Imeth Illamperuma is an undergraduate student at McMaster University studying Kinesiology with a Secondary in Psychology and a Certificate in Rehabilitation Science. He has extensive experience in public health research and policy advocacy through affiliations with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), McMaster University, and Boston University’s Department of Medicine. His work focuses on a plethora of topics including harm reduction, youth mental health, and the integration of artificial intelligence in clinical decision-making. Imeth is the Founder and President of SHIELD and the Founder of The Naloxone Project, one of the largest student-led University based emergency naloxone implementation and advocacy initiatives in Canada. He is committed to advancing evidence-based, equity-driven approaches to healthcare system design and utilization.
Suhanee Mitragotri is an undergraduate student at Harvard University studying Neuroscience with a Secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. She is also the Co-Founder of the Naloxone Education Initiative, a program that aims to expand opioid and naloxone education to youth. She has written extensively on topics related to the opioid crisis, harm reduction, and drug policy and has published articles in various journals and magazines, including The Lancet Regional Health Americas, Addiction, Health Affairs Forefront, The Boston Globe, and New Scientist.
David T. Zhu is a third-year MD/PhD candidate in Health Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. His research focuses on substance use disorders, clinical epidemiology, health economics, and social determinants of health. His work has been published in leading journals, including The Lancet, The Lancet Regional Health Americas, JAMA Network Open, JAMA Psychiatry, Nature Scientific Reports, and Harm Reduction Journal. David’s contributions to addressing the overdose crisis have been recognized by multiple foundations, including The Diana Award, the Boston Congress of Public Health’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health, the National Minority Quality Forum’s 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health, and the U.S. Public Health Service’s Excellence in Public Health Award.
Researchers and policymakers must challenge the default framing and stereotypical minority myth mindset which uniformly classifies AANHPI communities as low-risk, hindering both visibility and resource allocation.