Women in Medicine: Rona J. Hu, MD

Why did you pursue a career in medicine?

When I was in medical school I lost 3 people I knew to suicide: a classmate at the same med school, a high school friend who was at another med school, and my cross-country teammate/crush that I asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance. They were kind, smart, funny, talented people who died too young.

What is your work focused on?

3 areas, all united by the theme of preventing death by suicide.

1. For twenty years 1998-2018 I was the Medical Director of the Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Unit at Stanford, the locked unit where we work with the most acutely ill patients, (including in person during COVID). 
2. In outpatient clinic I see two populations at higher risk of suicide: people with schizophrenia/psychotic disorders, and Asians or Asian Americans, founding the SMHART clinic (Stanford Mental Health for Asians Research and Treatment) which now has 3 MD's and 3 PhDs. 
3. Media and suicide prevention: When a series of suicides in Palo Alto teens were disproportionately Asian, I was asked to speak with parents and developed a theatre group called CHIPAO (Communication Health Interactives for Parents of Adolescents and Others) that got international acclaim. Since then I've also consulted on Netflix series "13 Reasons Why", advised/wrote for/acted in "The Manic Monologues" which is nominated for a national award, sponsored and acted in anti-bullying chamber music group Musikiwest, and sponsored/wrote for/acted in "Mariposa" a federally funded Spanish language telenovela.
    

What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

All of it! The heart of what I do is direct patient care when people need it most. But I also realized the safety net only works if people can access help before it's too late, so the media work helps decrease stigma. Throughout, I've taught and mentored hundreds of medical students and residents and see them shine in their chosen areas. The individual moments are the most important but it's nice to get recognition too: I was awarded the American Psychiatric Association Awards for teaching (2016 Nancy Roeske award) and Asian American leadership (2021 Kun-Po Soo Award).

What advice would you give yourself when you started in the field, knowing what you know now?

Be brave and do what's meaningful. I faced a lot of prejudice and stigma at the beginning of my career and later, but I prevailed because I knew I had to. Medicine is hard work, and mental health is under-appreciated, but if you really believe in what you're doing, it's all worthwhile.