The EthnoMed Podcast

Send us Fan MailWhen Laurie Reyman was nine years old in South Africa, a shopkeeper waved her to the front of the line, ahead of the Black customers who had been waiting. Because she was white.She never forgot it. Decades later, that memory sits underneath the question at the center of this episode: not what's wrong with you, but what's happened to you. Laurie Reyman, senior program manager, was there when SASIC was first designed. She was one of the people who sat down and asked how this work should look before it existed. But where the earlier episodes turn outward toward the patient, this one turns the lens around, onto the provider's own eyes. The assumptions we carry into the room, the humility the work demands, and the steady work of examining yourself before you examine anyone else.Laurie walks through what trauma-informed care actually asks of the person providing it. How to help without re-traumatizing the patient, why slowing down and staying curious matters more than any protocol, and how to see someone as a whole human being rather than the sum of their trauma. She closes on something the news footage never showed us: the beauty of Afghanistan beyond the war image — the country, and the people, that were always more than their trauma.This episode references war, trauma, and racism.SASIC was funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and delivered by the International Rescue Committee in partnership with HealthPoint, Harborview Medical Center, and local community organizations serving Afghan immigrants.Thank you to Safa Aynoor, medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine, for editing assistance.Produced and hosted by Dr. Duncan Reid.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailImagine trying to treat something the person in front of you can't name — because in their language, the word for it means something closer to madness.That's where this episode begins. Kristin Tiernan, a clinical psychologist, and Hem Acharya, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, are part of the behavioral-health team at HealthPoint. Their work starts with a problem most providers never face: in Dari and Pashto, "mental health" can translate as crazy, and a diagnosis can feel like a threat to a family's standing, safety, and future in this country.Kristin and Hem take us through what it actually takes to help. Starting with the need to first slow down. How distress hides in the body, in headaches and dizziness and "too much thinking." Why a screening questionnaire can hide the truth, even when translated into the patient’s language, and how to turn the form into a conversation instead of a verdict. And why the relationship between provider and patient itself, the thing no metric can capture, turns out to be the strongest medicine.Hem speaks with rare honesty about his own life, and about a definition of the work he's arrived at: that he'd rather not call it mental health at all. He'd call it emotional health.This episode discusses trauma and mental illness. If you're struggling, help is available — resources are in the show notes.SASIC was funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and delivered by the International Rescue Committee in partnership with HealthPoint and Harborview Medical Center.Thank you to Safa Aynoor, medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine, for editing assistance.Hosted and produced by Dr. Duncan Reid.If you or someone you know needs helpCall 988 or the Regional Crisis Line: 206-461-3222Trained volunteers and mental health professionals from Crisis Connections help people on the phone, connect people to services or can send mobile crisis teams to respond in-person.Call 911 if the mental health crisis poses a threat to life or safety. In South King County, crisis counselors in 911 call centers support people who call related to a mental health or drug or alcohol use crisis.Get an appointment within 24 hoursYou can get an appointment with a mental health or substance use provider for yourself or someone you’re helping. They can connect you to treatment and services you want. For appointments related to substance use: Contact the Washington Recovery Line: 866-789-1511. For appointments related to mental health: Contact 988 or the Regional Crisis Line: 206-461-3222. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dchs/human-social-services/behavioral-health-recovery/crisis-servicesVisit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailBefore they spent their days helping Afghan newcomers navigate insurance forms and bus routes and appointment texts, Hadi and Zarmina were newcomers themselves — lost in the same city they now guide others through.The SASIC program deliberately hired case managers who were themselves Afghan, and this episode is about why that choice was both its greatest strength and its hardest problem. Hadi, from Herat, couldn't figure out how to cross the street his first week in America. Zarmina, a dentist from Kandahar with a public-health degree, arrived alone, eager to find a job to support her parents in Afghanistan. Both had lived the exact disorientation their clients now face — and both had to earn trust in a community that, at first, didn't want an Afghan case manager at all.Interlacing their two interviews, this episode explores the surprising diversity of Afghanistan — the many languages, ethnicities, and "different versions" of a single country — and the humility it takes for to learn your own people. Hadi and Zarmina describe the day-to-day of the work: the morning flood of phone calls, the mismatched expectations, and mental-health support quietly folded into sewing circles and soccer games, because you can't put the words on the flyer. And they reflect on what the job gives back — why, in their experience, a short-term service so often becomes a long-term friendship.SASIC was funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and delivered by the International Rescue Committee in partnership with HealthPoint and Harborview Medical Center.Thank you to Zarmina Sidiq and Hadi Ebrahimi for their generosity in sharing their insights with us.Thank you to Safa Aynoor, medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine, for editing assistance.Hosted and produced by Dr. Duncan Reid.