Health Educator from San Marino Among 16 Women Honored by Rep. Judy Chu

A San Marino resident was among a group of 16 distinguished women from the 27th Congressional District honored by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) during her fourth annual Women of Distinction Awards at Huntington Library this past weekend. 

The April 6 event honored female entrepreneurs, volunteers, civil servants and a female Olympian, all from the San Gabriel Valley, including health educator and radio/tv host Christina Kan of San Marino.  

The honorees represent the 16 cities in the 27th Congressional District -- each chosen from nominations submitted by members of their communities.  

“No words can describe the contributions that all sixteen of these amazing women have made to our community in the San Gabriel Valley and to the world at large,” said Rep. Chu.

“From competing for our nation on the global stage, to advocating for those with developmental disabilities, to representing the cutting edge of entrepreneurial achievement, each one has had a profound impact on the world around them. Most importantly, all overcame tremendous obstacles in their careers, proving themselves to be wonderful role models for others who aspire to their success. I thank each of this year’s 16 Women of Distinction for their contributions, and urge them to continue being a shining beacon of inspiration for women and girls in our district and around the world," she added.

Christina Kan Chosen to Represent the city of San Marino

Health care community leader, Christina Kan of San Marino, was among the group of women recognized.  

Kan has dedicated her life to improving the quality of healthcare for the Asian community in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as a nutritionist, a health educator, a radio and TV host, a policymaker, a healthcare executive, a business advisor, and a business leader.

Early in her career, Kan recognized the importance of nutrition in preventive medicine. Together with a team at the American Heart Association, she successfully launched an “Asian Pacific Nutrition Project” that served the entire Los Angeles County in 1985. This project quickly led to the creation of the “Heart Healthy Program” that featured disease prevention lectures and healthy recipes in five different Asian languages. This successful and highly praised program marked the start of Kan’s pioneering career in community health education. 

Her career as an educator began with her faculty appointment as a part-time lecturer at Glendale Community College and California State University at Los Angeles. With the support of others, Kan implemented and hosted the first ever live healthcare radio talk show and television program in Chinese. Her pioneering shows were televised nationally and internationally on cable and satellite. In addition to the radio and television talk shows, she also started a free nationwide newsletter that educated the Asian community on pertinent health topics.

Besides creating educational tools, Kan also served on numerous critical boards and commissions. At the state level, she served on the Medi-cal Managed Care Cultural and Linguistic Task Force in 1996. In this capacity, she  helped to create a healthcare policy that mandated cultural sensitivity and linguistic competency in all healthcare services. This policy was later written into law by the California Legislature as the “Cultural and Linguistic Competency” amendment to the Medical Practices Act.

At the national level, Kan has served on the National Medical School Scholarship Interview Committee on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services from 1998 to 2000. She also led the planning and execution of numerous medical conferences and managed programs to provide education to medical practitioners. Her efforts to improve patient care have recently expanded overseas to include co-hosting medical conferences with Huashan Hospital Fudan University in Shanghai, Tsinghua University in Beijing, Hong Kong Adventist Hospital and North American Medical Association in Hong Kong. 

Throughout her career, this San Marino resident has followed her motto of “Never say ‘no’ when opportunity comes.” By never saying no, Kan has made significant and valuable contributions in every aspect of her career. 

Other Local Women Recognized

The complete list of honorees included:

• Evie Romero (Community Leader in Development Disabilities)
• Inger Miller (Former Olympian)
• Lillian Lee Jang (Community Leader in API Issues)
• Karen Chen (Business Woman and Community Leader)
• Susan Schenk (Community Leader in Sustainability)
• Karen Komsak Davis (Elected Official)
• Mary Ann Lutz (Elected Official)
• Marta Escanuelas (Community Leader in Developmental Disabilities)
• Margaret “Margie” Martinez (Community Leader in Healthcare)
• Barbara Peterson Sinclair (Community Leader in the Health Profession)
• Mandy Wong (Community Leader in Public Safety and Education)
• Jeanne Raya (Community Leader in Law)
• Christina Kan (Community Leader in Healthcare)
• Enid Joffe (Community Leader in Clean Energy)
• Megan Pan (Small Business Owner)
• Wendy Gladney (Author and Inspirational Figure)