Gastroenterologist, Borland Groover Clinic; Fellow, American Gastroenterological Association (AGAF); Physician-Educator & Humanitarian; Khmer-Language Health Broadcaster; Voice of America (VOA)

 

Dr. Hong T. Tek, M.D., AGAF, is a Cambodian-born physician and distinguished gastroenterologist whose career has spanned decades of clinical medicine, leadership, and service. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Tek trained in internal medicine at Georgetown University Hospital, Howard University, and the University of Florida College of Medicine–Jacksonville, and completed fellowship training in gastroenterology at Washington Hospital Center. He has been associated with Borland Groover Clinic and is a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association.

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Beyond his accomplishments in medicine, Dr. Tek has maintained a deep commitment to Cambodia and to improving healthcare for its people. Working with colleagues from Borland Groover, he helped bring medical equipment and endoscopy capabilities to hospitals in Cambodia and participated in medical missions to train Cambodian physicians and nurses in endoscopic techniques. He also created a monthly Khmer-language radio program devoted to basic health education. In recognition of his medical contributions and public service, the Florida Medical Association presented him with a Certificate of Appreciation. He founded and remains as the President of the Cambodian Association of Jacksonville to help the Cambodian refugees for almost a decade.

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Dr. Tek's life and career reflect a philosophy that professional achievement carries with it a responsibility to give back. His dedication to medicine, education, humanitarian service, and his country of birth exemplifies the spirit of the Khmer STEM Global Network: using one's knowledge and opportunities not only to succeed, but to serve others, strengthen communities, and inspire the generations that follow.

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Email: cambodiahealthnet@gmail.com

Retired Family Physician, Former Clinical Professor, Former Medical Director,  Humanitarian & Medical Mission Volunteer,  Author of Starving Season; Featured Guest/Interviewee, VOA Khmer

 

Dr. Seang M. Seng, M.D. is a Cambodian-American retired family physician, educator, humanitarian, and author whose life reflects extraordinary resilience and service. Born and raised in Cambodia, he was studying medicine in Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975. He endured years of forced labor and starvation and suffered devastating losses within his family. After reaching a refugee camp in Thailand, he eventually came to the United States, continued his education in Hawaiʻi, and graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine in 1988—becoming the first Cambodian refugee to graduate from a U.S. medical school.

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Dr. Seng went on to build a distinguished career in family medicine in Modesto, California, serving a diverse community that included many Cambodian refugees. His roles included Clinical Professor and Medical Director, and his service extended far beyond the examination room. He translated important medical and patient-education materials into Khmer and contributed to public-health initiatives addressing immunization, reproductive health, maternal and child health, and healthcare access for Southeast Asian communities. In recognition of his contributions to medicine and the community, the Stanislaus Medical Society named him its 2005 Physician of the Year.

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Following his medical career, Dr. Seng continued his mission of education and remembrance through writing and speaking. His 2017 memoir, Starving Season: One Person’s Story, documents his experiences under the Khmer Rouge and transforms a deeply personal history of loss and survival into a message of hope, perseverance, and possibility. His journey—from medical student in Cambodia, to refugee, to American physician and educator—stands as a powerful example for younger generations of what can be achieved through resilience, education, compassion, and a commitment to serving others.

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He has three children, all of whom are successful medical doctors: Drs. Sakon Seng (ER), Kosal Seng (Pulmonologist), and Sakara Seng (Internal Medicine). 

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Email: Sengseang@gmail.com

A Cambodian American Surgeon, Healthcare Executive, Author, and Nationally Recognized Health Policy Leader

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Dr. SreyRam Kuy's remarkable journey began in the aftermath of surviving the Khmer Rouge regime and a bombing in a Thai refugee camp, which inspired her to pursue medicine after being treated by a Red Cross surgeon. After resettling in the U.S. with her mother and sister, she pursued a strong academic path, earning dual bachelor's degrees in Philosophy and Microbiology from Oregon State University. She went on to receive her M.D. from Oregon Health & Science University, completed her general surgery residency at institutions in Texas and Wisconsin, and later earned a master's degree from Yale as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. She also enhanced her leadership expertise through a health policy program at Brandeis University.

