Growing up with free public healthcare in China, I wasn’t aware of the challenges and costs that come with securing private healthcare—and the disadvantages that underrepresented groups might encounter in trying to find insurance.

That all changed when I came the United States to attend Northeastern University and was responsible for my own health insurance. “I have to buy insurance every year?” I remember arguing while paying tuitions and fees.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication studies and Health Science from Northeastern and am pursuing a Master’s degree in Applied Research and Health Communication at Johns Hopkins University. I was raised speaking three distinct languages–English, Mandarin, and Japanese.  

It never occurred to me that comprehending health information could be challenging.

As I continued my education, I would naturally add health related terms into my  daily conversations with friends.

Not until this past spring semester, when I mentioned “the tertiary phase of treatment” and “blood transfusion,” that “tertiary” and “transfusion are terms that could be confusing to the public.

Earlier this year, in my Health, Language, and Culture class at Hopkins, I had an opportunity to read and analyze the book Spirit Catches You, and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman.

It is surprising to realize the importance of culture brokers at hospitals in communities with immigrants/refugees who have low health literacy and believe in different medical treatments. Not only the language barrier that hinders these groups of people from accessing to basic health information, also the cultural differences hesitate them from trying/accepting Western medicines and treatments.

In my junior year of college, I interned at Simcere Pharmaceuticals Group. My primary duties included correcting false health information in TV shows and translating research articles into social media posts that the public can understand.

When I learned that MGRI had an opportunity for an internship where I could learn about science and research while also communicating with the public, I wholeheartedly prepared for the interview and told myself, “This is the job I want to do for life.”

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy outdoor sports such as exploring nature, K-pop dancing, singing, and kayaking. I cook daily; I love inventing new and nutritious recipes and combining Chinese and Japanese cuisines in one meal. Having just moved to D.C. for school, I am also spending a lot of time exploring museums, different cultures, and the surrounding area.

In the future, I plan to work as a health communication specialist, emphasizing the use of plain language for sharing medical research with a broader audience and , taking an advantage of my multilingual background to serve as a medical culture broker.

Knowing Boston welcomes millions of immigrants and embraces different cultural backgrounds, I am very excited to have the opportunity this summer to intern at the Mass General Research Institute and the insightful education it has to offer!

About Me

What I’m Learning:

How internet access, the epistemology of health information, and health literacy level impact on non-native-English-speaking minorities in comprehending false health-related information published in English.

My Favorite Recipes:

• Coke chicken wings (yes…sounds very unhealthy)- marinate the wings with soy sauce, salt, pepper, and oyster sauce for 30min, pan fried them to form the crispy skin, then soak them with coke (whichever brand!) for 30min. Yummy!
• Nikujaga (Japanese beef & potato stew)
• Sukiyaki (beef hot pot)

What are my zodiac & constellation signs:

Rabbit + Virgo — But I am an extrovert!

Where do I call home:

Nanjing, China/Tampa, FL/Boston, MA/Hong Kong, China

What are my next travel destinations:

Honolulu & Kyoto & Milan

Fun Fact:

I am a big Starbucks fan! I have been to all Starbucks Reserves in the world besides the Milan one. You can tell how Milan is my next travel destination.