“I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. My parents had come from China, but my siblings and I were all born in the United States. I knew I wanted to be a doctor because my mother is a Cytogeneticist and Oncologist, and it was amazing seeing her involved in work and research with the NIH. I remember as a junior high student, I would wake up in the middle of the night and see her still at the dining room table writing many papers. She was always hard at work for hours, so she was one of my very first role models. In fact, she was just featured on TV in Taiwan and was referred to as the “Mother of Taiwan Oncology”. I believe role models are key to where you go in life, and I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of mentors and role models who have been very influential to me.
I applied to a six year combined BS/MD program and got accepted to Boston University School of Medicine. The program comprised of two years in undergraduate studies and then four years in medical school. While I was an undergrad, my sister received the HPSP Army scholarship while in medical school, so this inspired me to apply for the scholarship under the Air Force. My medical school was a private school, so it was very expensive, and I kept thinking about how much of a financial burden it would be for my parents to pay for it all. Applying for the HPSP scholarship was the best decision I ever made because this service made me feel very proud of our country. I recognized the sacrifices from those who served and really took that to heart. The military gave me not only great training, but the opportunity to take leadership positions earlier in my career.
During my dermatology residency, I met some amazing dermatologists like Dr. Elston who became a huge mentor for me. I fell in love with dermatology because it’s a very visual specialty that allows for more procedures, so it offered me the ability to combine more tactile and visual senses. I also appreciated that I could see patients of all ages, children and adults, so it became the perfect specialty for me. Dr. Elston mentors so many learners that he inspired me to stay in a teaching program to teach and mentor residents and students too.
My family and I have been in San Antonio since 1992, but when I retired as a Colonel in the Air Force in 2009, I thought for sure I’d move back to the Northeast where our extended family lived. However, we ended up staying because my kids fell in love with the city and so did my husband and I. Fast forward, I now serve as the dermatology division chief and program director at UT Health and the dermatology residents are the highlight of my work. They are the reason why I continue to do what I do. They give so much to the community and we are very proud of what they do. There are many different projects going on, but one in particular that they are involved in with our medical students is the Travis Park Dermatology Clinic run by Dr. Browning where they provide dermatology care to the homeless and underserved.
Outside of teaching, I see patients in the clinic and hospitals for various dermatologic conditions. One patient I remember distinctly was a young girl in her 30s who had a severe blistering condition that affected her body and face. I remember seeing her in the hospital and thinking, “If I were her, I’d be so scared and upset. I’d be worried. I’d be crying.” but she was just so calm, grateful, and had all of the confidence in the world. I felt amazed by this young woman’s resilience despite having such a visible condition. Luckily we were able to treat her with different medications to better control her blisters, and I still see her now as a patient. She learned to rise above it and has the best outlook on life. She taught me to be appreciative for everything that I have. I believe that I learn from my patients as much as they’ve learned from me, and that’s what makes the relationship great.”
Story: Marie Vu
Photographs: Sandra Osswald
