Dr. Kelly Hsu was appointed to the Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners (AABE) by Arizona’s former Governor Jane D. Hull in 1998. While Chairwoman of the AABE from 1999-2002, she was instrumental in setting the initial rules and regulations for the practice of acupuncture in Arizona. Dr. Kelly Hsu is a recipient of the 2010 YWCA Tribute to Women in the Health & Science Leader Award. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Maricopa County Medical Society where she aims to fill the physician education void in Valley Fever here in the Valley through the Honor Roll Program.
As a community servant, Dr. Kelly Hsu is the Founder of the non-profit organization Asian Pacific Community in Action (APCA). Since 1999, Dr. Hsu has been educating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities and their medical providers in Maricopa County about the many health issues and challenges faced by this community. She has also been educating government officials and policymakers about the myth of Asian Americans as the healthy and wealthy “model minority”. Through her efforts, APCA was incorporated as a non-profit agency in 2002 and has grown rapidly into a multi-service community health organization that addresses several key health disparities in the AA and NHPI community: including meaningful access to culturally competent healthcare, and chronic diseases such as hepatitis B, breast and cervical cancer and diabetes. Because of her efforts, thousands have been screened or vaccinated and are now receiving life-saving treatment. Through her leadership and guidance, APCA has grown and now serves over 8,000 community members a year.
“Our community is a better, healthier and safer place thanks to Dr. Hsu and the work of APCA,” says Jenny Weaver, public relations manager for Verizon’s Southwest region. She adds, “Dr. Hsu works tirelessly to empower health equity, and to shine a light on issues that otherwise go unnoticed or unspoken. We believe the answer to the widespread culture of denial around domestic violence in our society is more engagement, and it’s people like Dr. Hsu and organizations like APCA that are leading the way.”