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe Rest of the Story — Episode 1: Intro to Services for Afghan Survivors Impacted by CombatIn August 2021, the world watched Afghan families flee Kabul, crowding airfields to catch the last flights out. Within days, the world stopped watching. This series is about what happened next.When the planes landed in the U.S., tens of thousands of Afghan newcomers arrived carrying the weight of combat-related trauma. They entered into a resettlement system that wasn't ready for them. The Rest of the Story follows the people whose job it became to help — through a federal program called SASIC: Services to Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat.In this first episode, we meet Zahida Jaffer, case management coordinator at the International Rescue Committee, who was there at the very beginning, She worked inside the tent communities on a U.S. Air Force base in 2021 and spent the years that followed helping other families rebuild. Family physician Dr. Shoshana Aleinikoff sets the scene from the clinic side: a system that had quietly atrophied, and the flood of calls that brought it back to life. Together they introduce the program, the community it served, and the ideas that run underneath everything to come: trauma-informed care, cultural humility, and wraparound support.SASIC was funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and delivered by the International Rescue Committee in partnership with HealthPoint and Harborview Medical Center.This episode references war, displacement, and trauma.Produced and hosted by Dr. Duncan Reid, MDAbout SASIC:https://ethnomed.org/services-to-afghan-survivors-impacted-by-combat-sasic/Featuring: Dr. Shoshana Aleinikoff, MD Director of Immigrant and Refugee Health at HealthPoint ClinicZahida Jaffer, Case Management Coordinator for the SASIC program at the International Rescue CommitteeVisit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailGetting into medical school felt like the finish line. It wasn't.In Part Two of our conversation with Dr. Ayman Youssef, Chief Resident of Quality Improvement in Internal Medicine at Harborview Medical Center, we pick up where we left off in medical school in Galveston, Texas where his sense of belonging had to be earned all over again.Ayman takes us through the culture shock of medical school, a formative summer in Amman working with Palestinian refugees through UNRWA, and a residency match that didn't go according to plan. He wanted Stanford. He got Seattle. He's grateful.We get into what Harborview revealed about the kind of doctor he actually wanted to be, the chronic illness he had to reckon with mid-residency, and why he's still on his own timeline — deliberately, and without apology.And we end where the whole conversation has been pointing: information. Who has it, who doesn't, and the additional work needed to navigate medicine without the hidden curriculum that gets quietly handed to people who already belong. Ayman is honest about what he did and didn't have, what he wishes he'd known earlier, and what he tries to pass on now.This is Part Two of a two part series. If you haven't listened to Part One (Episode 31), start there.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWhat does it mean to belong somewhere when you've never quite fit anywhere?In this episode of the Provider Pulse Series EthnoMed Podcast, we interview Dr. Ayman Youssef, Chief Resident of Quality Improvement in Internal Medicine at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Ayman grew up in Houston as the bicultural son of an Egyptian Muslim father and an American mother — finding he never quite fit in at his Islamic school or in public school.His path to Harborview was anything but direct. It wound through a series of engineering majors, a grueling commute through Houston traffic, a passion for organic chemistry, and a personal statement that forced him — for the first time — to make sense of his own story.We also get into the work that now defines much of his day: running Harborview's Morbidity and Mortality Conference, where he works to review cases of adverse outcomes while ensuring that he remains curious, humble, and human.This is Part One of a two-part conversation. It's a story about finding potential late, earning belonging slowly, and learning to hold failure — your own and the system's — with honesty and care.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan Mail"The medical system we have is very oppressive in this country. It doesn't primarily value humanity and the human experience and the health of human beings."In Part 2 of our conversation with family physician Dr. Anuj Khattar, the idealism we traced in Part 1 collides with the realities of the American healthcare system. This episode isn't comfortable—it's not meant to be.Dr. Khattar walks us through what happens when a values-driven physician enters a system designed around different priorities. From 30-hour shifts in residency to patients unable to afford care, from the loss of continuity in family medicine to the question of whether doctors are actually happy—this is a frank conversation about a physician's assessment of his path and the state of medicine.In Part 2, we explore:How witnessing child abuse during pediatrics rotations sparked his passion for reproductive healthcare and patient choiceThe moral distress in residency when he realized "this isn't what I signed up for"The painful reality of insurance barriers preventing patients from getting necessary careTaking six months after fellowship to reclaim his identity beyond medicineThe honest answer to "Do you know anyone who's really happy being a doctor?" (Spoiler: "Really happy is a stretch.")Why six jobs isn't just burnout—it's an intentional design for maintaining agency within system constraintsThe loss of continuity that drew him to family medicine in the first place: "I get more lost in novels these days because I want to know those things about people's lives"This isn't a warning to avoid medicine—it's an invitation to enter with clear sight. The healthcare system has real problems. It prioritizes profit over patients. It creates barriers to care. It burns out providers who entered with the best intentions.But Dr. Khattar hasn't given up. He's created a sustainable practice across multiple settings, refuses to stop advocating for patients, and continues teaching the next generation. He shows up—even in 15-minute appointments—and still cares.For pre-med students: Better to question now than after medical school. Channel your anger about the system into motivation to change it.For medical students: You're not alone in the frustration. The gap between what you hoped medicine would be and what it is—that's real, and it's okay to name it.For anyone in healthcare: This conversation validates what many feel but don't say out loud.Dr. Khattar's story doesn't end with easy answers. What it offers is honesty, agency within constraints, and the refusal to look away.