2019 Global Health Symposium: Reflections on Dr. Scott Allen’s Keynote Lecture

Lawson Ung, MD

Research Fellow at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and HMS

PGY-4

12/24/2019

One question I often ask myself is whether I, as a young physician and researcher, am doing enough to create a better and safer world for those around me. I frequently wonder whether the youthful enthusiasm with which I entered medical school has gradually withered away in the face of mounting professional responsibilities. In what I now recognize as a watershed moment in my career, I had the privilege of attending the keynote lecture given by Dr. Scott Allen, professor of medicine at UC Riverside, at this year’s Global Health Symposium at Harvard Medical School. As I sit down to reflect on the core lessons that were taught, I am reminded

The Ly Children, circa 1975, who would later
experience the horrors of the Khmer Rouge
over four years (1975-1979). My mother is
pictures on the far right, accompanied by
her three sisters and three brothers. 

that the role of the physician extends far beyond the clinic, lab, or operating room. Fundamentally, we occupy positions of immense privilege in the eyes of society, and it follows that we should be obligated to use this privilege in ways that reflect our commitment to health in all its dimensions.

I was deeply moved by Dr. Allen’s commitment to social justice, and his unwavering dedication to the most vulnerable and underserved populations in our community. I was surprised to learn that at the tender age of 17, Dr. Allen became involved in helping Cambodian refugees secure humanitarian visas in the wake of the Khmer Rouge. My parents – who suffered terribly under Pol Pot – were among hundreds of thousands of traumatized Cambodians who languished for years in Thai refugee camps before being resettled elsewhere. I was instantly gripped by how this transformative experience later propelled Dr. Allen into medicine, and how he has managed to use this platform for just causes. Egregious violations of human rights happen more frequently than I think we dare to admit. It takes a great deal of courage to speak out against these cases, most recently exemplified by Dr. Allen’s work in bringing publicity to the physical and mental distress felt by children and their families currently detained under the US’s “zero tolerance” immigration policies. Those in the audience later learned that these policies did not know a political color, leaning, or persuasion. However, there is no doubt that the specter of indefinite detention has long-term consequences for human beings, particularly children.

Having integrity was once explained to me as the conscious choice to do the “right thing” even if this would prove to be the hardest course of action. By virtue of being physicians, we have an unparalleled platform to advocate for our patients and for the interests of public health, even if this comes at great personal and/or professional cost. The arc of Dr. Allen’s career shows me that doctors – often pushed to the fringes of policy debate, and told to stay “in our own lanes” – can be true instruments of change. I will bear in mind that there may be instances during my own career where I may be compelled to seek institutionalized changes on issues affecting my patients and their wider communities. The key lessons I learned brought me back to the pledge I took upon completion of my medical degree, and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to attend such a wonderful and inspiring talk.