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Dr. Kuy has held several influential positions across clinical care, healthcare administration, and government service. She led initiatives to improve veteran surgical care at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, and as Louisiana's Chief Medical Officer for Medicaid, she implemented opioid-prescribing reforms that significantly reduced prescription rates. At the federal level, she served as Associate Chief of Staff at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and held advisory and leadership roles in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, becoming the first woman appointed as Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Community Care. In academia, she has taught surgery at Louisiana State University and Baylor College of Medicine.

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Beyond medicine, Dr. Kuy is a published author and health policy thought leader, contributing op-eds to major media outlets and authoring the widely respected textbook 50 Studies Every Surgeon Should Know. Her numerous accolades include fellowships, national leadership awards, and honors such as the Presidential Leadership Scholar, L’Oreal Paris Woman of Worth, and recognition from the Aspen Institute. Her work reflects a deep commitment to healthcare innovation, public service, and improving patient outcomes nationwide.

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Email: sreyram.kuy@bcm.edu

An Associate Dean in the Social Sciences Division and Associate Professor of Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley

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Dr. Khatharya Um is Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Social Sciences Division and Associate Professor in the Ethnic Studies Department at University of California, Berkeley. She is a founding faculty member of the Asian American Research Center and core faculty in Global Studies, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Institute for International Studies, and the Institute for European Studies. Her leadership advances interdisciplinary scholarship, equity-driven research, and institutional transformation across campus and beyond.

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Dr. Um earned her PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley, where she was also the Chancellor’s Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow. An internationally recognized scholar, her work centers on Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian American studies, migration and critical refugee studies, and social justice. She has authored and edited numerous publications, including Departures, From the Land of Shadows, Globalization and Civil Society in East Asian Space, and Southeast Asian Migration, contributing significantly to diaspora and transnational studies.

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Her research on Southeast Asian American educational and health disparities has shaped policies and community-based initiatives. A pioneer in Cambodian refugee and diaspora studies, her scholarship has helped establish the field in the United States and internationally. Beyond academia, she has founded and served on boards of refugee-led organizations and has received the Fukuoka Academic Laureate Prize and the Berkeley Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence and Equity for her impactful scholarship and community leadership.

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Email: umk@berkeley.edu

Associate Professor of Genetics at Yale University, ​Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics, Biological & Biomedical Sciences

 

Dr. Monkol Lek has built a multidisciplinary educational foundation that bridges engineering, biology, and medicine. He earned his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering from the University of New South Wales in 2000, followed by additional undergraduate degrees in Science (Physiology) and Engineering (Bioinformatics), graduating with the University Medal in 2007. He later completed a PhD in Medicine at the University of Sydney in 2012, where his doctoral research examined the functional differences between alpha-actinin-2 and alpha-actinin-3—work that laid the groundwork for his long-term focus on muscle biology and genetic disease.

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Dr. Lek’s career has been defined by major contributions to human genetics and rare disease research. He is widely recognized as the lead author and primary analyst of the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) project, published in Nature in 2016, which transformed how researchers interpret human genetic variation by aggregating and analyzing large-scale exome sequencing data. He also led the analysis team for the Broad Center for Mendelian Genomics, where he played a key role in international collaborations that resulted in the discovery of novel disease-associated genes, particularly those linked to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and other rare neuromuscular disorders.

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Currently, Dr. Lek is an Associate Professor of Genetics at Yale School of Medicine and is affiliated with Broad Institute. His laboratory focuses on developing computational and statistical methods to analyze genomic data for rare disease diagnosis and gene discovery, including work with the Rare Genomes Project. Motivated in part by his own diagnosis with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, Dr. Lek integrates patient experience with scientific rigor, making his work influential not only in advancing genetics research but also in improving outcomes for individuals living with rare genetic conditions.

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Email: monkol.lek@yale.edu