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when an idealistic pre-med student becomes a physician and discovers the healthcare system isn't quite what they expected? In this first part of our conversation with Dr. Anuj Khattar, we trace the path from a diverse San Jose childhood to six different healthcare jobs across Seattle.Dr. Khattar currently works as medical director at Cedar River Clinics, teaches at Swedish Family Medicine and ICHS, provides care at Planned Parenthood, runs a ketamine-assisted therapy practice, and works urgent care—a portfolio that reflects both passion and the complex realities of modern medicine.In Part 1, we explore:Growing up in 1990s San Jose during the tech boom, where white students in his school were the minority and diversity was the normThe mobile clinic experience at UCLA that cemented his commitment to serving underserved communities and taught him to see systems of power and inequalityUndergraduate research experience and his realization that this was not his pathThe challenging first two years of medical school at OHSU— endless exams and questioning his pathFinding redemption in third-year clinical rotations and discovering his mentor in family medicineThis episode is essential listening for anyone considering medical school. It's honest about the challenges—the grind, the depression, the culture shock—while showing why some people persist. Anuj's story isn't a warning to stay away from medicine; it's an invitation to enter with eyes wide open.Coming in Part 2: What happens when idealism meets the constraints of the American healthcare system.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailAfter her crisis of conscience in Kenya, Bayle Conrad made a decision: no more international work. But finding her place in global health wasn't that simple.In this second part of our conversation, Bayle returns to Seattle with an MPH degree and more questions than answers. She turns down international jobs she's qualified for, takes a microfinance position that still involves those same power dynamics, and eventually stumbles into refugee resettlement work at the International Rescue Committee—a job she wasn't sure she could do.What follows is six years of transformation. The anxious teenager who couldn't speak up becomes a caseworker handling crisis interventions. The student who questioned her right to help finds meaningful work here in Seattle. And the questions that nearly made her quit? They become her greatest asset.This episode tackles the practical realities of refugee healthcare: Why "just pick up your prescription" isn't simple. How systemic barriers compound trauma. What happens when a care conference becomes an exercise in power dynamics. And most importantly, how providers can create space for agency rather than accidentally undermining it.We end with Bayle's hard-won advice for students navigating uncertainty, anxiety, and the messy path toward meaningful work.Topics covered:Transitioning from international to domestic workRefugee resettlement and casework at the IRCNavigating power dynamics in helping professionsBarriers to healthcare for refugee populationsWorking with interpreters and cultural brokersPractical guidance for providersAdvice for anxious, shy, or questioning studentsFinding your strengths in unexpected placesPerfect for: Healthcare providers working with refugees, public health professionals, students questioning their career path, anyone navigating the tension between helping and perpetuating harm, and those learning that their sensitivity might actually be their strength.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWhat's the difference between helping and voyeurism? Between witnessing and exploiting? These are the uncomfortable questions that nearly made Bayle Conrad quit her Master of Public Health program.In this first part of our two-part conversation, Bayle takes us from her childhood in Spokane—struggling with debilitating anxiety that made her hyper-aware of power and agency—through her undergraduate years at the University of Washington, where she learned to view global health through a critical lens.The pivotal moment came during a summer internship in Kibera, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements. Tasked with escorting donors on "slum tours," Bayle found herself asking: What makes me different from them? What right do I have to be here? These questions led her to write an essay titled "The Voyeurism of Global Health" and to nearly abandon her career path entirely.This episode explores the ethical tensions inherent in cross-cultural work, the journey from crippling self-doubt to self-awareness, and why some questions are more valuable when left unresolved.Topics covered:Growing up with undiagnosed anxiety disorderFinding mental health support in collegeLearning critical perspectives on international developmentWorking in Kibera's informal settlementPower dynamics in global health workThe ethics of international developmentThe link to Bayle Conrad's essay can be found here at the following link (pages 38-39 as listed in the pdf, or 60-61 using search tab):https://courses.edx.org/asset-v1:BUx+GlobalHealthX+3T2018+type@asset+block/ReflectionGlobalHealthPart1.pdfPerfect for: Pre-health students, public health professionals, anyone working across cultures, and those navigating anxiety while pursuing meaningful work.