NYC WORKSHOP - APRIL 23, 2026
Community Trauma and Wellbeing: Trauma-Informed Care for Asian American /Asian Children and Families in the NYC Metropolitan Area
Date & Time: Thursday, April 23, 2026 9AM-5PM ET
Location: Kimball Hall (246 Greene St, New York, NY 10003)
Registration open now!
*Registration is FREE & refreshments will be provided
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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
New York contains the highest portion of total Asian Americans and Asian population of any U.S. city, with over 16% to 17% of its population since 2020. A significant proportion of the AA population is first- and second-generation immigrants, who have suffered various types of traumas before and after migration. The COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of recent anti-immigrant rhetoric also pose greater mental health challenges against the Asian American and Asian communities. However, mental health needs among AAAIs have been under-reported and under-treated due to assessment biases, cultural stigma, and a lack of culturally responsive services and systems of care. The main objective for this workshop is to discuss community needs, obstacles, and innovative approaches of providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive mental health care for Asian American and Asian children and families in the New York metropolitan area, by gathering mental health service providers, researchers, community-based organizations, policy makers and community members.
In the past 4 years, the Lotus project is devoted to address trauma-informed care and prevention and mental health issues in AANHPI communities in collaboration with local service providers, researchers, policy makers, and community members. The Lotus Project has hosted six workshops mainly addressing trauma-informed care for AANHPI children and families (e.g., Afghan communities in Sacramento, CA; AAAI communities in the San Francisco Bay area; AAAI communities including South Asians in the greater Atlanta area; AANHPI communities in Honolulu, HI; AAAIs in the greater Washington D.C. area; and AAAI communities in Boston, MA). We have also hosted a number of webinars (4 times a year) addressing specific topics of mental health issues in AAAI communities (e.g., intergenerational trauma, violence and mental health issues among AAAI women). We have developed a network among workshop and webinar participants and are providing information about culturally competent mental health programs and resource guides.
Workshop Goals
To address current issues of community trauma and social environment affecting Asian American/Asians’ mental health and access to care and prevention programs;
To learn about community-based mental health treatment and prevention programs and enhance collaboration among service providers, researchers, clinicians/school counselors, public health officers, and policy advocates for Asian American/Asians in the greater NYC area;
To discuss the next steps to strengthen and sustain the collaboration among Asian American/Asian community members;
To connect attendees to resources of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Featured Panel Topics
Lived Experiences
Community Trauma, Safety, and Well-Being
Mental Health Among Asian American/Asian Youth
Collaborations
In collaboration with Dr. Lisa A. Suzuki, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Dr. Kyoko M. Toyama, LaGuardia Community College (CUNY), Ms. Haruka Kokaze, and Ms. Isabel Ching, Hamilton-Madison House in New York City, the Lotus Project aims to work closely with local mental health providers, researchers, and Asian American/Asians-serving organizations to implement this workshop.
Speakers
Annah Kuriakose, MD, 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, PhD
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.
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.
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, MD
Chair of Psychiatry and Addiction Services
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, PhD
Full Professor
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, MD, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry
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
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.
Yumiko Ikuta, MBA, Lived Experience & Expertise
Director of Access to Mental Health Services
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.