At age 40, Chien-Chi Huang was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Even though she received loving support from family and friends, Chien-Chi longed to find women from similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds to discuss her experience. To ensure that no other women were isolated and stigmatized by this disease, Chien-Chi launched the Asian Breast Cancer (ABC) Project in 2010, where Asian women can access resources, education and support during and after traumatic and difficult cancer treatments.
Partnering with a growing group of diverse Asian women, ABC grew into Asian Women for Health. As the executive director of New England’s sole peer-driven, community-based network focused on Asian women’s health and wellness, Chien-Chi has a personal commitment to expand cancer prevention education for others, and to provide a voice for Asian women’s health needs. Most recently, Asian Women for Health hosted an educational conference called TransformAsians in collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This event offered survivors and their caregivers a unique opportunity to reflect, recharge and reinvent their lives after cancer, encouraging them to reclaim confidence in the face of fear.
Motivated to lead through her cancer experience, Chien-Chi continues to participate in national efforts on health policy impacting the Asian community. Her remarkable passion for the community has changed the healthcare landscape for Asian women and created a pipeline of future leaders and peer health educators.
