Building Cross-Cultural Community Among Future Medical Professionals

Hello there! My name is Allison Nguyen and I am one of the three global health fellows for the VIA MED program this year. I’m currently a Master’s student in the Community Health and Prevention Research program at Stanford University.

The VIA MED program has been an incredible experience thus far – this week has been a whirlwind of good memories, surprising revelations, and nuggets of wisdom. I’m getting to know the participants and other staff members better with each passing day.

My favorite memories from this week were the moments spent learning more about the participants and hearing about their experiences growing up in China, Taiwan, or Japan. I found myself surprised time and time again during conversations with students, whether it was a discussion over a meal at Tressider or a quick chat during a walk to Alway or during the student’s 5 minute presentations.

We ended our first full day of the program with a life maps activity – students were given 15 minutes to draw significant moments or experiences in their lives using only pictures and arrows. Hearing about my group’s lives in vivid detail was eye-opening – I learned about incredible talents from Hiroki’s dance skills to Tomoki’s beatboxing to fun facts like Momo’s many pets and Erin’s cheerleading experience. It’s humbling to be among the company of such a diverse, talented group of future physicians.

The student presentations were also similarly illuminating – we saw Shu’s talent for illustration and baking and Okuto’s name origin. We also learned about the students’ diverse medical interests and what issues are pressing in their respective home countries – organ transplantation and the aging population are hot topics. I’m excited to discuss these topics at greater length with the participants as the program progresses.

I also had an interesting conversation over dinner with Lou and Irene about the Chinese medical education system and the treatment of pediatricians in their country. It’s through these fascinating conversations that I’m examining, more critically, our own health care system, our education system, and the patient-physician dynamic here in the United States. Our conversation had me contemplating what an ideal classroom setting looks like when it comes to medical education. How do we encourage creativity and innovation among medical students in a field that tends to be conservative? It’s these intellectually-stimulating conversations that are so memorable! Open-mindedness is an integral part of my core values and I’m happy to meet so many other individuals who are embracing this mindset as well. I’m learning the importance of cultural humility and how to apply this as a physician when caring for patients of different cultures and backgrounds. I’m also getting so much valuable information from the lecturers and sessions – I’m excited to be learning alongside this group of participants as their energy is infectious.

I’m learning so much about other cultures from these participants and lecture sessions while also getting a better understanding of the United States. And through this all, I’m coming to learn more about myself as well – where I stand when it comes to certain issues. Coming in contact with so many new, different global perspectives, has led me to examine my own belief system and challenge my own perspectives. Having spent the last 5 years at Stanford around many like-minded individuals, it has unfortunately been easy to fall into the habit of remaining nestled in this “bubble” and get caught up in the echo chamber. VIA MED is a refreshing change of pace – I’m having daily conversations with new folks and challenging my own currently held beliefs.

I’m incredibly excited for the days to come!

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