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailPart 2: "Which Hard to Choose" (Part 2 of 2)What happens when you do everything “right” and still don’t get in? When two full application cycles pass with no interviews? When you abandoned a degree program only to face rejection?In part two of this Provider Pulse episode, Dr. Angelo Cabal picks up his story in Chicago, where a hard truth and a single conversation with his mentor push him to walk away from an MPH program and start over. Back home in San Diego, Angelo studies for the MCAT, moves in with his parents, and finds the patient-facing work he’d been longing for as a lung cancer clinical research coordinator.But even with strong letters and meaningful experience, two consecutive medical school application cycles end with no interviews. Angelo talks candidly about shame, self-doubt, and the moment he decides to take an expensive leap into a post-bacc program—buoyed by the support of his oncologists and patients who keep asking, “How are your applications going?”From there, he describes finally getting interviews, being accepted to UC Irvine, and discovering that the hardest part was getting in. We follow him through clinical rotations, an away rotation at Harborview Medical Center, and matching into internal medicine in Seattle, where he now cares for immigrants and refugees in the International Medicine Clinic.Angelo closes with a message for anyone who has been rejected, rerouted, or talked themselves out of medicine: never let someone make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want—and seek the mentors who help you believe that you do.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailPart 1: "Which Hard to Choose" (Part 1 of 2)What does it take to become a doctor when you don't fit the mold? When you've never met a physician, when your high school gets overwhelmed by budget cuts, when you're the first in your family to navigate the American education system?In Part 1 of Angelo Cabal's story, we follow his journey from a flooded house in Manila to a pediatric ICU in San Diego, through underfunded Southeast San Diego schools to the culture shock of UC Berkeley. Along the way, Angelo discovers that the study strategies that got him through high school won't work anymore, that his pre-med classmates seem years ahead of him, and that the path forward isn't always clear.After graduating, Angelo tries basic science research, then public health—only to find himself in Chicago, enrolled in a Master's program, facing a growing certainty that he's chosen the wrong path again. When he reaches out to a faculty mentor he's known for just a few months, that conversation changes everything.This is a story about structural barriers, culture shock, and the transformative power of mentorship. It's about learning to ask for help, and finding the courage to start over.Topics: immigrant experience, medical education, mentorship, UC Berkeley, underfunded schools, pre-med culture, public health, career transitionsVisit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailIn Part 2 of our conversation with Yuliya Speroff, Medical Interpreter Supervisor at Harborview Medical Center, we further explore the profound human work of medical interpretation. Yuliya pulls back the curtain on what interpreters witness every day—the cultural gaps, missed cues, unintended misunderstandings, and the invisible labor that makes cross-linguistic care possible.We discuss the delicate balance interpreters in maintaining objectivity and accuracy while also acting as cultural brokers and advocates when necessary. We also explore how interpreters are uniquely positioned to provide insights into the patient experience. Yuliya shares memorable stories illustrating when meaning is lost, how family members unintentionally censor information, and why even well-intended provider phrasing—like “hit it out of the park” or “we’ll keep you comfortable”—can fail across cultures.The episode also examines some of the risks and promises of AI, ambient note-taking, and machine translation in clinical encounters. Yuliya outlines why even tiny translation errors can have catastrophic consequences, and why interpreters’ expertise is essential in validating new technologies before they become standard in patient care.Other themes you’ll hear:• Why idioms and cultural references are so difficult to interpret  • How power dynamics prevent interpreters from giving provider feedback  • What trainees and future physicians need to know about working with interpreters  • Why increasing diversity among clinicians improves communication for all patients  • Why human interpreters remain irreplaceable, even in an era of rapid AI advancement  You can find the Greek medical interpreter skits on the TikTok account of @yiannispacThrough humor, candor, and deep expertise, Yuliya shows that interpretation is not just word-for-word exchange between languages—it’s a practice of empathy, cultural insight, and relational care.This episode is a must-listen for anyone who works with interpreters, cares for diverse patients, or is curious about the future of cross-cultural communication in healthcare.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailMedical interpreter and educator Yuliya Speroff traces her path from a book-filled childhood in Siberia to high-stakes conversations in Seattle hospitals. She explains how medical interpreting in the U.S. often falls to interpreters juggling work for many different fields, how vicarious trauma can affect medical interpreters, and what it means to convey emotion faithfully—without theatrics. Along the way: a rare moment of acknowledgment that stayed with her, the cardiology lecture that hooked her on medical interpretation, and a reminder that empathy in care must be both deep and disciplined. Find more interpreter resources at Yuliya's blog: https://medicalinterpreterblog.com/Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailRaised by Vietnamese parents who survived war, Tra Tran grew up believing that everything would be okay—but learning what that really means took her from New Mexico to the global stage and back again. She shares how generational resilience, privilege, and honesty shaped her work in refugee advocacy and self-discovery. In this conversation, she reflects on privilege, burnout, and rediscovering meaning through community-based advocacy with refugees in North Carolina through the Refugee Community Partnership.