It's Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month!

As we wind down this beautiful month of May, we would like to take a moment to highlight Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

People of Asian and Pacific Islander ancestries are from approximately 50 distinct ethnic groups speaking over 100 languages. These ancestries include Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Hawaiian, and more.

In the US, 25+ million people identify as AAPI.

Today, we want to celebrate one particular person, an Asian American scientist, clinician, and professor who is particularly dear to our hearts.

Meet Nerdy Girl, Dr. Kumar!

You may know Dr. Kumar from her Nerdy Girl posts on mental health issues. (See her posts here.) But did you also know she has four advanced degrees in public health, science, and nursing?

Thank you, Dr. Kumar, for all you are and all you do!

Read more about our fabulous Dr. Kumar below:

Dr. Aparna Kumar is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) who works to ensure that mental health care is accessible, evidence based, and integrated across health care settings. Her research aims to improve outcomes for women, children and families by showing how and why mental health influences many aspects of our lives. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at Emory University School of Nursing with a joint appointment with the Carter Center Global Mental Health Program. She received training from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, (BSN, MSN, PhD), The University of Malawi (MPH), and Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (MA). Kumar has had the privilege to live in sub-Saharan Africa for several years, which continues to shape her exploration of culture, diversity, and community as it impacts mental health care. Kumar currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her cats and people and loves to brew kombucha and make glitter jars in her free time.