Who We Are

Korean American Health Professionals Alliance (KAHPA) is a non-profit organization of Korean American healthcare professionals that promotes Asian and Pacific Islanders to pursue careers in healthcare professions through networking, mentoring, and education.

Board Members

Gemma Kim

Christina Park

Yeun Roh

Alexis Lee

Julee Kim

Healthcare student scholarship for 2024 academic year

KAHPA will offer scholarships to students that are enrolled in, or plan on enrolling in the healthcare field. We hope to increase cultural competency in the healthcare setting by promoting and assisting Korean heritage students through healthcare academic programs.

Award amount: $1000 each for up to 3 students

Application opens: February 1, 2024

Application deadline/신청 마감일: March 31, 2024

Application announcement/합격자 발표: May 1, 2024

Scholarship Ceremony: May 4, 2024, Saturday

Time: 3PM

Location: 7650 SW 81st Ave, Portland, OR 97223

Applicant requirements:

1. Heritage requirement:

-Students with a Korean heritage (i.e. have Korean parent/parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents, adopted from Korea, etc.) Other non-Korean students may qualify for scholarship

2. Enrollment requirement

-Full time students who are residents of Oregon (i.e. resident of Oregon but studying out of state) or studying full time in the state of Oregon

-Students (high school (need to provide acceptance letter of higher level healthcare education), undergraduate, graduate, doctorate student) must be currently enrolled or will be enrolled in the next term in healthcare related field (medical school, dentistry, nursing (all levels), pharmacy, optometrist, physician’s assistance, physical therapy, pre-med, allied health professionals, etc.)

2023 HEALTHCARE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERs

Congratulations!!

• Wonsil Sayson

• Won Jin (Wyatt) Choi

• Skylar Eunju Beck

• Jiwoo Lee

Won Jin (Wyatt) Choi

Hello, my name is Won Jin (Wyatt) Choi and I will be attending California Northstate University College of Medicine as a first-year student. I graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Biochemistry while gaining valuable experience in research working with hydrogen sulfide. After graduating from college, I worked as a medical scribe and in clinical research at Slocum Center for Orthopedics located in Eugene. Through these experiences, I built an even further appreciation for providing care to patients with compassion and furthering medicine through research, basic and clinical. In the future, I aim to become a physician who will give physical and emotional comfort to his patients while providing care and will actively participate in medical advancement through research. Growing up as an immigrant from Korea, I met many members of the Asian population around me face several difficulties accessing healthcare. And in my experience volunteering for several organizations, I learned about the difficulties that the general underserved population also face. Thus, in my path to medicine, I would also like to work towards improving healthcare accessibility for the Asian population and the general underserved population through service and raising awareness.

Jiwoo Lee

Hello, my name is Jiwoo Jay Lee and I will be a 4th year nursing student at Villanova University’s Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Throughout my years at Villanova, I had the pleasure of participating in clinicals at various hospitals, including the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Through these clinicals, I have had the opportunity to learn about Med/Surg, Labor and Delivery, the NICU, and Behavioral Health. I am very grateful for the opportunities and education I’ve been given and am excited to use the skills and knowledge I have earned to become a NICU nurse in the future. Going forward, I aspire to be a nurse and a healthcare worker that provides care to patients of all backgrounds and serves the vulnerable populations in our communities. As an immigrant myself, I am fully aware of the struggles immigrants and other vulnerable groups have in this country’s healthcare system. This being said, I hope to become an advocate in healthcare for those in marginalized populations and become a nurse in which those of vulnerable populations can turn to and rely on.

Skylar Eunju Beck 

Hello, My name is Skylar Eunju Beck, I am going to be a first-year Dental student at Oregon Health and Science University. I attended Oregon State University and received a bachelor's degree in Biohealth Science and Chemistry. Prior to attending Dental school, I worked as a medical interpreter. I went to different departments in hospitals and dental offices to help deliver words between the patients and doctors. Being an interpreter, I enjoyed meeting new people, facing different personalities, and learning to adapt to new environments quickly. Being a medical interpreter and helping the Korean immigrants in Oregon, really helped me to see the value of delivering words clearly and efficiently. Being an interpreter helped me to see how language barriers could affect patients in healthcare since I learned about and was there with them. I hope to understand and help treat patients in the future as a dentist. By the grace of God, I was selected to be part of the 4-year Army HPSP scholarship program. After graduating from Dental school I will be serving in the U.S. Army as a Military Dentist. I also hope to go on mission trips to serve people in need and to share the gospel about Christ and His kingdom. 