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailFrom a teenager navigating a new life in Toronto to becoming Canada’s first African woman to hold a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the health sciences, Dr. Bukola Salami’s story is one of resilience, representation, and the transformative power of mentorship.In this episode, Dr. Salami joins host Dr. Duncan Reid to discuss her migration from Nigeria, how a high-school mentorship program changed her life, and the responsibility of mentoring the next generation.Her reflections on belonging, community, and long-term vision offer essential lessons for aspiring healthcare professionals and educators alike.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailFranky Erra grew up on Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands—an archipelago shaped by ocean, community, and a deep history of resilience. In this episode, Franky traces his path from a close-knit childhood surrounded by family and coral lagoons to his current role as a Disease Research and Intervention Specialist with Public Health – Seattle & King County TB Program.Through his story, we explore the Marshallese experience in America—from the legacy of U.S. nuclear testing and migration under the Compact of Free Association (COFA), to the challenges of navigating education, language, and healthcare systems far from home.Franky reflects on the cultural bonds that sustain Marshallese identity, the mistrust that shapes health access, and his work building trust through tuberculosis outreach and community engagement.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailIn this moving episode of the Provider Pulse Series of the EthnoMed podcast, we hear the extraordinary life story of Jeniffer Huong — one of Harborview’s original Cultural Care Mediators in the Community House Calls Program, which now serves patients in eight different languages.Born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jeniffer’s early years were shaped by discipline, education, and family aspiration—until the Khmer Rouge forced her family from their home in 1975. She survived years of displacement, labor camps, and loss before escaping to refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines, and eventually resettling in Oregon.In this conversation, Jeniffer reflects on the psychological toll of survival, the unspoken trauma carried by many Cambodian refugees, and how those experiences shaped her work at Harborview—helping members of the Cambodian community navigate illness, loss, and the U.S. healthcare system with empathy and cultural understanding.Her story is one of survival, service, and transformation—reminding us that behind every patient is a layered history of resilience, migration, and healing.Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of war, genocide, and trauma during the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWhat does it really mean to find your why in medicine?In this episode, registered nurse Brandon Gim joins the EthnoMed Podcast Provider Pulse series to share his nonlinear journey—from growing up in a Korean immigrant family in South King County to finding meaning in community health and mentorship at Harborview.Brandon reflects on the pressures of expectation, the role of self-doubt, and how authentic mentorship helped him rediscover purpose in care. Together, we explore what it takes to sustain compassion in a system that doesn’t always make space for it—and why discomfort and uncertainty can be signs that you’re growing in the right direction.For pre-health students, trainees, and anyone considering a career in healthcare, this conversation offers a grounded reminder: purpose isn’t something you stumble upon once—it’s something you build through reflection, vulnerability, and connection.The Provider Pulse series is part of the EthnoMed Podcast which highlights the human stories in medicine that shape how we learn, teach, and care.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThis episode of Provider Pulse goes beyond clinical roles and takes you behind the scenes with Kenn Arning, Harborview’s longtime mail clerk and self-described ‘postal detective.’ For more than four decades, Kenn has sorted 5,000 pieces of mail a day, tracked down misdirected packages, and built connections across every department in the hospital.Kenn shares how his Quaker education, global travels, and passion for learning about people and the places they are from shaped his work — and why Harborview’s mission keeps him coming back year after year. This is a conversation about service, curiosity, and the unseen networks that hold a hospital community together.Resources mentioned in the episode:Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkelhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59649.WorkingFIUTS: Foundation for International Understanding Through Students.https://www.fiuts.org/Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Provider Pulse Series, Dr. Duncan Reid sits down with Jefferson Nguyen, medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine.Growing up in South Seattle as the son of Vietnamese refugees, Jefferson Nguyen never imagined that his path to medicine would be a straight line — because it wasn’t. In this candid conversation, Jefferson shares how a community health clinic shaped his early view of medicine, how he wrestled with identity and belonging, and how jobs at Harborview Medical Center— from trauma research to patient care technician — deepened his understanding of disparities and patient stories.We discuss the pressures of the “perfect pre-med narrative,” how Jefferson learned to balance technical skill with human connection, and why embracing both made him a stronger medical school applicant. He also offers practical advice on mentorship, undergraduate resources, shadowing strategies, and building a life outside medicine.Whether you’re a pre-med student, early-career professional, or simply interested in the human side of healthcare, this episode contains insight and encouragement for anyone finding their own way in medicine.Additional resources mentioned in the episode:Two studies mentioned in this episode:Doctors vs Doctors with AI vs AI alone on challenging cases:https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2825395 Goh E, Gallo R, Hom J, et al. Large Language Model Influence on Diagnostic Reasoning: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(10)Article on performance of ChatGPT on USMLE:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9931230/Kung TH, Cheatham M, Medenilla A, Sillos C, De Leon L, Elepaño C, Madriaga M, Aggabao R, Diaz-Candido G, Maningo J, Tseng V. Performance of ChatGPT on USMLE: Potential for AI-assisted medical education using large language models. PLOS Digit Health. 