WASHINGTON DC WORKSHOP

Advancing Connections and Community-Based Practices for Trauma-Informed Care for Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs)

Date & Time: Thursday, May 1, 2025 9AM-5PM ET

Location: Georgetown University Alumni House, 3604 O Street, NW Washington, DC 20057

Online registration is LIVE now. [REGISTER HERE]
*Registration is FREE & refreshments will be provided

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About the Lotus Project

The Lotus Project is a Center for Asian American & Asian Immigrant (AAAI) Child Trauma-Informed Care & Prevention that provides technical assistance, training, and resources to mental health service providers, community health workers, school staff, and other professionals who work with AAAI children and families affected by traumatic events and stress. Funded by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Lotus Project is a collaboration between the Public Health Institute (PHI) and Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS), based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Bouey from Georgetown University, Dr. Frankie Wong from the Florida State University, and Asian American Lead, the Lotus Project aims to work closely with local and national AAPI-serving organizations and stakeholders to implement this workshop and to create momentum for building stronger collaboration and improving trauma-informed care for AAPI communities.

About the Workshop

Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are one of the fastest growing communities in the metropolitan D.C. area. With the mental health needs of AAPIs long neglected and the transition to the new federal administration, the need for strengthening coalitions among communities to enhance mental health and other social service programs for AAPIs has never been more pressing. This in-person workshop will address current local and national issues in delivering and accessing mental health services in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, facilitate collaboration and networking among participants, and discuss unique challenges and successes in providing culturally competent community-based practices and programs for AAPIs in the greater metropolitan D.C. area. This workshop also aims to foster advocacy efforts at both federal and local government levels, focusing on allocating more resources and opportunities for trauma-informed care and prevention for AAPI children and families.

Workshop Goals

  • To highlight the community-based programs that provide mental health and trauma-informed care for AAPI communities in the metropolitan D.C. area

  • To showcase community-based and culturally competent practices, programs, and rituals that enhance community bonding, pride, mutual support, and physical and mental health

  • To discuss strategies to strengthen the collaboration among AAPI-serving organizations, mental health professionals, community members, researchers, and government officers to enhance trauma-informed care for AAPIs

  • To enhance the capacity of AAPI-focused CBOs in the metropolitan D.C. area through integrating advocacy efforts of the national AAPI organizations

  • To amplify advocacy activities that prioritize the urgent mental health needs of AAPI communities at national and local levels

  • To connect attendees to resources of SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Featured Topics

  • Efforts and resources for trauma-informed care from national AAPI organizations

  • Accomplishment and challenges in delivering culturally competent mental health services for AAPI communities in the Metropolitan D.C. Area

  • AAPI youth mental health presentations/panel

  • Policy-based initiatives and next steps for AAPI care

Speakers

Tooru Nemoto, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator & Research Project Director
Dr. Tooru Nemoto is Research Program Director at the Public Health Institute (PHI). Before joining PHI, Dr. Nemoto was Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He has been mainly engaging in substance abuse and HIV prevention studies and service projects for under-served and stigmatized populations, such as transgender and gender non-binary people, men who have sex with men (MSM), and sex workers in the U.S. and Asian countries, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia. He has been awarded a number of grants and service contracts from NIH, SAMHSA, CDC, HRSA, and private foundations. As Project Director, he recently completed a 5-year SAMHSA funded project providing trauma-informed care and prevention services targeting Asian youths in Alameda County. He co-authored a number of research papers in the field of substance abuse and HIV prevention and health promotion for under-served sexual, gender, and racial minority groups in peer-reviewed journals. 

Jennifer Bouey, MD, Ph.D., MPH
Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Department of International Health, Georgetown University
Dr. Jennifer Bouey is the Chair of the Department of Global Health and a tenured Associate Professor at Georgetown University. She also serves as the Senior Policy Researcher and the Tang Chair for China Policy Studies at the RAND CorporaEon and a Professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND School of Public Policy. As an epidemiologist with training in clinical medicine and quantitative research, she has led multiple research initiatives on social determinants of health and global health equity.

Ben de Guzman
Director of DC Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA)

Siu Cheung Rossmark
Executive Director of Asian American LEAD (AALEAD)

Siu Cheung Rossmark is the Executive Director of Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) and a dedicated advocate for the Asian American community. She serves on the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and Montgomery County’s Asian Pacific American Advisory Group. With over 35 years in entrepreneurship, Siu has owned multiple businesses, including restaurants and ventures in real estate and financial services. A former Board Chair and Interim Executive Director of AALEAD, she expanded programs and partnerships. Siu’s leadership has driven community engagement, advocacy, and growth, while she enjoys family time and boating on the Chesapeake Bay with her husband.

