April 3, 2026

Two Drexel MD program students are helping expand access to care for the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community through a new student‑run free clinic based at the Penn Asian Senior Services (PASSi) Evergreen Center in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Vivian Tran, MD ’28, the clinic’s steering coordinator, first connected with the Evergreen Center through an APAMSA‑hosted health fair. “I was excited to learn that there was a community center for the Asian and Pacific Islander community,” she said. Having already envisioned an API‑centered student‑run clinic after a Health Outreach Project orientation last year, Tran saw the partnership as “the perfect opportunity to execute this idea.”

The resulting program — Health Advocacy for Asians and Pacific Islanders (HAAPI) — provides free blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, as well as wellness visit consultations with on‑site physician advisor Stephen Pagkalinawan, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine. “Our student-run free clinic focuses on providing free health screenings for the local Elkins Park community, welcoming patients of all backgrounds and regardless of insurance coverage,” Tran said.

Working behind the scenes, Pharmacy Coordinator Vivian Bui, MD ’28, helped establish the clinic’s infrastructure. With no initial inventory, she oversaw supply ordering and workflow development. “This role felt especially important given that, as a new clinic, we began with no existing inventory,” Bui said. She added that the team’s success relied on combining “innovative ideas and collaborative institutional knowledge” from student leaders experienced in clinic design and operations.

Bui said that visiting the Evergreen Center for the first time affirmed the project’s potential. “Seeing the spaces where we would host clinics and workshops was energizing because it helped me better understand how our abstract plans would translate into a functional clinic,” she said, adding that meeting PASSi director Kenneth Yang underscored the community’s strong support. His “generosity and commitment to supporting our clinic reinforced that this project had strong community backing."

For Tran, the experience has deepened her commitment to advocacy in medicine. “Being able to volunteer at PASSi has further motivated me to continue my line of work,” she said. “Advocacy plays an especially significant role in making sure that patients are able to experience health equity.” She hopes the clinic will inspire her peers to pursue medicine with similar purpose: “I hope that my group’s efforts serve as another stepstone.”

The HAAPI clinic is continuing to grow by expanding services and building partnerships in collaboration with the Evergreen Center community.