2023 Feb 9;2(2):e0000198.Other Links:AAMC Fee Assistance Programhttps://students-residents.aamc.org/fee-assistance-program/fee-assistance-programDr. Douglas Zatzick, MDPsychiatrist mentioned in the episode who works on post-traumatic stress disorder.https://www.uwmedicine.org/bios/douglas-zatzickInternational Community Health Services:https://www.ichs.com/South Seattle Emerald Newspaper:https://southseattleemerald.org/UW Brotherhood Initiative:https://brotherhoodinitiative.org/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdlg6Btm7dEUW Instructional Center:https://www.washington.edu/omad/advancement/instructional-center/UW Vietnamese Student Association:https://www.vsauw.com/Link to retirement announcement of Dr. Anthony Chen:https://tpchd.org/news/dr-anthony-chen-officially-retires-as-director-of-health/Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailIn this episode ofProvider Pulse, Dr. Duncan Reid sits down with Dr. Ethan Hua, faculty in Interventional Radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.Dr. Hua shares his journey from growing up as the child of Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants in Southern California to finding his way into medicine — a path that included an unexpected pivot from marine biology, a difficult first round of medical school applications, and eventually discovering interventional radiology during a chance two-week elective in medical school.Together, they explore:The genesis of the Provider Pulse podcast and why telling the “middle stories” mattersThe role of mentorship and why having a mentor can make the difference between success and failureThe narrative arc required to succeed in medicine — and how to make it authenticThe importance of trusting your gut in career decisionsHow Dr. Hua’s immigrant identity shapes the way he cares for patients and advocates for equityThis conversation is perfect for pre-med students, trainees, and anyone curious about the human stories behind medical careers.Here are some links to resources which were mentioned during today's episode:Thinking Too Much: Introspection Can Reduce the Quality of Preferences and Decisions by Wilson & Schooler (1991). Their experiments suggest that being asked to rationalize a decision can disrupt the natural evaluative process. So explaining a decision can interfere with your initial "gut" reaction.You can download the paper here: https://bear.warrington.ufl.edu/brenner/mar7588/Papers/wilson-schooler-jpsp-1991.pdfYou can also listen to Malcom Gladwell discuss the implications of these studies as a guest on the Radiolab podcast episode from 19 August 2010: Is Free Will Really Free?You can listen to this episode here: https://radiolab.org/podcast/91644-is-free-will-really-freeThe Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better by Will Storr is a fascinating read and directly applicable to understanding how to craft your narrative story for school and job interviews and beyond.Here is a link to the Goodreads page:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43183121-the-science-of-storytellingVisit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWe continue our Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to hear the paths people took to their current roles and how their life experiences shape the care they provide.In the second part of this two-part episode, we continue our conversation with Daniella Runyambo, co-executive director of Programs and Community Impact at the Refugee Community Partnership, we follow her journey into adulthood. Daniella reflects on her college years in Maine, the challenges of balancing education with family responsibilities, and the pivotal experiences that shaped her career path. She shares how becoming a mother — and facing bias in the healthcare system during childbirth — transformed her perspective and fueled her commitment to advocacy. Today, Daniella leads efforts to ensure immigrant and refugee families can navigate healthcare systems with dignity and support.Whether you are a pre-health student, a practicing clinician, or someone interested in how personal history shapes professional identity, Daniella’s story will be a source of inspiration.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWe continue our Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to hear the paths people took to their current roles and how their life experiences shape the care they provide.In the first part of this two-part episode, we speak with Daniella Runyambo, Co-Executive Director of Programs and Community Impact at the Refugee Community Partnership in North Carolina. Daniella takes us back to her childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, growing up in the shadow of war and displacement, and the sense of community that carried her family through upheaval.She reflects on her family’s eventual resettlement in Maine—navigating high school as a refugee teenager, confronting stereotypes and lowered expectations, and pushing for more rigorous opportunities. Despite language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, Daniella excelled academically and carved out a sense of belonging, laying the foundation for her future as a community leader.This episode is a story of resilience, identity, and the strength of community bonds.Whether you are a pre-health student, a practicing clinician, or someone interested in how personal history shapes professional identity, Daniella’s story will stay with you.