The EthnoMed Podcast

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In 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 Program

https://students-residents.aamc.org/fee-assistance-program/fee-assistance-program

Dr. Douglas Zatzick, MD

Psychiatrist mentioned in the episode who works on post-traumatic stress disorder.

https://www.uwmedicine.org/bios/douglas-zatzick

International 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=fdlg6Btm7dE

UW 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

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In 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” matters
• The role of mentorship and why having a mentor can make the difference between success and failure
• The narrative arc required to succeed in medicine — and how to make it authentic
• The importance of trusting your gut in career decisions
• How Dr. Hua’s immigrant identity shapes the way he cares for patients and advocates for equity

This 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.pdf

You 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-free

The 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-storytelling

Visit EthnoMed.org for additional resources. Follow us on YouTube and Instagram @EthnoMedUW

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We 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

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We 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

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We 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

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In 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

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In 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

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The 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 graduate

Internship: 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

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The 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

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The 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