Rod Lew

Executive Director

Rod Lew, MPH, is the Founder and Executive Director of APPEAL. Prior to APPEAL, Rod was the Health Education Director at Asian Health Services and the Associate Director for the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations. Rod was a contributing author to the 1998 Surgeon General’s Report on Tobacco Use and has written and published widely on tobacco and health disparities. Rod provided testimony to the U.S. Congressional Committee on Commerce on the impact of national tobacco policy in 1999 and to the U.S. Surgeon General in 2004. He has also served on numerous national health advisory committees, including the State of California Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee (2000-2006), American Public Health Association (APHA) Equal Health Opportunity Committee (2005-6) and APHA Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, where he served as Chair (1998-2000). Rod was the 2002 recipient of the Christopher Jenkins Cancer Control Award. In 2009, he also received the Lester Breslow Lifetime Achievement Award from the UCLA School of Public Health, his alma mater.

Tana Lepule

Director of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Affairs

Tana is the Director of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Affairs at APPEAL.

Karen

SPARC Program Associate

Karen is a dedicated professional in the field of public health, with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health. Karen joins APPEAL with a background in community-based health organizing, where she played a pivotal role in helping the community access health insurance coverage and educational information. During the pandemic, Karen served as a receptionist in urgent care to provide essential support during a challenging time. She has also organized health screening events and actively engaged in outreach efforts, creating culturally appropriate materials in multiple languages to ensure effective communication. As a proud Asian American, Karen is deeply passionate about advocacy and continues to utilize her expertise, compassion, and dedication to promote health equity and empower AA & NH/PI communities to lead healthier lives. In her free time outside of work, she loves to explore the city and try new restaurants, and spend quality time with her family and friends.

Saphir

CAHPE3 Program Coordinator

Saphir, MPH, is the Program Coordinator at APPEAL, bringing expertise in health informatics, epidemiology, and community health research. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Health Informatics, Saphir also holds a Master of Public Health in Global Epidemiology from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. Their professional experience includes graduate research at Emory University, project management with Angels of Epilepsy, international program coordination with UNESCO, and public health advocacy work with CALPIRG. Saphir is passionate about addressing health disparities and advancing tobacco control efforts within Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.

Jessica “J”

CAHPE3 Communications Program Associate

Jessica “J” Wong is a second generation mixed-race Chinese (HK) American. She holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a Masters degree in Public Administration with a minor in Asian American Studies. Her career has been dedicated to serving Asian American communities through various avenues. Prior to APPEAL, she was the Program Director and Interim-Executive Director of the Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission. Outside of APPEAL, she sits on the board for the Commonwealth Seminar, the AAPI History Museum, and serves as the Co-Chair for the Asset Mapping group for the Asian Community Fund.

Beatrice

SPARC Intern

Beatrice Yen is a Khmer-American born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County. She is currently a 2nd year student in the Master of Public Health program studying Community Health Education at CSU Northridge. She hopes to pursue a Doctor of Public Health at CSU Long Beach upon completion of the MPH program.

Kim

Finance Manager

Kim serves as APPEAL’s Finance Manager.