SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
Advancing Community-Based Practices and Trauma-Informed Care for Asian American and Asian Immigrant (AAAI) Youth and Families in Greater Los Angeles Area
Date & Time: Thursday, September 17, 2026 9AM-5PM PT
Location: Sequoia Room, UCLA University Club (480 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, California 90095)
Registration open now!
(Registration is FREE & refreshments will be provided)
Brought to you by:
About the Lotus Project
Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Lotus Project is a collaboration between the Public Health Institute (PHI) and Richmond Multi-Services (RAMS) that provides trainings and resources of trauma-informed care and prevention for service providers, teachers, and program administrators of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
About the Workshop
Join us for a full-day, in-person workshop exploring trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches to supporting AAAI children, youth, and families. Attendees will hear from youth/young adults with lived experiences, participate in experiential activities highlighting culturally responsive community-based healing practices, and explore how identity, media, and representation shape mental health and well-being of AAAI youth and communities. The workshop will offer practical strategies, and opportunities for connection and meaningful dialogue among researchers, mental health providers, community members, and media professionals, including digital creators, writers, journalists, and actors, who bring diverse perspectives on identity, storytelling, representation, and well-being.
Workshop Goals
To center the voices and lived experiences of diverse AAAI youth and young adults in exploring factors related to mental health (e.g., identity, belonging) and ways to support;
To deepen understanding of the mental health challenges experienced by youth and young adults in order to inform culturally responsive prevention and mental health intervention strategies
To learn about community-based mental health treatment programs and culturally responsive healing practices
To explore the role of media/social media representation, storytelling, and public narratives in affecting AAPI mental health issues
To enhance trust and collaboration within AAPI-serving organizations and community members through discussions on community-based mental health care approaches and stigma reduction strategies
To identify next steps and connect attendees to resources from SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Lotus Project, and collaborating service agencies and behavioral health departments
Featured Session Topics
Panel: Youth/Young Adult Lived Experiences
Experiential Healing Session: Culturally Responsive Community-based Programs and Supports for AAAI Children and Families
Panel: Media’s Impact on Identity and Mental Health
Collaborations
In collaboration with Dr. Dorothy Chin, UCLA Center for Culture, Trauma, and Mental Health Disparities at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Little Tokyo Service Center, and Yellow Chair Collective, the Lotus Project aims to work closely with local mental health providers, researchers, and AAAI-serving organizations to implement this workshop.
Workshop Agenda
Speakers
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.
Annah Kuriakose, M.D., MTS, MA
Associate Director at Rutgers University
Annah Kuriakose is currently Associate Director for the Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity at Rutgers University. Her work has focused on creating equitable access to health and education for underserved populations. Prior to her current role, she served as Program Director for a South Asian public health non-profit, through which she led five cohorts of a South Asian Youth Leadership Program. She has also taught high school in the Mississippi Delta and Newark, NJ. She is a current board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness – NJ, and holds degrees in medicine, theology, and education.
Aparna Kalbag, Ph.D.
Research Scientist at Rutgers University
Aparna Kalbag, PhD is a research scientist who completed a doctorate in clinical psychology and subsequently completed two post-doctoral fellowships: one in mental health services & systems training and another in global health. She currently works at the Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Excellence at the Institute for Health, Rutgers University. She completed her American Psychological Association-approved internship at Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC and worked as Research Scientist in the Substance Abuse Division at the New York State Psychiatric Institute conducting clinical trial research & providing cognitive-behavioral therapy at methadone clinics throughout NYC.
Beatrice Chen, MCP, M.Ed.
Executive Director of Immigrant Social Services (ISS)
Beatrice Chen is the Executive Director of Immigrant Social Services (ISS), a community-based nonprofit serving New York City’s Chinatown/Lower East Side that works with immigrants and children of immigrants to foster wellbeing, belonging, and opportunity.
She brings two decades of community-based work with Chinese American and immigrant families and youth in Chinatown. Prior to joining ISS, she held roles at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), The New York Public Library, WNET/Thirteen, and the Mozilla Foundation, working at the intersection of arts and culture, education, and public history. Raised in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the US, she is biliterate in Chinese and holds degrees from Yale, Harvard, and MIT.
Celina Xu
Family Peer Advocate
I’m Celina Xu, a Family Peer Advocate and single mother to a 13-year-old daughter with autism and ADHD. After navigating these complex systems while overcoming language and cultural barriers, I now dedicated my life to helping other families do the same. I specialize in special education and mental health advocacy, providing the cultural empathy and practical tools parents need to help their children thrive. My goal is simple: to ensure no parent walks this path alone.
Cindy Huang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Counseling Psychology at the University of Oregon
Dr. Huang is an Associate Professor in Counseling Psychology at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on understanding the cultural factors associated with child development and preventing psychopathology for racial/ethnic minority and immigrant youth, with a particular emphasis on Asian immigrant youth. Dr. Huang's research specifically examines how cultural factors in parenting may exacerbate or mitigate risk for mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and suicidality. She translates this research into culturally informed, evidence-based interventions for racial/ethnic minority and immigrant youth and their families. In partnership with the Hamilton-Madison House, Dr. Huang is currently the leading a project that is adapting and delivering the Family Check-Up (FCU) for suicide prevention with Asian American adolescents and their families in New York City.
