Asian American and Pacific Islander - Diversity and Inclusion

The UAB SOM Faculty Associations play a critical role in the support of our diverse faculty. From recruitment and mentoring to development and advocacy, these groups help create, maintain, and foster the culture we strive for at UAB.

Co-led by Daniel Chu, M.D., MSPH, FACS, FASCRS (left), and Shuko Harada, M.D. (right), the Asian American and Pacific Islander Faculty Association was created to achieve these goals.

Dan Chu 500x500 Harada 500x500

AAPI Faculty Association Committees

The association consists of six committees that hold regular meetings to discuss communications and dissemination, social and networking, advocacy and community engagement, leadership training, pipeline programs, and membership. Each committee is made up of chairs/co-chairs and members and has distinct goals for how it will contribute to the mission and vision of the group. Click one of the committees below to learn more.

Communications and Dissemination Committee
Committee Goals

Engage the medical community and the public at large on issues related to AAPI via storytelling, and to communicate and disseminate these stories using various social media platforms. We will highlight AAPI faculty stories, publish opinion pieces, develop short video blogs and podcasts to explore our history, current state, and new ideas for a more just and equitable society. We aim to serve as a resource for and about AAPI communities, primarily for our institution. We will interface with the School of Medicine and Health System communication channels.

Co-Chairs

Michele Kong
Department: Pediatrics
Email: mkong@uabmc.edu

Carmen Tong
Department: Urology
Email: ctong@uab.edu

Committee Members
- Diptiman Chanda
- Manoj Tanwar
- Tariq Hamid
- Jianhua Zhang
- Shivani Malhotra
- Chander Raman
- Sukhshant Atti
- Panka Dangle
- Hari Kalagara
- Elizabeth Liptrap
- Amy Wang
Social and Networking Committee
Committee Goals

The Social and Networking Committee, as a standing committee of the UAB AAPI, shall be responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing all social and networking activities. These will include gatherings, cultural celebrations, and other events for the benefit of the AAPI and UAB community.

Objectives
- To increase social connections through fun, informal, and memorable activities;
- To promote networking between AAPI members ;
- To build stronger relationships within and beyond the AAPI
Co-Chairs

Junjiang Huang
Department: Radiology
Email: junjianhuang@uabmc.edu

Committee Members
- Kejin Hu
- Rajasekaran Namakkal Soorappan
- Hubert Tse
- Suresh Verma
- Hind Lal
- Lufang Zhou
- Do Yeon Cho
- Rubindhiran Pillay
- Rajatava Basu
- Sameera Davuluri
- Pongkiat Kankirawatana
- Veeranjaneyulu Prattipati
Community Engagement Committee
Committee Goals

Increase recognition of the culture and contributions of AAPI faculty within UAB and enhance relationships with existing AAPI organizations and/or communities. This will be done by connecting with and knowing our community, promoting (via online and social media) the AAPI community, news, and events, and engagement activities.

Co-Chairs

Takamitsu Saigua
Department: Nephrology
Email: saigusa@uab.edu

Yabing Chen
Department: Pathology
Email: ybchen@uab.edu

Committee Members
- Jeong Mi Park
- Takamitsu Saigusa
- Jianmei Leavenworth
- Qin Wang, Ji-Bin Peng
- Nabiha Yusuf
- Arnab Basu
- Champion Deivanayagam
- Pradeep Kotapurathu Kurup
- Bin Ren
- Hyunki Kim
Program Committee
Committee Goals

This committee will focus on developing seminars, workshops, and lectures around promotion and leadership building for members. It will also focus on mentorship.

Co-Chairs

Ambika Ashraf
Department: Pediatrics
Email: aashraf@uab.edu

Rojymon Jacob
Department: Radiation Oncology
Email: rjacob@uab.edu

Committee Members
- Chao-Hui Sylvia Huang
- Lewis Zhichang Shi
- Jasvinder Singh
- George Yang
- Pallavi Iyer
- Rojymon Jacob
- Rongbing Xie
- Anupam Agarwal
- Harrison Kim
- Nipam Shah
Membership Committee
Committee Goals

Conduct a self-study on who we are, how we can recruit new members, and track our data to ensure we are making progress as an organization.

Co-Chairs

Subhashini Bolisetty
Department: Medicine
Email: subhashini@uab.edu

Ranu Surolia
Department: Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine
Email: rsurolia@uab.edu

Committee Members
- Romi Gupta
- Soumya Sivaraman
- Guangxiang Luo
- Srini Tridandapani
- Shi Wei
- Warner Huh
- Sushant Bhatnagar
- Adnan Haque
- Yung Lau
- Rakesh Varma