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailWe continue our Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to hear the paths people took to their current roles and how their life experiences shape the care they provide.In this episode, we speak with Alexandria Braithwaite,RN  a nurse at the International Medicine Clinic. Alexandria shares her remarkable journey—growing up between cultures, moving frequently as a child, navigating code-switching from an early age, and eventually joining the U.S. Navy as a nuclear technician. She reflects on the challenges of military life, her transition into nursing, and how her Oma, who lived with a spinal cord injury and fought for disability rights, inspired her lifelong passion for advocacy.From the reactor rooms of an aircraft carrier to the bedside of patients in the neuro ICU, and now to Harborview’s International Medicine Clinic, Alexandria’s story is one of resilience, service, and empathy. Her lived experiences give her a unique perspective on the struggles of navigating multiple worlds—and a deep well of compassion for the diverse patients she now serves.Whether you are a pre-health student, a practicing clinician, or someone interested in how personal history shapes professional identity, Alexandria’s story will stay with you.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Provider Pulse, we continue our mission to elevate diverse voices from across healthcare, exploring the unique paths people take to their current roles.Our guest is Chelsea Ng, an incoming first year medical student whose path to medicine has taken her from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and Seattle. Chelsea reflects on the challenges of adapting to new cultures and classrooms, the doubts and homesickness she faced as an international college student, and the resilience she built along the way.She shares how community service, mentorship, and creative projects like Portraits of Humanity helped her discover her voice and shape her vision for a career in medicine. Chelsea’s story offers inspiration and practical wisdom for pre-med students navigating their own uncertain journeys—and a reminder that identity, culture, and community are powerful guides in becoming a healer.You can learn more about the undergraduate led project Portraits of Humanity at www.portraitsofhumanity.org/ The project matches students interested in a career in healthcare with volunteer participants living with chronic illness in a series of interviews. The goal is to create a ‘portrait’ of the participant’s life story. From these conversations, a written narravite and an accompanying art piece are presented to the participant. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Provider Pulse, we continue our mission to elevate diverse voices from across healthcare, exploring the unique paths people take to their current roles.Our guest is JJ Bola—writer, poet, mental health social worker, and UNHCR Ambassador. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in London, JJ Bola shares his family’s journey as refugees, the uncertainty of his early career steps, and how he ultimately built a life that weaves together creativity, advocacy, and his work in mental health.He reflects on the power of representation in professional fields and the many identities and roles one person can hold.This conversation was recorded in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where JJ Bola was a keynote speaker at the 2025 Conference of the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers.You can learn more about JJ and his work at www.jjbola.com. His publications include the novels No Place to Call Home (2017) and The Selfless Act of Breathing (2021); the nonfiction book Mask Off: Masculinity Redefined (2019); and three poetry collections—Elevate (2012), Daughter of the Sun (2014), and WORD (2015).Guide to terms and acronyms:UNHCR: United Nations High Commission for Refugees—the UN agency that protects refugees and displaced people worldwide.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles.On this episode, we speak with Dr. Abdifitah Mohamed, an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington. Dr. Abdifitah Mohamed's journey began in Somalia where the loss of a loved one sparked his calling to medicine. From there, he pursued medical school in Sudan, advanced his training in Kenya, and after years of persistence and multiple attempts, finally secured a residency position in the United States.He reflects on the significant challenges he faced as an international medical graduate applying for residency in the United States, as well as the profound sacrifices made by him and his family along the way.Guide to terms and acronyms:ECFMG: certificate provided by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical graduates. It certifies international medical graduates so they can enter US residency programs Externship: Short-term work-based learning experiences, often needed for admission to residency For international medicine graduates, these can require payment of up to thousands of dollars.IMG: an international medical graduateInternship: the first year of residency.MRCP:  This is a UK postgraduate exam for physicians.Transitional year residency: a one year program often required by certain specialties. These are often seen as a stepping stone for international medicine graduates, as they can be less competitive than multi-year programs. However, there is no guarantee for an additional year and they need to be applied to on a year to year basis.USMLE: A three step examination for physicians to be licensed to practice medicine in the U.S.. These will often be referred to simply as step one, step two, et cetera.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles.On this episode, we speak with Dr. Noga Rogel, an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington who is preparing to start a fellowship in rheumatology. Dr. Rogel reflects on how her childhood illness inspired her pursuit of a career in medicine, her decision to attend a medical school abroad, and how her experiences in cross-cultural care have helped shaped her practice of medicine.She shares how negative experiences with the medical system as a child have inspired her to provide more patient-centered care. She also reflects on her experiences with cross-cultural care while in medical school in Israel as well as her experiences providing care to refugee and immigrant patients.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare.On this episode, we speak with Dr. Kristine Cueva, an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington who is preparing to start a fellowship in pulmonary critical care at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Cueva reflects on our journey as a first generation Filipino American from questioning her path in a hyper competitive pre-med environment at UC Berkeley, to rediscovering her passion for medicine through hands-on clinical work. She shares how formative experiences in the ICU during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic led her to pursue critical care, and how the community at Harborview Medical Center and the International Medicine Clinic has shaped her outlook on both medicine and life.