Models and Mentors
In Conversation with medical student Emiley Chang
Though only in her second year of medical school, Emiley Chang has already distinguished herself as a committed activist, undertaking a number of projects in community health and public service. Most recently she and other Stanford students were instrumental in getting a bill before the State Senate that would allow for the redistribution of unused prescription medications.
Tell me about your most formative experiences in community health.
Three of my most significant experiences were: (1) Volunteering at the Ravenswood Family Health Center, where I also had the opportunity to shadow a family physician and a medical assistant and saw firsthand how culturally and linguistically appropriate services could be provided to a diverse community; (2) Serving as an intern with the Asian Liver Center at Stanford, in which I learned a lot about outreach to specific ethnic communities and the importance of constant innovation and creativity; (3) Working as an assistant to the health educators at the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program in the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health; we mentored a network of high school health advocates in organizing rallies and events at their schools centered around healthy, smoke-free living. This particular position was through an AmeriCorps program called Public Allies, which was an excellent bridge between college and working in non-profits. I joined it particularly because it allowed for ongoing support from peers as well as program managers both at Public Allies and the partner organization; I was interested in not only developing professionally, but also personally, in terms of defining my goals and reflecting on experiences.
What did you learn through Americorps and how has it shaped your career aspirations?
I think one of my biggest lessons was working in a team, and working with a community. In terms of working in a team—clear communication, giving and receiving feedback, and defining roles are critical skills that take practice to develop. I had never worked so closely with a group before for such an extended period, and there were definitely moments of tension and conflict, but I also felt that as we took the time to work through those difficult moments, we all learned tremendously. In terms of working in a community—I learned the importance of a having a mentor who is connected and has a wide network of contacts. My mentor taught me the importance of “mapping” (getting to know your community by traveling around it) and investing time with the teen and young adult advocates, celebrating birthdays and listening to their worries and concerns, and being focused on the greater goal of helping to foster healthy teens rather than the isolated goal of tobacco prevention. I also learned a lot about flexibility; coming out of college, I was just so used to having things scheduled ahead of time that I was taken aback by the amount of things that were scheduled the day of, especially recruitment. There are so many things that I learned that year; it would be impossible for me to cover them all. After my year with Public Allies, I was inspired to pursue a public health degree in addition to medical school. I would like to better understand the impact of social and environmental factors on health, and continue to learn how best to work on a community level to address such issues.
How has your experience been in partnering with the community organizations as a medical school student? What are some challenges and successes that you have faced?
I can point to a great experience, and also one that was lacking in direction. It really depends on the investment of the partner organization in not only the project, but also the team as a whole. One of the biggest challenges is communication—if it is difficult to reach the community partner, which can make things tough. If there is no feedback, that can be tough as well. Successes are seeing things come to fruition. I guess one highly publicized success was our Practice of Medicine project, which was getting a bill into the California state Senate, which would allow for the redistribution of unused prescription medications from nursing homes to indigent patients who would otherwise be unable to afford their medications. So far, the prospects look good—it got out of committee, and it recently passed in the Senate and is now on the way to the Assembly. But, this success was highly dependent on the excellent communication between our Senate liaison and our project team leader. The next challenge would be to maintain momentum, and perhaps start a campus organization to raise awareness of the program and get nursing homes to sign onto the program if it passes.
What other ways have you combined your work as a medical school student and public service? Do you feel that you successfully integrated the two worlds?
I feel that a major challenge of any med student is finding time. I look back on my undergrad years, and in some ways am a bit wistful at how much freedom I had to pursue my various interests. Now, I seriously have to limit my commitments, but it’s hard to know what I want to focus on. I think that I would like to do something with medical interpretation, but while I sort of got started on that project, it got put on hold by two other projects which were required by my classes. I don’t know if I’m successfully integrating the two, but I do know for a fact that it is possible.
Would you do it differently now as a matriculating student? Do you have any advice for those wishing to pursue health and public service?
I would say, take the time to explore your interests NOW. I took time between college and medical school to explore my interest in public health, and it was well worth it. I also would suggest going abroad to learn languages—I wish I had done that myself, because it is harder to try improving when there are so many other competing demands on your time.
What has been the personal impact of your service work on your goals and perspective as a medical student?
It reminds me of why I entered the field in the first place, the importance of relationships and trust, and also of the many inequalities that still exist in access to care.
How do you see yourself integrating service into your professional life as a physician?
I see myself working in a community health clinic. I would like to live where I practice, to better understand and feel more investment in the concerns of my patients.
What would you like to be doing ten, twenty years from now? What are your hopes for your life?
I would love to get back to writing fiction. Writing used to be a huge part of my creative life…. I particularly enjoy "world-building" -- thinking up different ways societies can be organized, imagining cultural traditions, and describing people's relationships with one another.
Do you have any role models? If so, who are they?
I don’t really have any role models per se, but there are a lot of people who have been wonderful mentors, and I respect them highly. I think there are too many to list!
What is your favorite pastime? Favorite book?
Sleeping! Favorite book…. One book that I am a third of the way through is Mountains Beyond Mountains, which is about Dr. Paul Farmer. A very inspirational story about how one physician can truly make a difference against the greatest of odds. Another book that I really enjoy reading is The Westing Game, probably because it is a book that turns assumptions about identity upside down and because of the memorable, quirky characters. Also because it is just as fun to read when you are 23 as when you were 12.
-- Interview by Anna Chen
Posted: 8/23/05
