Rare and Infectious Diseases in Asian American Communities: Challenges, Gaps, and Community-Centered Solutions

Rare and infectious diseases pose significant but often overlooked challenges in Asian American communities, which remain underrepresented in research, clinical training, and public health planning. An analysis of rare disease databases identified 53 conditions that occur at higher rates in Asian American populations—many of which are frequently misdiagnosed or neglected. These disparities are compounded by infectious diseases like hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and emerging infections, which can spread rapidly in under-resourced settings. This panel will examine culturally informed strategies to improve diagnosis, prevention, and care, with a focus on best practices during periods of limited resources and preventing increased transmission through community engagement, trust-building, and data equity.

Dr. Chang Na, MD, MPH, MBA

Physician

Southern California Permanente Group

APIAHF Board Member

MODERATOR

Chang Na, MD, MPH, MBA is a physician with the Southern California Permanente Group in Central Valley, California. She was born in South Korea and grew up in her adopted home in California. She graduated with a major in neuroscience from Wellesley College before going onto University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. She finished her internal medicine residency and a fellowship in occupational and environmental health at Yale.

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She is passionate about her medically underserved community in Central Valley. She serves on the board of various community non-profit organizations including Central California Asthma Collaborative and Bakersfield ARC, an organization devoted to helping community members with developmental and cognitive disabilities. 

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She is a dedicated advocate for improving healthcare. She has long been a part of the Kern County Medical Society, the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. Her areas of focus include helping those living with disabilities, identifying and preventing environmental related illnesses, and improving health equity and access for underserved populations.

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In her free time, she likes to travel and read.

Kelly Chen, MSN, AGACNP-BC

Medical and Scientific Advisory Board Member and AANHPI Engagement Director

IgA Nephropathy Foundation

Kelly B. Chen, MSN, AGACNP-BC, is a nephrology nurse practitioner and individual living with IgA Nephropathy (IgAN). Her career began in critical care, where she served on the frontlines as an ICU nurse practitioner at NYU Langone Health in New York City. Following her IgAN diagnosis, Kelly returned to her hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area and shifted her focus to caring for kidney patients—many of whom share her journey.

She completed her nurse practitioner training at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School, with a focus on healthcare management.

As a Taiwanese American, Kelly is passionate about raising awareness of chronic kidney disease within the AANHPI community, where IgA Nephropathy is more prevalent—particularly among individuals of East Asian descent. She previously served on board of TAP-Chicago (Taiwanese American Professionals) as Cultural Director, where she helped foster cultural connection and community engagement in the local area.

For the IgAN Foundation, she serves as a Medical and Scientific Advisory Board Member and the AANHPI Engagement Director, advising on outreach strategies and community engagement to better support and represent AANHPI patients.

Dr. Jison Hong, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

Stanford University

Dr. Jison Hong is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, specializing in immunology and rheumatology. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in gout, inflammatory arthritis, and rare inflammatory diseases such as granulomatous mastitis, with a focus on conditions that disproportionately affect Asians and underserved communities. She also serves as co-director for the Alcohol Intolerance and Cancer Awareness Program (AICAP).

Dr. Hong is deeply committed to medical education and mentorship, teaching across Stanford’s medical, physician assistant, and graduate programs while guiding numerous medical student research projects on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander health. Her work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Stanford Chair Diversity Award, Patient Experience Catalyst Award, and selection to the prestigious EULAR-ACR-APLAR International Exchange Program.

Her research and advocacy focus on breaking down language barriers, addressing cultural determinants of health, and developing equitable models of specialty care—aligning with her broader mission to advance health equity and community partnership in medicine.

Chibo Shinagawa, MS

Associate Director, Infectious Diseases 

Project Director, TB Elimination Alliance (TEA)

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

Chibo Shinagawa is the Associate Director of Infectious Diseases at the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), an organization dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration, and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans (AAs), Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NH/PIs). AAPCHO envisions a world in which AAs, NH/PIs, and all communities have equitable access to affordable, high-quality, and culturally and linguistically proficient health care.

As the Project Director of the TB Elimination Alliance (TEA), Chibo is committed to advancing AAPCHO’s leadership in tuberculosis (TB) elimination efforts. She oversees the development, planning, operations, and evaluation of programs aimed at addressing TB, Hepatitis B, and other infectious disease priorities in at-risk communities. Chibo is actively involved with TB Centers of Excellence and collaborates with state and national TB coalitions, working at the intersection of public health departments, FQHCs, and community-based organizations. In addition, she manages AAPCHO’s cooperative agreement with the CDC’s Division of Tuberculosis Elimination within the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. Chibo also represents TEA and AAPCHO on several advisory boards, including the Stop TB USA Coordinating Board and the California TB Elimination Advisory Committee.

With nearly 10 years of experience in the non-profit and health equity sectors, as well as almost 4 years abroad in sustainable international development, Chibo brings a wealth of expertise to her work. Prior to joining AAPCHO, she managed data and grant reporting at Asian Women’s Shelter, supporting A/AAs, NH/PIs survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She then worked as a Global Health Corps Fellow at the Rwanda Ministry of Health, focusing on health systems strengthening and quality improvement. Chibo also served as a Maternal and Child Health Specialist with the U.S. Peace Corps in rural Rwanda, where she helped CHWs improve maternal and child health outcomes through community-based programs.

Chibo holds a PMP® certification, an M.S. in Global Health Policy and Management from Brandeis University, and a B.A. in Sociology from Mills College. Chibo lives in the SF Bay Area with her partner and twin girls.