Media Collection Zhen Han Zhen Han (Anna) is the Primary Clinician for the OnTrack NY Program at The Child Center of NY based in Flushing, Queens. Anna has been providing culturally sensitive care to Asian populations that include addressing the stigmatization and barriers to care related to mental health services. During the challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic, Anna and her team supported AAPI populations with their physical and psychological distress due to the rising incidence of Asian hate crimes.

Media Collection Fen-Ju Tai Fen-Ju Tai, LCSW-R, is the Assistant Director of Social Work at Gracie Square Hospital, a free standing inpatient psychiatric Hospital, a Member of New York Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network. Ms. Tai has been with Gracie Square Hospital for 15 years, first as the Social Worker for the Asian Psychiatry Program, before assuming the role as the Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her position at Gracie Square Hospital, Ms. Tai also had 15 years of experience in outpatient mental health settings and private practice, working with both Asian Community and General Population in New York City/Metro Area.. Ms. Tai received her B.A. degree in Social Work from National Taiwan University, MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work, and Certification in Family Therapy from Family Institute of Westchester.

Media Collection Chen Chen Chen Chen is a hospital inpatient social worker with years of experience in mental health in New York. During this uniquely challenging year, He has been a frontline healthcare worker providing social work services to many patients, especially in the mental health field. Besides, He plays a criterial role in a hospital’s Asian program, aiming to help Asian psychiatric patients. He deeply believes that the role of social workers is vital in helping ethnic minorities to deal with mental health issues. He always shares his professional opinion and experience with local Asian communities. Currently, he also works as the Chair of the Mental Health Committee of NASW, thereby providing opinion on treatment strategies and policies to NASW members and reviewing professional articles published by the NASW.

Media Collection Pamela Yew Schwartz Topic: Elderly Chinese Navigating and Coping with Covid -19, Anti-Asian Crimes and Xenophobia Dr. Schwartz is a bilingual and bicultural clinician who received her doctoral degree in psychology from NYU. She worked in the mental health field for over 40 years, twenty-seven of them in Manhattan Psychiatric Center as well as in Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center. For the past 13 years, she has been involved in bereavement work at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York’s Hospice & Palliative Care program, working with patients, family members and bereaved individuals on individual and group basis. Pam is a founding member of the New York Coalition for Asian American Health. She serves on the New York Asian American Advance Directive Task Force and she also maintains a private practice. She has published and presented in the area of mental health and Chinese immigrants, specifically topics related to depression, suicide, loss, as well as Asian culture and bereavement and end of life issues.

Media Collection Mr. Shahmir Ali Mr. Shahmir Ali is a doctoral student at the New York University School of Global Public Health. He received his Bachelor's degree in public health and political science from Johns Hopkins University, and has conducted research in the US, China, Australia, and Pakistan on various social and behavioral contributors to health. His current research focuses on interpersonal and community level factors involved in the eating behaviors of young and second-generation Asian Americans, and how these factors can be integrated into innovative intervention designs to address non-communicable disease disparities.

Media Collection Prof. Cecilia Chan Professor Chan is a world leader in health and social work. She is editor and author of over 30 books, author of over 400 articles and book chapters in health and mental health in social work, eastern integrative empowerment intervention and outcome research, psychosocial oncology, death and bereavement care as well as received over 20 local and international awards and recognitions for her exceptional contributions in promoting wellness and resilience. She advocated for a strength-oriented empowerment approach in her work with traumatized individuals such as cancer patients, women of divorce, bereaved persons, couples with fertility issues, suicide survivors and victims of disaster. Her focus is on transformation through pain and suffering. She adopted vigorous bio-psycho-social outcome indicators in her randomized trials on measuring impact of her innovative Integrative Body-Mind-Spirit (IBMS) interventions on different population groups.

Media Collection John Strand, MA John has the distinction of being chosen as PEARL Institute’s first full-time Managing Director. Holding degrees in Psychology and International Relations, John brings more than 20 years of experience in International Education, Service Learning, Program Development and nonprofit administration. For the past 19 years, John lived in Thailand while developing and implementing programs in China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Fiji, and other Asian-Pacific nations. He is also the author of a series of nine Thai and English language textbooks. John is a passionate advocate for cross-cultural understanding, and has dedicated the majority of his career to developing programs which facilitate healthy and uplifting cross-cultural experiences.

Media Collection Dr. Yu-Kang Chen Dr. Yu-Kang Chen is the Clinical Psychologist, as well as the Training Director of the APA accredited Psychology Internship program, at Hamilton Madison House. He has many years of experiences working with underserved communities of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. His clinical and training interests include stigma and its impact on mental health, minority stress, and multicultural competence.

Media Collection Shang Jiang, Esq. Ms. Jiang is an attorney at Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP in New York City, where she practices in all aspects of securities and corporate law, with a particular focus on securities regulation, public and private offerings, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters. Prior to that, Ms. Jiang was associated with the New York office of a top-tier Chinese law firm.

Media Collection Melody Xu, BFA I am a graphic designer based in New York City. ​ Based on strict training in college towards a BFA degree in Design and years of experience in photography and printing, I am confident with various design styles. I like working on branding, packaging, visual identities, etc. But I especially enjoy working on layouts and 3D modeling. My favorite hobby is ceramics. One of my favorite projects is branding for a ceramics gallery and creating ceramics artworks digitally through 3D modeling and exhibit them in a 360 degree virtual way. I enjoy the harmony between handmade and digital work and see both as part of my design process.

Media Collection Gahwan Yoo Gahwan Yoo is a second-year doctoral student at NYU Silver School of Social Work and a research assistant of the CARA project. She hopes to examine how racial/ethnic minorities and immigrants/refugees experience mental health issues and their risk/protective factors as social determinants. She is especially concerned about the roles of the offline/online community for minority populations to improve access to mental health services and their mental health status.

Media Collection Steven Yip Steve Yip is Director of Operations at the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC). An administrative generalist, Steve previously worked in ambulatory care administration for 17 years at the Presbyterian Hospital and at the Montefiore Medical Group. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he is a veteran of the Asian American social movements which birthed Asian American studies in the university level. Steve is a co-editor of the 2000 anthology, Legacy To Liberation: Politics and Culture of Revolutionary Asian Pacific America . After 23 years of service, Steve will be leaving CPC at the end of 2021.