A is for Ancestry
Honoring the Legacy of Patrick & Lily Okura
Carrying Forward a Vision of Justice, Leadership, and Mental Health Equity
A-Team Med is humbled to be a recipient of the Okura Grant, made possible by the generosity and foresight of the late Patrick and Lily Okura. Their lives were defined by resilience, service, and a steadfast belief that mental health equity and civil rights are inseparable.
At A-Team Med, our mission—to expand culturally responsive mental health care, empower future leaders, and address systemic inequities—reflects the values the Okuras championed for decades. Their vision continues to inspire our work in every community we serve.
Patrick Okura: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges
Kiyoshi Patrick Okura (1911–2005) was a trailblazer. Born to Japanese immigrant parents in Los Angeles, he became the first Asian American to earn a master’s degree in psychology at UCLA and the first Japanese American on its varsity baseball team. His career and life were deeply shaped by the injustices of World War II—wrongfully accused of espionage and incarcerated at the Santa Anita Racetrack alongside thousands of other Japanese Americans.
Rather than allowing injustice to silence him, Patrick transformed it into action. As National President of the Japanese American Citizens League, a participant in the 1963 March on Washington, a psychologist at Boys Town, and later a leader at the National Institutes of Health, he championed both civil rights and mental health equity.
His co-founding of the Okura Mental Health Leadership Foundation and NAPAFASA reflected a clear belief: that empowering diverse mental health leaders was essential to addressing the needs of underserved communities.
Lily Okura: Leadership with Grace and Purpose
Lily A. Okura (1919–2005) brought vision, professionalism, and compassion to every role she held. From her early years as a dancer and actress to her leadership roles in organizations such as the YWCA, Altrusa International, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Lily combined creativity with administrative excellence.
She broke barriers as the first woman elected to the National Board of Directors of the Japanese American Citizens League, advocating fiercely for justice and representation. Her commitment to service mirrored her belief that lasting change requires both vision and structure—a principle that continues to guide A-Team Med’s leadership and programming.
Our Shared Mission
Patrick and Lily Okura believed in the power of representation, cultural competence, and leadership development to transform mental health care. At A-Team Med, we strive to carry forward that mission by:
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Developing culturally responsive mental health education for underserved AANHPI youth
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Building leadership pathways for the next generation of mental health advocates
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Promoting equity in care through community partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration
The Okuras turned personal hardship into collective empowerment. Their lives remind us that advocacy is not just about responding to injustice—it’s about creating structures where equity can thrive.
Through the Okura Grant, we are not only honoring their memory; we are extending their impact into the future.