Get Involved

Volunteers and interns have played an integral role at the Pacific Health Foundation. We are dedicated to fostering and training the next generation of healthcare providers and community leaders.

We provide valuable, real-world experiences in research, physician education, and patient outreach to those interested in making a positive impact on their communities. Opportunities for those eager to initiate their own independent projects with the guidance and mentorship from senior staff are encouraged.

Past Interns, Volunteers, and Staff Members

Past interns, volunteers, and staff members have conducted their own independent research and have published many of their findings in leading medical journals and research publications. Many of our research staff continue to be members of the Pacific Health Foundation as they pursue their post-graduate studies at UCSF, UCLA, Stanford, and many other institutions.

Summer in Health Internship

Summer in Health (SiH) interns are granted their own clinical research projects to learn about common liver and GI diseases and medical issues affecting under-served Asian populations. Interns are expected to work full-time on their individual projects for eight to ten weeks under the supervision and mentorship of physician investigators at our organization.

The internship's goals are as follows:

  • To provide students an in-depth experience in clinical research
  • To foster independent creativity
  • To promote excellent scholarship
  • To instill a commitment to community service

Past SiH interns have successfully presented their data at international scientific meetings and published their work in leading international peer-reviewed journals in diverse medical topics such as chronic hepatitis B, liver cancer, and colon cancer.

To see the work of previous interns, visit Publications.

Meet the 2011 SiH Interns

Kevin Ku
Kevin just completed his third year of medical school at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine. He received his B.A. in Biological Science and B.S. in Managerial Economics from University of California, Davis in 2007. His primary research interests are in pancreatic, liver, and colon cancers. Kevin plans to enter the field of internal medicine, specializing in Hematology/Oncology in an academic setting where he can teach and conduct research.

Nghia Nguyen
Nghia just completed his first year of medical school at University of California San Diego, School of Medicine. He received his B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007. Nghia is interested in viral hepatitis in Southeast Asian Americans.  In the future, he would like to pursue a career in academic medicine.