Sophia Chan, M.D.: TAFP Dallas Chapter Outstanding Graduate Award
As an immigrant herself, Dr. Sophia Chan has a heart for helping other immigrants and refugees. During college, she interned at a migrant shelter in Mexico, where she was deeply moved by stories of exploitation and inspired to care for the marginalized. That experience led to similar volunteer opportunities and her career goal to work as a family physician serving underserved populations.
What this award means: As a future family medicine physician, I hope to care for the underserved holistically and compassionately – this award affirms the importance of that mission.
Mentor comment: Sophia is a shining light in every endeavor she undertakes. She works tirelessly to be an exceptional student, volunteer, researcher, and advocate to serve those in front of her and her future patients. Her strong faith and calling compel her to serve the marginalized because she sees their intrinsic worth. Knowing Sophia has been truly inspiring. – Christine Liu, M.D., Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Background and family: I was born in Taiwan and moved to Denton, Texas, with my family when I was 6 years old. My parents modeled a strong work ethic for me, which played a key role in my success. I have a younger sister who is a nurse and my best friend, along with my husband, Will, whom I met and married in medical school.
What led to your career path: Shortly after immigrating to the U.S., my parents took me to the ER for pneumonia. We experienced firsthand the difficulty of navigating the U.S. health care system as immigrants with minimal English proficiency. For three years, we didn’t seek medical care again until I became eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. My empathy for immigrants and refugees gives me a passion to advocate for them as a family medicine physician.
College: I attended UT Dallas, where I majored in neuroscience and minored in Spanish. I co-founded Global Medical Missions Alliance, where I helped build a community dedicated to serving marginalized populations locally and through medical missions. I was also a family group leader in InterVarsity. But possibly the most defining experience was interning at a migrant shelter in Mexico: As I lived among the migrants, hearing their stories ignited my passion to advocate for immigrants and refugees.
½û·¬¶¯Âþ activities: I developed a quantitative-qualitative research project to interview Burmese refugees on their attitudes toward spiritual health integration into their health care given their history of religious persecution. It helped identify this population’s needs for trauma-informed care and affirmed the importance of holistic healing in a patient’s well-being. I was also Director of the Brother Bill’s Helping Hand Diabetes Self-Management Program, in which an underserved diabetic patient regularly meets one-on-one with a medical student to improve their health literacy, be empowered to manage their condition, and make goals. In addition, I volunteered with the Patient Navigator Program, where my team met with unhoused or refugee clients weekly to help them establish and achieve goals and navigate the health care and public transportation systems. I served as President of Southwestern Christian Fellowship and the Family Medicine Interest Group.
Surprising fact: I used to think I couldn’t be a leader because of my introverted personality and soft voice, but then I found people to advocate for and was empowered to use my voice to help others be seen and heard.
Future plans: I plan to be a community-based family physician who provides comprehensive, whole-person care for the marginalized, partnering with them to identify their goals and empowering them to reach these goals.
About the award: The TAFP (Texas Academy of Family Physicians) Outstanding Graduate Award is given by the Dallas Chapter to one student annually.