Wonsil Sayson

Hello. I am a 2-year Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner student at Oregon Health & Science University. I earned my BSN at George Fox University and have been working as an inpatient oncology nurse for the past 5 years. I thank God for the opportunity to continue my education in the U.S. as a lifelong learner. During my oncology clinical rotation, I enjoyed interacting with all of the cancer patients, but found a special connection to the elders and Asian immigrants because they reminded me of my grandfathers who both died from cancer. Moving forward, I see God’s hand leading me to care for older patients in an oncolog setting and look forward to joining the OHSU oncology team as a nurse practitioner next year. It is a great privilege to pursue doctoral nursing education in the U.S. while raising three young children. I believe that this education will continue to equip me to provide high-quality care to the oncology patient population. Receiving the KAHPA scholarship not only provides financial support for my education but also greatly encourages me to achieve my personal and professional goals, pursuing excellence as a future nurse practitioner in cancer care. I look forward to sharing the love and care of God to the vulnerable population.

안녕하세요. 제 한국 이름은 이원실 입니다. 저는 George Fox University 간호대학을 졸업하고 암 병동 간호사로 5 년째 일하고 있으며 Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) 에서 Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner 전공으로 2 학년 박사과정에 있습니다. 유학생으로 14 년전에 고국을 떠나 영어도 모르고 미국에 왔는데 이렇게 큰 배움의 기회 주시니 하나님께 항상 감사드립니다. 더불어 이렇게 저에게 값진 장학금을 주시니 겸손한 마음으로 최선을 다해 훌륭한 의료진이 되는데 힘쓰겠습니다. 지난 학기 암 병동 실습을 통해 암 환자분들과 소통하고 치료해 드리면서 특히 이민오신 어르신들과 특별한 만남을 갖게 되었는데요. 마치 암으로 돌아가신 제 할아버지를 뵙는듯 했습니다. 저는 암 환자들을 치료하는 것을 목표로 내년 OHSU Knight Cancer Institute 팀과 함께 일할 수 있기를 희망하며 하나님의 사랑을 전하는 의료진이 되기에 힘쓰겠습니다. 주신 장학금은 학비로 제가 추구하는 학구적 목표를 이루는데 사용 할 예정입니다. 이렇게 미국이라는 나라에서 어린 자녀 3 명을 두고 공부하는 저에게 장학금이라는 큰 선물을 주셔서 다시한번 감사드립니다.

2022 Healthcare student scholarship winner

Congratulations, Catherine Park!

• Catherine S. Park (Oregon State University)

  • “I am a third year undergraduate at Oregon State University with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, a minor in chemistry, and a minor in studio art. Aside my academic endeavors, I have a great passion for the arts and enjoy playing in my university’s symphony and creating art. I am also currently involved in a multistate research team that works with preventative care focused on children’s nutrition from low income families. Whether it is through further research, preventative care, or direct health care, my goal after college is to go into the medical field and contribute to society’s overall health and wellbeing.”

2021 Healthcare student scholarship winners

• Sohyun Park (Pacific University)

• Ashley Han (OHSU)

• Samuel Suhwon Lee (University of Portland)

Congratulations!!

• Sohyun Park

  • Hello, my name is Sohyun Park, a first-year physician associate student at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to PA school, I attended Pacific University and received bachelor’s degree in Biology and Studio Art. I then spent 2 years working as an emergency department medical scribe at Kaiser Permanente Westside hospital in Hillsboro. I was primarily interested in pharmaceutical science at the beginning, which prompted myself to get into the pharmacy program at Pacific University. Learning about different medications and their mechanisms were very interesting. However, when it comes to direct patient care, there were limited things I could do to provide essential care for the patients. This recalled my experience as an immigrant where our family experienced the consequences of limited access to primary care. When the realizations set in, I left the pharmacy program in order to become a physician associate. As an immigrant myself, I understand the hardships of not having an access to quality healthcare. Therefore, my ultimate goal is to become a family medicine PA who closely serves Korean community and immigrants; especially for those who are medically underserved. 