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare.On this episode, we speak with Dr. Edwin Wang, an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington who is preparing to start his gastroenterology fellowship at Cook County Health in Chicago.  Dr. Wang reflects on his journey as an Asian American who spent formative years of his childhood in Singapore and completed his undergraduate studies in the United States. He offers candid insights into overcoming repeated rejections during the medical school application process, navigating the unique challenges of residency training, and how his international background has shaped his interest in cross-cultural medicine.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare.On this episode, we speak with Catherine Evangelista, an administrative specialist in the Community Prevention Unit at Public Health – Seattle & King County. A graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Catherine reflects on her identity as a Filipino American and the cultural and familial expectations to succeed in specific fields. She shares the challenges of navigating her undergraduate years without clear mentorship, and how her career path emerged—not from a singular passion—but through resilience, incremental choices, and adapting to constraints along the way.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare.On this episode, we talk with Natalya Sarkisova, MPH an epidemiologist with the TB control program as Seattle King County Public Health.  She reflects on her identity as an immigrant from Russia, the internalized pressure she felt to pursue a career in medicine, and dealing with rejection from medical school. She also discusses the importance of female mentorship in her career and her experience completing an masters of public health.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare, and how their cross-cultural experiences have helped them provide more informed care to diverse patient populations.Rawnaq Behnam, MPH received her Masters in Public Health at the University of California, San Diego where she currently works as a researcher. She discusses her experience as a refugee from Iraq, the challenges of adapting to schooling in a new country and a new language, and the important role of mentors who helped her navigate her way to a master's degree in public health. She also discusses the importance of being a mentor herself and helping other students, particularly those from marginalized communities. This was recorded at the North American Refugee Health Conference held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2024.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare, and how their cross-cultural experiences have helped them provide more informed care to diverse patient populations.Dr. Chloe Donegan is an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington Medical Center. She discusses her childhood in Corvallis, Oregon, her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, and deciding between a career in public health versus providing care as a medical doctor. She highlights the way her personal identity and lived experiences have shaped her commitment to caring for marginalized communities. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe next installment of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare.Dr. Jennifer Zhu is an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington Medical Center. She discusses her childhood in Medford, Oregon, her dual identity as a child of Chinese immigrants and as a first-generation college graduate. She highlights the challenges faced by students who are interested in medicine who do not have personal or family contacts to help provide insight into the field. She also discusses her own experiences interfacing with the healthcare system, and how those experiences inform the care she provides for her own patients. Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

Send us Fan MailThe inaugural episode of the Provider Pulse interview series where we elevate diverse voices from across healthcare fields to learn the paths people took to their current roles in healthcare.Dr. Kimia Memar is an internal medicine resident at the University of Washington Medical Center. She discusses her childhood in Iran, her early interest in engineering, and the reasons she transitioned to the field of medicine. She highlights the challenges faced by international students who are interested in medicine, as well as her deeply personal reasons for seeking a career in medicine.Reflection Questions for Students and Younger ListenersPersonal Journey and Identity Dr. Memar described feeling confined by walls in her early school experiences in Iran. What do you think those “walls” represented, and how did that shape her view of education? How did Dr. Memar’s journey from electrical engineer in Iran to medicine in the US reflect a shift in her purpose and identity?Language and BelongingDr. Memar mentioned struggling with the MCAT because of language barriers. How do you think language impacts access to progression fields like medicine? Is there anything we can do to make it more accessible?Dr. Memar mentioned that she felt pressure to appear “polished” and not be “raw”. Why do you think many immigrants or first-generation professionals feel this way? Resilience and TransformationDr. Memar faced many transitions, from Iran to Missouri, from engineering to medicine, etc. What do you think helped her stay grounded through these changes?What lessons can you take away from Dr. Memar which could be useful for someone who feels like they don’t belong in a certain space, whether academic, social or professional?Your Own Story  How does Dr. Memar’s story connect to your understanding of healthcare, identity or social justice?What qualities in Dr. Memar (ambition, vulnerability, and adaptability) do you see in yourself, or would you like to cultivate more of? Why?Thanks to Caroline Shibata for the help drafting these questions.Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW