Pursuing a Research Track
After completion of her first rheumatology fellowship, Dr. Chung was convinced she needed to go abroad to pursue further research training. Another fellowship followed, this time at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, where she worked in the laboratory of Anthony S. Russell, MD, FRCDC.
Dr. Russell advised her that her next step as a developing researcher would be to obtain an MPH, and Dr. Chung did so at Vanderbilt University, studying with Theodore (Ted) Pincus, MD, currently professor of medicine at Rush University, Chicago, and Tuulikki Sokka-Isler, MD, PhD, a professor of rheumatology, University of Eastern Finland, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kuopio.
Dr. Chung also began working with C. Michael Stein, MBChB, FRCP, a professor of medicine in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and pharmacoepidemiologist Wayne Ray, PhD, a professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who had founded the Masters in Public Health program. Under their guidance, Dr. Chung expanded her inquiries into the variability of drug responses. She had been fascinated by this area since her time as a medical student in Lima. With Drs. Stein and Ray, she was able to further develop her understanding of pharmacoepidemiology, ultimately joining the research faculty at Vanderbilt.
Final Course of Study
Although her research was going well at Vanderbilt, Dr. Chung received advice from Drs. Stein and Ray that it was important for her, as an evolving clinical researcher, to “not forget about the white coat”—that is, taking care of patients. She was not yet licensed to practice in the U.S., so this represented the final building block for her research career. Dr. Chung moved to Baltimore to obtain certification via the American Board of Internal Medicine research pathway. There, she says, “I got to work with many of my heroes in rheumatology.”
After completing her clinical training, Dr. Chung had the opportunity to return to Nashville, where she resumed her research and, ultimately, became an associate professor.
Looking forward, Dr. Chung reports that, for the near term, her research focus at the University of Miami will follow the same lines of inquiry. She believes there will be plenty of new opportunities to look at genetic determinants of health disparities in Miami, with its diverse patient population. From a clinical perspective, she sees opportunities to expand subspecialized care at the University of Miami and at the Miami VA hospital. Further, with the influx of Hispanic trainees fostered through the university’s Harrington program, Dr. Chung has set a goal to attract strong physicians from Latin America who are interested in rheumatology training here in the U.S.