Rowena Mudiappa, LCSW, IMH-E Mentor-Clinical
Project Planner at National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Rowena, a native Sri Lankan, received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Gender Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Masters in Social Work at the University of Chicago with a concentration on trauma and violence prevention. Rowena has worked alongside families impacted by trauma in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina and Spain as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is currently at the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress at Duke University. Rowena’s passion is to address trauma through re-envisioning systems to meet the needs of children and families impacted by trauma so that communities can heal and thrive.

Pata Suyemoto, Ph.D.
Executive Director of National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA)

Dr. Pata Suyemoto is a feminist scholar, writer, educator, curriculum developer, equity trainer, mental health activist, jewelry designer, and avid bicyclist. She is the Executive Director for the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA). She is also the Associate Director of Equity for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention (MCSP). She is a person with lived- experience and has spoken and written about being a suicide attempt survivor and her struggles with chronic depression and complex PTSD.

Angela Tang, MSW, LCSW
Chief Executive Officer of Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS)

Angela Tang is the Chief Executive Officer of Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS), a not-for-profit mental health agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to assuming the position in 2023, she had served at the agency for nearly two decades including being on the Leadership Team that drives innovative and culturally responsive programs and operational excellence. RAMS continuously achieves outstanding external reviews and is recognized as a highly reputable mental health services provider. In addition, Angela is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Smith College School for Social Work (honorary) and a Program Advisor for Boston University School of Social Work. She was also on the founding Board of Directors for Friends of Roots, a volunteer-run genealogy organization that promotes an awareness of the Chinese American identity. A daughter of immigrants and a San Francisco native, Ms. Tang earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree at SF State University and received her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. She is certified in Lean Six Sigma and has had certification in Healthcare Compliance. Her areas of interest include macro-level, systems, and strengths-based theories & practices; organizational development; and program evaluation.

Mia Ayer, Ph.D.
Policy Manager at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

Mia Ayer is a Policy Manager at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. She brings federal policy experience on issues including health equity, civil rights, and governmental affairs and is committed to ensuring that AANHPI communities and all communities of color are included in policy change. She previously served at the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), where she amplified community-driven priorities and prepared the introduction of the bicameral Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2024.

Huixig (Kate) Lu, MSW
Clinic Director of CCACC Health Center

Huixing (Kate) Lu is the Director of CCACC Health Center and has led the CCACC Pan Asian Volunteer Health Clinic since 2011. A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-C, LICSW), Kate holds a degree from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. She transformed the clinic into a comprehensive community health center addressing medical, psychological, and social needs. Kate provides clinical services for mood disorders and family stress, with a specialization in supporting families with special needs children. She also speaks at workshops and seminars on mental health, caregiver support, and end-of-life care in diverse communities.

  • Kham S. Moua (Southeast Asia Resource Action Center - SEARAC)

  • Xiaoping Shao, MD (Mental Health 360)

  • Hyun Sun Park & Kwangsuk Hutchinson (Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington (KCSC))

  • Elizabeth Chung (The Asian American Center of Frederick (AACF))

  • and more!

Youth Panelist Speakers

Alvin Tong
Student

Hello I’m Alvin Tong, a junior in the SMCS program at Poolesville High School with interests in chemistry, biology, and engineering. I serve as Co-President of the CAPA Thrive Club, which focuses on mental health awareness by hosting workshops, partnering with counselors/professionals, and creating heart pillows for those in need.

Jordan Pai
Student

Jordan Pai is a sophomore at Georgetown University from central New Jersey studying global health on the pre-med track. He is involved in his school’s Taiwanese American Student Association, ROTC, and conducts research focused on healthcare disparities. Jordan collaborated with RAND under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Bouey to analyze data from AAPI community surveys in New York and Los Angeles, contributing to a RAND report.

Tiffany Nguyen
Student

Tiffany Nguyen (she/her) is an undergraduate sophomore from Buffalo, NY, majoring in Global Health at Georgetown. Her research focuses on the intersection of race, culture, and socioeconomic status in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on nutrition outcomes. Outside of clinical work, she serves as President of Georgetown’s SweetStrips Club, leads diabetes education initiatives, mentors immigrant and refugee women, and actively engages with the Vietnamese Student Association and OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates.

Winnie Chan
Student

Winnie Chan is a first-generation Chinese American student passionate about food science, public health, and community advocacy. She explores food’s impact through her blog and volunteer work at Martha’s Table. As founder of Asian Liberty League in D.C. and President of the Recycling Club, she leads initiatives for sustainability and equity. Winnie is also an award-winning debater and an active member of AALEAD’s YELP program. With over 350 hours of service, she is dedicated to creating change through food, science, and civic engagement.