - 2:00 PMOpening Remarks Provided by: Treava Hopkins-Laboy, Acting Director, EDI/NIH
Speaker: Peter Kwong, PhD, Chief, Structural Biology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID/NIH
Event Host: NIH Office of Intramural Research and co-sponsored by EDIJoin the NIH Office of Intramural Research (OIR) and the NIH Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) for the 2021 Annual Kuan-Teh Jeang Lecture. This year, the focus of the lecture is “On Being an Asian-American Structural Virologist: A Personal Perspective.” The speaker for this highly-anticipated lecture is Peter Kwong, PhD, Chief, Structural Biology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID/NIH. This annual lecture is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Kuan-Teh Jeang and will be held in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Continue this conversation and more with our social pages.
The AAPI designation encompasses over 50 ethnic or language groups, including Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Here at NIH, all month long, we celebrate our workforce that is comprised of AAPI future leaders that are making a difference.
Conversations: A Celebration of Perspectives; AAPI Heritage Month; #AAPI21. Jasmine Yeung, HR Specialist, OHR; #AAPI21. Elvelyn Fernandez, Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow, NCI; #AAPI21. Grace Buck, Pathways Student, NIA; #AAPI21. Zoya Khan, Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award Fellow, NCI; #AAPI21. Manav Sheth, Pathways Student, ORS; #AAPI21. Celena Snoddy, Presidential Management Fellow, NIH; #AAPI21. Tim An, Presidential Management Fellow Program Specialist, ORS; #AAPI21. Marissa Lin, Pathways Student, NINDS; #AAPI21; Silvia Le and Charlie Le (sister and brother), Service Desk Agent and Public Health Analyst, CIT and CSR; #AAPI21.
@nih_edi