Daniel Chen, M.D.
Chair of Psychiatry and Addiction Services and Director of the Asian Behavioral Health Program at Flushing Hospital Medical Center
Dr. Daniel Chen is Chairman of Psychiatry & Addiction Services and Director of the Asian Behavioral Health Program at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Ross University School of Medicine. Dr. Chen is a past board member of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry and Past President of the Queens County Psychiatric Society. As Principal Investigator of numerous state and federal grants, he has led efforts to deliver integrated care to underserved communities. He contributed to the DSM-5 Field Trial and served as Co-President of the 5th World Congress of Cultural Psychiatry.
Doris F. Chang, Ph.D.
Full Professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work
Dr. Chang is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work. Her research seeks to advance the well-being of BIPOC communities by understanding the multi-level processes that shape psychological health, identifying strategies for improving intergroup dynamics, and developing culturally-grounded interventions that integrate mindfulness and other contemplative traditions. Her work has been covered in such outlets as the New York Times, NPR, CNN, and ABC News. As co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Unmute, a BIPOC-oriented health tech company, she is conducting a NIH-funded study to improve the therapeutic alliance in racially-mismatched therapist-client dyads. She is also a founding board member, current VP and President-Elect of the International Society of Contemplative Research. She maintains a private practice in New York City.
Francis Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Chair at the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine
Dr. Francis Lee is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist whose research has focused on connecting neuroscience with psychiatry through studies of the emergence of mood and anxiety disorders, especially during childhood and adolescence. Since 2018 he has served as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine and Psychiatrist-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and has worked on leveraging neuroscience findings to make an impact on youth mental health.
Jennifer Feng, MA, MS
Jennifer Weiting Feng is a Chinese American woman who has worked in a number of capacities as a peer support specialist, direct service worker and community outreach worker. She has also taught courses in the health and human services sector training peer support workers in principles of psychiatric rehabilitation and competencies.
Jo-Ann Yoo, J.D.
Deputy Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality
Jo-Ann Yoo is the Deputy Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), a 52-year-old comprehensive community development organization with its foundation as an activist civil rights movement in 1970s Chinatown.
Previously, Jo-Ann served as the Executive Director of the Asian American Federation, where she shaped the Federation’s programs to support pan-Asian economic empowerment, mental health advocacy, and to combat anti-Asian violence.
In 2023, Jo-Ann testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on the federal response to anti-Asian racism in the United States. Jo-Ann was appointed to the New York City’s Racial Justice Commission and the Racial Justice Advisory Board. She also co-led the AAPI mental health task force for the New York State Office of Mental Health.
Jihan Ryu, M.D.
Psychiatrist at Hamilton-Madison House
Jihan Ryu, M.D. is a board-certified community psychiatrist in New York City affiliated with Hamilton-Madison House, Inc., whose research focuses on digital mental health technologies, human-centered design, and mental health equity. He currently contributes to the CONNECT demonstration project, funded by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which implements an outpatient care model for serious mental illness addressing structural barriers—including housing instability, unemployment, medical comorbidity, and financial insecurity—through intensive case management and flexible community-based engagement.
Myung Park
Certified Peer Specialist
Myung Park is an NYS Certified Peer Specialist 1 and works for BPC (Bronx Psychiatric Center) Outpatient Unit called WPRC (White Plains Road Clinic). He has been through Special Education called Peer Specialist Training from Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy Center. He has been working as a professional Peer-Specialist for almost 30 years. Recently, he has been doing Volunteer work at KCS (Korean Community Services) which gave him the opportunity to present about and introduce the Peer Specialist job in Korean native language. For him, it is a great opportunity to work as a Pioneer to the Korean Community. On the other hand, he has multitalented skills such as art and craft, music and athletics. He is open-minded, friendly, well-educated and a good listener.
Yumiko Ikuta, MBA, Lived Experience & Expertise
Director of Access to Mental Health Services at the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health
Yumiko Ikuta lives with bipolar disorder and is the Director of Access to Mental Health Services at the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health. She was the former Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation at the NYC Health Department where her Office oversaw contracted programs including peer advocacy, peer bridger, and peer-run crisis respite services among others. Yumiko has extensive experience in peer specialist workforce development as the former Deputy Director of Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy Center and the founding Program Manager of the Academy of Peer Services at Rutgers University, the NYS peer specialist certification training and testing center. She also supported the State Office of Mental Health in the development of Medicaid billable peer support services. Prior to the mental health field, Yumiko worked in international economic development and the corporate sector. Yumiko holds a BA in Economics and East Asian Studies and an MBA in Marketing and International Business both from Columbia University.