ANA Election 2022

Thank you for you consideration for ANA treasurer. Like many in the community, ANA membership is a very personal aspect of my professional identity. Involvement at the leadership level would be both a great privilege and responsibility. 
 
When I joined Ochsner Health in New Orleans out of fellowship in 2014, I knew next to nothing about the region. In fact, my perceptions of “The South” were largely generalizations from television shows and movies. Eight years (and several hurricanes) later, the people of the Gulf South region are the reason I’m still here. While we have many skills and values as neuropsychologists, helping people should always be our North Star. I will see any individual that is referred for our service, but I’m passionate about supporting patients from marginilazed and underresourced communities. As one example, the Vietnamese community is an integral part of New Orleans and its culture, but unfortunately does not have an adequate level of healthcare access for a variety of reasons. I hope to improve upon this as our services expand in the region. 
 
I was hired as the first and only neuropsychologist in the department of Neurology at Ochsner Health. Through the support of the department and health system, we have been able to grow our section to seven neuropsychologists across four campuses in Lousiana. I’ve learned a great deal about leadership during this time period, including understanding my values as a leader. I hope this clarity, as well as my experience in collaborating across multiple disciplines, will serve me well in this role. 
 
I feel very aligned with ANA’s mission, particularly the goal of developing competent practice for persons of Asian descent. I hope to become involved at one of the many points of intervention, including professional education. I would like to build systems that help improve access to care, which will likely include both professional and patient outreach. While I’m very invested in my personal and professional community, I look forward to the opportunity to offer my time, energy, and dedication to a mission larger than myself. 

I am immensely grateful to be considered for the position of Treasurer on the ANA Executive Committee. I am a Staff Neuropsychologist and Neuropsychology Training Director at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and serve as the co-chair for the ANA Advocacy Committee. Part of my service on the Advocacy Committee involves team-based development of resources, specifically tailored to international students pursuing neuropsychology training, as well as seminars for supervisors who work with trainees of diverse backgrounds. As an Asian-Indian woman, who was also an international student, I have also mentored several Asian international students and future neuropsychologists in navigating not only the landscape of doctoral and post-doctoral training within the US, but also the intricacies of visa regulations. I strongly believe continuous striving toward multicultural competence is inseparable from ethical clinical, research, and supervisory practices. In keeping with ANA’s goal of developing competence in neuropsychological services to persons of Asian descent, I worked with a team within the Advocacy Committee to review state legislature and advocate for widespread inclusion of diversity-related training in continuing education (manuscript submitted).  

I am committed to serving, promoting, and furthering the goals of ANA. If elected as treasurer, I will continue to support individuals of diverse backgrounds through resource development. I also enthusiastically support expansion of the ANA community internationally to encourage research collaboration and cross-cultural training. Current and prior service in varied leadership roles within academic and clinical settings have effectively prepared me to meet the responsibilities of ANA Treasurer.  I am determined to manage financial and fiscal responsibilities with integrity and transparency, and with the sole purpose of benefit to the ANA community.