Anne Liu, MD

Why did you pursue a career in medicine?

Everything about a career in medicine resonated with me: the constant, lifelong learning; connecting with patients; working with colleagues who care deeply; doing work that matters to others; solving puzzles; getting better with time and experience; using hard-earned expertise to guide patients toward health; knowing what discoveries matter and where to look.

What is a challenge you experience in pursuing a career in medicine?

As a student, I naively thought that good intentions and a positive attitude would be the key ingredients in connecting with patients. Since then I have found that many other skills are necessary to gain trust and build rapport, including making ourselves a little vulnerable.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work? 

I truly cannot name one most fulfilling part of my work, but I can say that one of the absolutely rewarding aspects of working at Stanford is that I am inspired every day by the people I am privileged to call my colleagues. One of the medical assistants on our team is so smart, dedicated, kind, and caring, and she drives four hours every day to work here. Yes, four.

The nurses on our team go above and beyond for our patients and for the team all the time, and they really care about and take care of each other as well; the nurses consistently lift others on the team up and give kudos to each other. One of my physician colleagues reviews charts of newly referred patients 3-4 weeks in advance, reviews and summarizes the relevant literature, confers with world experts, then provides detailed teaching to whichever lucky fellow is in clinic that day. Within and outside of our division, there are so many physicians and APPs who are so mission driven and committed to our patients and to generating and applying the best science and knowledge, who are such wonderful humans as well.

What strategies do you use to maintain your own well-being?

The anti-screen exercise: trying to see the tops of the giant redwoods around here.

What advice would you give someone starting in the field? 

Make sure it’s truly what you want to do because the road is long and expensive, you won’t sleep much along the way, and you’ll be asking a lot of your family. But if it is for you, it can be incredibly fulfilling.