Community Leader Award
APIC created a new award category as of 2025 “Community Leader Award” specifically to acknowledge the extensively great but often under-recognized contribution made by the AAPI in public health.
Congratulations to our inaugural winner: Tayo Project
Tayo—means “we/us” and can also mean “rise/stand up” in Tagalog (Filipino), is a project of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) which is a 13-year-old nonprofit dedicated to advancing the Filipino community through advocacy, innovation, and expertise across various industries.
As a data and information hub Tayo aims to deliver tailored insights, fact checks, and explainers created and curated by members of the Filipino community to combat misinformation and address the unique health challenges of the Filipino diasporic community.
Best Published Paper Award
Winner: Nitasha C Nagaraj
Nitasha C Nagaraj is the associate teaching professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Her work centers around promoting the health of South Asian girls and women in the United States and globally.
Her award-winning study examines the intersection of violence, stress, and chronic disease among South Asian women living in the U.S., as well as the cultural and social determinants that shape health outcomes in this population.
Best Student Abstract Award
Winner: Ellean Chen
Ellean Chen, a 15-year-old high school sophomore who translates her passion for the health of the AAPI community and her desire to uplift them into research. Her research investigation about the sleep patterns of the AAPI population earned her a presentation at the APHA annual conference in 2025 and the best student abstract award.