What is the Federation of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Network (FAN)?
FAN is a coalition that cultivates an inclusive workplace at NIH where Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPI) feel seen, heard, valued, and have equal opportunities to thrive. The coalition has been active since March 2021, recently marking its second anniversary.
As you are aware, FAN was established in April 2021 when leaders from several NIH AANHPI-focused Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) united to form a coalition. In December 2022, FAN established a steering committee and council. Between 2022 and 2023, FAN grew to 92 members and counting. This rapid growth in membership necessitated elections to formalize the organizational structure of FAN.
The FAN Steering Committee is a part of the FAN Council as well as a governing body of the council, consisting of both FAN and NIH AA and NHPI Employee Resource Group (ERG) representatives. With a total of 27 FAN Council members including the FAN Steering Committee, the FAN Council includes balanced representation from FAN general membership .
Who is FAN and what are its partnering institutes at NIH?
Chaired by Jake Liang, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the FAN Steering Committee consists of seven members: Caroline Goon, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI); Anirban Banerjee, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Anna Han, Office of the Director (OD); Gabriel Lai, National Cancer Institute (NCI); Ji Luo, NCI; and Xenia Tigno, OD.
The following are the most recently elected non-ERG Council members of the FAN Council, serving a one-year extendable term starting in 2023.
FAN Council members:
- Indu Ambudkar, Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NICDR)
- Tanya Chakraborty, EDI
- Yingxi Cimo Chen, NCI
- Kelvin Choi, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
- Serena Chu, National Institute of Mental Health
- Tzu-Ting Huang, NCI
- Jaspal Khillan, National Institute of Allergies and Infectious. Diseases
- Eric Sid, NCATS National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Xin Wei Wang, NCI
- Joy Zhao, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
Other NIH Resources:
- Dan Xi, NCI – NIH AA and NHPI Health Scientific Interest Group
- Jimmy Do, NIDCR – NIH Asian Pacific American Organization
- Reiko Toyama, NICHD – NIH Association of Japanese Scientists
- Jianping Li, NCI – NIH Chinese Students & Scholars Association
- Rina Das, NIMHD – NIH Federal Asian Pacific American Council
- Shyam Sharan, NCI – NIH India
- Jay Chung, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute – NIH Korean Scientists Association
- Youngmi Ji, NIDCR – NIH Korean Women in Science and Engineering
- Mitchell Ho, NCI – NIH Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America
- Emily Tai, NCI – NIH Taiwanese Association
How does FAN support the AA and NHPI community at NIH?
Anirban Banerjee, FAN Steering Committee and NIH India member, shares his motivations and passions as a representative for his community.
Harnessing the potential of diverse communities
“One of the major attractions of coming to the U.S. as a graduate student, besides the academic excellence, was how the U.S. represents a melting pot of people from all over the world. NIH is like a microcosm of that American melting pot. Therefore, it is important to utilize the power of NIH’s diverse population and workforce. Everyone should have equal access to every stratum of leadership and opportunities.”
Our greatest resource is our workforce
“My goal is to bring our collective voices and efforts together to ensure that access. This is not only essential for us to feel valued in the workplace and contribute our maximum potential, but also for NIH to thrive as a vibrant workforce that draws from its global roots. As an NIH India representative, I aim to bring the concerns of our community to FAN and NIH leadership.”
Connecting trainees with opportunities
“Finally, I envision that NIH trainees will be the largest benefactors of our efforts. As a FAN Steering Committee member, I would like to think about ways to connect these younger members of the entire AA and NHPI community so that they can build networks and be the sources of support for one another.”
Tanya Chakraborty, FAN Member and Digital Content Strategist at the NIH, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, describes her positive experiences receiving mentorship.
“A welcoming face in FAN – Caroline Goon reached out to me when I became a federal employee in 2021. The warm and whelming sense of community sparked a fire for me to do something, to improve the work-life experience of fellow AA and NHPIs at NIH. Mentors shaped me from my student days, well into my present mid-career days. Mentors are valuable to your growth and readiness for the next big things your career can bring, regardless of your job family.
Within weeks of my proposal to create a mentorship program, I found a co-chair in Jimmy Do, Acting Executive Officer at the NICDR, and a nine-person subcommittee comprised of scientists, program directors, and fellows who are as eager as I am to develop a premier mentorship program footprint that might be adopted by other employee resource groups.”
How do I learn more about FAN and get involved?
As FAN enters its third year, the coalition continues to advocate and uplift the AA and NHPI community at NIH. To learn more about FAN, contact Caroline Goon, Principal Strategist, AA and NHPI Portfolio, EDI, at edi.aapi@mail.nih.gov.
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