    안녕하세요, 현재 오하이오주 클리블랜드에 위치한 Case Western Reserve University PA program 에 재학중인 박소현 이라고 합니다. Pacific University에서 생물학을 전공한후 힐스보로에 위치한 Kaiser Permanente Westside 병원 응급실에서 medical scribe로 2년을 일한 후, 약학에 관심이 생겨서 Pacific University 약대에 다니게 되었습니다. 하지만 약사로서는 환자분들께 드릴수 있는 도움이 생각보다 한정되어 있다는걸 알게되었습니다. 여러 봉사 활동을 다니면서 환자분들께 실질적으로 필요한 것은 주치의의 진단과 진찰 (primary care)이라는 것을 깨닫고, 다시 의학을 공부하기로 마음 먹었습니다. 그렇게해서 약대를 떠나 지금은 Case Western Reserve University에서 의학을 공부하고 있고 (Masters of Physician Associate Studies), 후에는 저와같은 한국 이민자분들과 영어에 어려움이 많으신 분들을 도와드리는게 제 목표입니다. 졸업 후에는 다시 오레곤주로 돌아와 한인분들께 전문 family medicine Physician Associate로서 많은 도움을 드리고 싶습니다. 그런 저에게 오레곤 한인사회의 발전에 함께 할수있는 이런 좋은 기회를 주신 KAHPA 분들께 진심으로 감사의 말씀을 전합니다. 

• Ashley Han

  • Ashley Han is a third-year medical student at OHSU. After growing up in the Portland area, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a B.S. in Biology and minor in Music. Prior to attending medical school, Ashley spent a year working on osteoarthritis research at the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute. Through this experience, she discovered her passion for biomedical research and currently hopes to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. At OHSU, Ashley has been actively involved in the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) as a board member and has helped organize events to connect API students/faculty and increase awareness of health issues that affect API communities disproportionately. In 2023, she will be graduating with a M.D. and Masters of Clinical Research and hopes to one day run her own research lab as a Principal Investigator while working as a clinician in an academic center; studying diseases from bench to bedside. Grateful for the mentors who have guided her along the way and shaped her career aspirations, she hopes to pass forward the kindness and serve the Korean-American community by mentoring students who want to pursue a career in medicine or research.

• Samuel Suhwon Lee

  • My name is Samuel Suhwon Lee and I will be a 3rd year Nursing student with a minor in Integrative Health and Wellness at the University of Portland. I am blessed to grow up with both my parents and an older brother who graduated from medical school this year. Having parents who work 90+ hours a week, they are a model of faith, resilience, sacrifice, and love. Before college, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue. It was only after my years of going on mission trips, serving at the church, and reflecting about the 4 weeks I was in the hospital, that I realized I had a heart and calling to serve others. Upon graduation, I will become a nurse that not only aids the physical pains of patients but be emotionally and spiritually present as well. I believe that more than anything, my path of becoming a nurse and working in healthcare is to incorporate my faith to provide joy, assurance, and light to patients in their darkest of times just as my nurses did for me.
    

Support Us

Your contribution will support our goal to engage and inspire the next generation of healthcare leaders in Oregon. Donations are fully tax deductible, and you will be emailed a tax receipt. Donations are accepted online or via a check. Checks can be made out to “KAHPA Oregon” and mailed to:

KAHPA Oregon

7650 SW 81st Ave.
Portland, OR 97223

You can also donate online via PayPal by clicking the Donate button below! Thank you!

KAHPA is an organization of Korean American healthcare professionals that promotes Asian and Pacific Islanders to pursue careers in healthcare professions through networking, mentoring, and education.

Our Vision

Our Goals for 2020-2021

1

Continue Scholarship program to increase cultural competency in the healthcare setting by promoting and assisting Korean heritage students through healthcare academic programs.

2

Create a working database of Korean American healthcare professionals in the greater Portland area.

3

Recruit more members and volunteers and collaborate with other community organizations.

Mentorship Program

Our goal is to foster mentorship opportunities for students in high school, college and professional/graduate schools. We are currently inviting mentors and mentees to participate in the program. If you are interested, please take a look at the program flyer and connect with us! If you have any questions, you can email us at kahpaor@gmail.com or at apply.kahpaor@gmail.com

You can also apply to become a mentor and mentee online! Click the "Apply" button below.

Contact us

Please email us at kahpaor@gmail.com or fill out the contact form below. You can also find us on Facebook!