Taiwan → Texas → California → Pennsylvania
About
I am a resident physician at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, where my clinical and research work spans cornea, anterior segment disease, and oculoplastic surgery. I also write and think about health policy, artificial intelligence in medicine, and what it means to care for people well.
I was born and raised in Taiwan. My father, who is of Austronesian descent, the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, is a physician who provides care in resource-limited rural regions. Watching him build relationships with patients taught me early that medicine is both a science and a humanistic vocation.
Background
At Rice University, I studied Biochemistry and Medieval Studies, conducting laboratory research on cardiovascular biomarkers and stem cell therapies while studying Anglo-Saxon and Irish literature. The humanities gave me an appreciation for storytelling, for how humans throughout history have grappled with pain, mortality, and hope.
At Stanford University, I earned my MD and MBA, discovered ophthalmology, and began building: inventing medical devices for orbital surgery, establishing a telemedicine network for eye care in rural Taiwan, co-creating five courses on topics from mortality to digital health, and launching The Doctor's Art, a podcast on meaning in medicine that has won the Anthem Award, Webby Award, and multiple Signal Awards.
During COVID-19, I led a CDC-affiliated investigation of digital contact tracing, advised state policymakers on pandemic response, and helped create a daily COVID-19 science newsletter reaching 250,000+ readers.
Current Work
At Wills Eye Hospital, my research focuses on cornea and anterior segment disease (trends and management strategies in corneal transplantation, corneal ectasias, and refractive surgery), oculoplastic and orbital surgery (new techniques for ptosis repair, eyelid reconstruction, and facial rejuvenation), and the evaluation of AI tools in ophthalmology. My commentaries on AI validation and clinical decision-making have appeared in JAMA Ophthalmology, NEJM AI, Ophthalmology, Eye, Cornea, Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and other journals. I write regularly on health policy for STAT, MedPage Today, and peer-reviewed journals, and continue to publish narrative medicine in JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Neurology, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Annals of Family Medicine, among others.
Publications
Commentaries
Patents
Narrative Essays