Our Interview With Samira Khan, MPH, President Of The South Asian Public Health Association

Samira Khan, MPH, is the President of the South Asian Public Health Association.

What makes the South Asian Public Health Association valuable to its members and the community it serves?

The South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of South Asian communities in the United States through research, education, and advocacy. For more than 25 years, SAPHA has helped bring greater visibility to health issues affecting a diverse and rapidly growing population whose experiences and needs are often overlooked or aggregated within broader health data and policy conversations.

SAPHA brings together public health professionals, researchers, healthcare providers, students, advocates, and community leaders to advance health equity. Our work spans issues including chronic disease, mental health, aging, discrimination and violence, women’s health, climate and health, health misinformation, data disaggregation, and access to culturally and linguistically responsive care. By connecting evidence, community perspectives, and advocacy, SAPHA works to ensure that South Asian communities are meaningfully represented in the research, programs, and policies that affect their health.

How does your organization support or inspire students, aspiring physicians, and healthcare professionals?

SAPHA provides opportunities for students and professionals across disciplines and career stages to learn, collaborate, and contribute to improving South Asian health. Through conferences, webinars, research and advocacy initiatives, educational resources, and volunteer leadership opportunities, participants can engage with issues that extend beyond the clinical setting and shape the health of the communities they serve.

We also create opportunities to connect with professionals working across public health, medicine, research, policy, advocacy, and community-based organizations. For students and early-career professionals in particular, involvement with SAPHA through internships, practicums and volunteer roles, can provide exposure to career paths and areas of impact they may not encounter through traditional health professional training. We hope to inspire the next generation of health leaders to see community engagement and health equity not as separate from their professional careers, but as integral to how they understand and improve health.

What advice would you give to other Asian students who aspire to enter the medical field?

Stay curious about what shapes health beyond the walls of a clinic or hospital. Health is influenced not only by biology and healthcare, but also by where people live and work, the policies that affect them, the languages they speak, their experiences of discrimination, their access to trustworthy information, and whether their communities are represented in research and decision-making.

Seek mentors and experiences that expose you to different ways of improving health, including public health, research, policy, advocacy, and community engagement. Your cultural knowledge and connection to community can also be valuable forms of expertise, particularly when paired with rigorous training and a willingness to listen and learn. Most importantly, you do not have to wait until you finish your training to contribute. There are meaningful ways to serve, advocate, ask better questions, and help build more equitable systems throughout your career.