Celebrating Their Roots

My mother is the personification of generosity. She was a single mom who raised two children on her own, and is the definition of a caretaker. She instilled in me that sense of duty to help the sick and the less fortunate, but also to remember that everyone is deserving of care and generosity. So I take those lessons with me when I care for my patients. It isn’t just about the science of medicine or treating the diseases, but the intangible aspect of being a physician. To this day, she’s my check. Whenever the job gets hard or something wears on my ability to be empathetic or sympathetic, I look at my mother and how she performs these generous acts with such ease and grace — and that recharges me and reminds me of why I became a doctor.

I also have a really special connection with my great-uncle, who is the only other physician in my family. He was a respected cardiologist in Guangzhou, China, and retired in 2005 after an incredible career. Growing up I remember he had this air — kind, intelligent, and always poised and respected. As I progressed through the different stages of my career in academic medicine, I found my bond with him growing stronger as I came to appreciate what it took to have as illustrious a career in academic medicine as he did. He has become the model of the kind of physician, researcher, and academic professor that I would like to be in my career. His lifelong passion for medicine continues to inspire me.

—Dr. Eva Cheung
Section Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care and Medical Director of Pediatric ECMO, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

In the 1980s, my mother, Rosebelle, immigrated from the Philippines to the United States so that my siblings and I would have a better life. As a critical care nurse for 35 years, she would come home from her night shifts exhausted. But no matter what happened that night, she never let a tough shift at work keep her from creating the wonderful family memories that my siblings and I will cherish for the rest of our lives.

From watching my mother through the years, I learned what resiliency truly was. She taught me how our Filipino values were ingrained in our work as nurses — to be kind, to be generous, to persevere. My mother gifted me with the same love of nursing that motivated her every day for 35 years. And now, my mother watches me in my own nursing career and with a family of my own. I just hope that I can nurture and share that same love for nursing with my wonderful colleagues.

—Windell Cadelina
Patient Care Director, NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital

I am very grateful for my colleague Sze Kum Tam, a patient services senior coordinator, for her patience and support, and for helping me grow tremendously in my job.

I joined NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital during the pandemic as a patient services facilitator. In my role, I help interpret for patients and their families who speak only Chinese. I am proud to be able to bridge the language barrier and help the Chinese community. I am also proud that patients and staff alike can look to us as cross-cultural ambassadors. In times of stress, we can provide patients with guidance and support.

I admire Sze Kum’s commitment to her job and it inspires me to continue to strive to do the best for our patients, their families, and the community.

—Jenny Gao
Patient Services Facilitator, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital 

The greatest mentor and inspiration in my medical career is my mother, Koonae Lee. She was a first-generation immigrant who came to the United States after graduating from nursing school in South Korea. Despite her limited English, she was not afraid to go straight up to a nursing supervisor to ask for a job. The supervisor was so impressed by my mother’s determination that she gave her one on the spot. My mother continued to progress into leadership roles, working nights while taking care of my two brothers and me during the daytime. In the early 1990s, my mother decided to pursue another calling and went to theological seminary to ultimately become a minister. Through it all, she instilled in us a strong commitment to serve others and to have steadfast faith that things would work out for the good. She is now a retired pastor with the United Methodist Church, using her pastoring and nursing skills to provide care and counsel during people’s life moments, including some of their darkest times. It is because of her and her example that I have such a strong appreciation for our hardworking nurses, techs, and hospital staff who are so crucial in the care of all patients. As one of our techs in our endoscopy unit often puts it, “We are like family.” I am so humbled to be a part of this family in putting patients first above all.

— Dr. David S. Lee
Chief of Gastroenterology, NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital
Associate Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Growing up in a working-class Asian community in Houston, Texas, my parents taught me the value of showing kindness in the face of adversity and the importance of service to the community. They held education in the highest regard as a vehicle to lift one out of difficulties to a better station in life.

When I was a medical student, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which influenced me to dedicate my career to advancing the science and treatment for prostate cancer. I understood how scary and confusing a cancer diagnosis can be for patients and families. Now that I’m a radiation oncologist, I’ve committed to openly communicating with my patients, helping them understand their diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options, and empowering them to play an active role in their care. I’m grateful to my parents and wife for their support and being role models in kindness, and continue to be inspired by the memory of my father every time I talk to a patient.

—Dr. Himanshu Nagar
Radiation Oncologist, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine

My dad, Philip Tung, was so proud of the fact that I wanted to be a doctor and was my biggest champion. He would drive me to the hospital to volunteer as a candy striper and research schools and programs with me. He died at the age of 48 of colon cancer; I was 19. Part of the reason I did not change my name when I married is a tribute to him. I can feel him smiling when people call me by his name, Dr. Tung.

My dad came to the U.S. as a grad student and bused tables and drove cabs to have enough money to bring his young wife and daughter from Taiwan to join him. His struggle with colon cancer later in his life rocked our family and exposed me to parts of medicine that I vowed to change. My dad was my inspiration when being a doctor was still just a dream, and he continues to inspire me in the work I do today.

—Dr. Judy Tung
Section Chief of Adult Internal Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Weill Cornell Medicine

I was born and raised in China. As the only child of busy working parents, I spent most of my childhood with my grandpa. He was a devoted Christian, an elder of a church, who spent a lot of time visiting the sick and people in need. He taught me how to love and be kind to people. When I was in junior high, he passed away from a ruptured aneurysm right in front of my eyes. Inspired by the love and care he gave others in life — and seeing firsthand how important it is to have access to proper medical care — I made my career goal to be a healthcare worker. Now I’ve fulfilled my dream as a nurse practitioner working with cardiac patients. When I see patients, I see them as someone’s loved one, like my endearing grandpa to me, and I want to take good care of them. When I do that, I know I am making my grandpa proud, and I see him smiling in heaven.

—Jenny Yao
Nurse Practitioner, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens