Since its launch in 2024, the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Leadership Institute has supported two cohorts and 9 SUNY faculty and administrative professionals. AANHPILI Fellows represent 5 SUNY campuses across all four sectors and System Administration, bringing a broad range of experiences, roles, and perspectives from across the university system.
Lamyaa E. Hassib is the Honors College Director at Hudson Valley Community College. With over 15 years of experience in higher education, her career trajectory has seen exciting transitions. Ms. Hassib earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry with high honors and ACS certification from Union College and a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester. She started her post-academic career as a research chemist at General Electric where she received her Six Sigma certification and served as a founding member of the Diversely Resource Council. Ms. Hassib transitioned to higher education when she began teaching as an adjunct professor at SUNY Schenectady and realized her passion for science was more in the classroom than in the laboratory. She then served as an assistant professor of chemistry at Hudson Valley Community College and as an advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society before transitioning into her new administrative role with the Honors College.
Ms. Hassib has extensive experience in working with students from underrepresented communities, first- generation students, non-traditional students and international students. Working with a diverse body of students is at the core of her mission to provide opportunities at the academic level and beyond for all students. Her work has earned her the Paragon Advisor Award for her contribution to Phi Theta Kappa and the Viking Spirit Foundation Leadership Award for leadership, dedication and commitment consistent with the mission of the HVCC Foundation. She is also a founding member of the New York Capital Honors Exchange, an academic symposium designed to showcase the research and creative work of Honors students from across the Capital Region.
Susan Lee is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook Renaissance School of Medicine. She serves as the Medical Director of Stony Brook Primary Care and is the lead physician for Patient Center Medical Home Accreditation for Stony Brook Medicine. Additionally, she is a Deputy Chief Medical Information Officer for Stony Brook Medicine. She is a proud graduate of Wellesley College and NYU School of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at New York Hospital–Cornell. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Lee has over two decades of experience in academic medicine, primary care, and quality improvement. She has served as Director of the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course for the medical students, Associate Program Director for the Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program and is a recognized leader in ambulatory care transformation. As Fellow of the American College of Physicians, she was the past Governor and President of the New York Chapter of the American College of Physicians. She currently is serving as an elected Regent for the American College of Physicians. She has won awards for outstanding service, leadership in medical education and patient care. As a proud Internal Medicine Physician, she has been listed as a Castle Connolly Best Doctor in her community for many years.
Dr. Zhanjie Li is a Professor at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, where he serves as Chair of the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Director of the Center for Smart Infrastructure and Sustainability (CSIS), and Director of Sustainability. His leadership focuses on strengthening graduate engineering programs, expanding research capacity, and advancing initiatives in sustainable and smart infrastructure. Dr. Li has developed project-based learning pathways, micro-credentials, and funded research opportunities that support first-generation, immigrant, international, and AANHPI students. He is also active in the local community as a board member and principal of a Chinese language school. As a participant in the SUNY AANHPI Leadership Institute, he aims to broaden his administrative impact and advance inclusive excellence across SUNY.
Dax is a trans, neurodivergent, South Asian American librarian and educator committed to advancing equity, belonging, and social justice in higher education. As the Instructional Technologies Librarian at Monroe Community College, they work to integrate inclusive pedagogy with accessible instructional technologies to reduce barriers for historically excluded students, including BIPOC, first-generation, immigrant, queer, disabled, and economically disadvantaged learners. Their work spans research skills instruction, instructional design support, professional development facilitation, and campus-wide advocacy, including co-chairing MCC’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Council and co-organizing the 2025 MCC Annual Diversity Conference, Beyond the Rhetoric: Embracing Our Queer Community. Dax also co-founded and co-chairs MCC’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Affinity Group, mentors new librarians, and serves as Programming Co-Chair for the New York Library Association’s Coalition for Library Workers of Color. Grounded in graduate study in librarianship as well as in Asian American and African American literatures and critical theory, and holding an MS in Library Science from Syracuse University and an MA in English Literature from UC Irvine, Dax brings an intersectional, trauma-informed, community-building approach to creating supportive educational environments.
Tomoko Udo, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management, and Behavior, and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the College of Integrated Sciences (CIHS), University at Albany. Since 2023, she has also served as the Associate Dean for Research at CIHS. Her research focuses on substance use, mental health, and infectious diseases—particularly Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. She specializes in community-engaged research, psychiatric epidemiology, program evaluation, and public health–public safety partnerships. Her work has been funded by funding agencies such as NIH, CDC, NYS Department of Health, and various foundations. Dr. Udo also co-directs the Center for Collaborative HIV Research in Practice and Policy. She holds a PhD in Health Education and Behavioral Science from Rutgers University.
Dr. Vivian Wilson-Hwang is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Training at University at Albany Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). She oversees the training of future mental health providers and maintains the operation of a nationally-accredited doctoral psychology internship program. With more than 12 years of experience providing individual services contributing to campus-wide health and well-being efforts, Dr. Wilson-Hwang is passionate about fostering a campus environment that values community care, accessible mental health support, and a culture of shared responsibility and inclusion.
Dr. Wilson-Hwang has collaborated across departments to enhance well-being initiatives, expand training opportunities, and strengthen connections between clinical services and broader campus efforts. Her work with students emphasizes trauma-informed and culturally-responsive approaches that align with the needs of UAlbany’s diverse student body. Through the ongoing refinement of CAPS’ training program, she is committed to equipping emerging psychologists and mental health professionals with the skills to meet evolving student needs and to cultivating the next generation of clinicians invested in college mental health.
Dr. Wilson-Hwang received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University at Albany and completed her doctoral internship training at the Albany Psychology Consortium Internship. A health psychologist by training, Dr. Wilson-Hwang remains dedicated to fostering sustainable systems-level improvements while remaining attentive to the individual needs of the students, trainees, and colleagues she supports.
If you have any questions, or would like to know more about whether the SUNY AANHPILI Fellowship program is for you, please contact Zulaika Rodriguez, Executive Director, at Zulaika.Rodriguez@suny.edu or 518-320-1538.
.jpg)