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.

Priya

CAPHE3 Network Program Coordinator

Priya is the CAHPE3 Program Coordinator at APPEAL, where she focuses on addressing commercial tobacco control and prevention and cancer control for the AA and NH/PI communities nationally. Her professional experience spans over 6 years of working directly with the AA and NH/PI community through Community Based Participatory Research work to address health disparities and various health behaviors. Her ethnic background as an Indo-Fijian brings her the unique blend of being South Asian but identifying closer to the Pacific Islander community through her lived experiences. She is a first-generation college graduate from California State University-East Bay, where she received her bachelor’s in science with a Concentration in Public Health. Priya loves working with her mentor, Dr. Arnab Mukherjea to build capacity with underrepresented, diasporic South Asian communities, like her own community. Priya has also served as the Program Director and Caucus Director for the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (APIC) for the American Public Health as the first Indo-Fijian to serve in these voluntary roles. She also received the honor of being highlighted as an early career professional through the South Asian Public Health Association. She hopes to continue building a pathway and using her voice to inspire other community members to continue advocating for health and representation.

Krishna

SPARC Program Coordinator

Krishna Marmé is the SPARC Program Coordinator, bringing a strong foundation in public health, policy, and management. Krishna holds two masters degrees with a Master of Public Health in Health Policy from the University of Iowa and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois Chicago. Krishna has a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Political Science from Augustana College. Her public health work started with an internship with a local health department and continued to grow to the state and federal level.  Her career in commercial tobacco control and policy advocacy spans several years, beginning in Iowa and continuing in California. As a dedicated public health professional and member of the South Asian community, Krishna is deeply committed to advancing health equity through both community engagement and policy advocacy.

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.