AANHPI Heritage Month: A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience

By: France-Elvie Banda
Friday, May 30, 2025
This year’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month theme, “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience,” set by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC), centers on elevating leaders who use innovation to drive inclusion, equity, and progress for future generations. It calls on institutions to invest in leadership pathways for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander professionals who are reshaping their fields through creativity, resilience, and data-informed approaches.

May is not only a celebration but also a reckoning—an opportunity to reflect on the often-overlooked complexity of the AANHPI community’s journey in the United States. The myth of Asian Americans as a monolith of success in science and medicine erases the underrepresentation of Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders, and other marginalized subgroups. For instance, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have the lowest college degree attainment rates among all racial groups in the United States, according to the 2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Without disaggregated data and targeted investment in education and leadership training, these inequities persist.

Yet even amid these disparities, AANHPI researchers and innovators continue to shape the frontiers of science, policy, and public health. Below are a few of the many leaders transforming their fields:

• Narinder S. Kapany, PhD – whose research led him to be known as the "Father of Fiber Optics." He is credited with first using the term fiber optics in 1960.
• Isabella Aiona Abbott, PhD – The first Native Hawaiian woman to earn a doctorate in science, Dr. Abbott is a pioneering ethnobotanist who discovered over 200 new species of Pacific algae.
• David Wong, PhD –a Chinese American neuroscientist whose research at Eli Lilly and Company included the discovery of fluoxetine, commonly known as Prozac. Fluoxetine was the first identified selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

These leaders not only pushed the boundaries of science and innovation, but they also left a legacy for future researchers and carved a path for equitable leadership in STEM. To truly honor AANHPI Heritage Month, we must broaden our understanding of innovation to address systems barriers and push for community-centered research. This requires investing in diverse voices and developing mentorship and leadership pipelines that reflect the full spectrum of the AANHPI experience.