Jiun-Ruey Hu, MD, MPH, fellow in cardiovascular medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, was voted as Alumni of the Year by medical students across the country at the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). APAMSA is a national organization representing medical students and pre-medical students across 160+ local chapters and nine regions committed to addressing the health challenges of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.
“We are fortunate and grateful for Dr. Hu, who is so passionate and dedicated to serving AANHPI communities and mentoring medical students. He embodies the most extraordinary qualities of an alumnus, including his ten years of volunteer service and pioneering new initiatives for medical students,” said APAMSA national president Donna Tran, who presented the award to Hu at the organization’s national conference in Portland, Oregon, on March 4, 2023.
Each year, Hu leads a series of virtual bootcamps to prepare fourth year medical students for their intern year and third year medical students for their sub-internship. These lectures, which are attended by students from medical schools nationwide, are intertwined with his efforts mentoring residents and medical students at Yale in medical education.
“We are thrilled that Ruey has involved so many of our residents in his medical education initiatives. He is a resource for our community and an example of our commitment to diversity,” said Mark D. Siegel, MD, professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and program director of the Internal Medicine Traditional Residency Program.
His efforts over the years have spanned the development of a national peer feedback system and the development of a system to respond to traumatic events affecting minority communities. Alongside his efforts coaching medical students in medical education, Hu has provided support and counseling to students on responding to conscious and unconscious bias on the wards.
“Ruey is an incredibly talented and effective educator. He creates a positive learning environment where students can discuss and reflect on their unique experiences,” said Edward J. Miller, MD, PhD, an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine and director of the Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship Program.
Dr. Hu embodies the most extraordinary qualities of an alumnus, including his ten years of volunteer service and pioneering new initiatives for medical students.
Donna Tran
When the coronavirus pandemic sparked a wave of racially-motivated violence, Hu worked to raise awareness among his colleagues about how clinicians can support patients who were attacked, using the Outline for Cultural Formulation in the DSM-5. Hu has also worked to raise awareness about how clinicians can be allies with efforts against racism. These efforts are summarized in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and Academic Medicine. Prior to coming to Yale, he was recognized by André L. Churchwell, MD, Vanderbilt’s Vice Chancellor of Outreach, Inclusion and Belonging, with the Levi Watkins Jr. MD Award, for Hu’s national work on minority health and health disparities.
Hu, who joined Yale in 2021, was previously recognized with the 2021 Dr. Peggy Bia Award for Outstanding Clinical Teaching as selected by Yale medical students and as the 2022 Department of Internal Medicine Fellow of the Year by Yale medical residents.