Episode #10 - Dr. Elisa Choi on hepatitis B

Asian Women for Health · Podcast #10: Raising The Alarm on a Preventable Epidemic / Hepatitis B

As a racial/ethnic group, Asian Americans have the highest rates of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a leading cause of liver cancer. Nearly 50% of those affected by HBV today in the U.S. are of Asian descent, of which more than 70% are foreign-born. How could the prevalence of HBV be so disproportionately high in the Asian community?  
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In this episode, we sound the alarm on this critical public health issue with Dr. Elisa Choi, Internist and Infectious Disease Specialist, and Chief of Internal Medicine at her medical practice. Her concern over health disparities and commitment to providing culturally competent care to ethnic-specific populations have made her a champion and advocate of Hep B awareness. While Hepatitis B is not curable, it is both treatable and preventable with proper screening and vaccination. 

Additional Resources:

• American College of Physicians: Massachusetts Chapter
• Hepatitis and Asian Americans
• HepBMD.com

About Dr. Elisa Choi, MD
Dr. Elisa Choi is the current Governor of the MA Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP), becoming the first female and only Asian-American woman to be elected to the Governorship in the history of the MA ACP Chapter. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, and practices both as an Internist and as an Infectious Disease, HIV, and Hepatitis infection specialist. Dr. Choi has a particular interest in healthcare disparities, and in providing culturally competent care addressing health issues affecting Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) and minority populations.

Dr. Choi is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and holds clinical and educational leadership positions in her healthcare organization. She serves as a Chief of the Internal Medicine Department at her practice. She has extensive experience in healthcare and public health advocacy efforts at Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, and has also been actively involved in the planning and organization of an annual Advocacy Day at the MA State House for the MA ACP Chapter since 2016.”