Written by Michael Chen

Entitled “Our Culture, Our Health,” this annual conference was the highlight of this national organization, which was founded in 1995 in Chicago. Co-hosted by the local APAMSA chapters at the Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine, the conference brought students from across the nation to the Gateway City for a weekend of orientation, education, and inspiration. Infused with exciting speakers and interesting seminars, including messages from the United States Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu and seminars entitled “Cultural Expression of Distress,” “Refugee Health,” “Interactive Acupuncture,” and “Domestic Violence in APA’s,” the conference was truly a blessing for me and its attendees. As someone who knows little about the health care issues of the APA community, this conference helped raise my awareness and open my eyes to the world of opportunities in this area. Professionally, the conference achieved many goals. Not only have I gained the valuable insights from second and third year medical students from a variety of schools around the country, but those of young and aspiring physicians in the areas of community health, family medicine, and other fields of medicine who are dedicated to serving the needs of the APA community. I came away from the conference with a renewed commitment to achieve greater awareness and activism to the APA community through the help of APAMSA and its leadership.

+ Return to 2002 APAMSA National Conference