May 02, 2023

The month of May marks the celebration and recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. As part of TriHealth’s efforts to get healthcare right, to Serve all within our community and continue to focus on health equity and work to eliminate systemic health disparities that persist for the marginalized and underserved in our community, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging has partnered with one of our own great physicians – Dr. Jennifer Yeung, to highlight her experience as a diverse care provider whom is part of the Asian Pacific American community, as well as to call upon her expertise and insight of bringing to the forefront the health disparities that continue to exist in the Asian American community and what we might be able to do to raise societal awareness and how we might better serve all within our community.

Jennifer Yeung, DO | BIO

What was your journey to becoming a care provider and what, if any inspiration did your cultural background may have played in doing so?

Growing up, I loved stories my grandmother and aunt told me of being “barefoot doctors” in rural China. My family was exiled to rural China during the Cultural Revolution and the only way to survive was to try to earn the trust of the locals through providing medical care.

My immediate family is a very typical immigrant Chinese family. My parents would entertain only three career paths: doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Although I tried to rebel against it when I was younger, I realized in college I did have a genuine interest in medicine. Specifically, I was very interested in the intersection of Eastern and Western medicine. While I discovered the fascinating world of organic chemistry in class, I also found myself carrying forth many traditional Chinese medicine practices like balancing “hot” foods and “cold” foods in my everyday life.

Ultimately, I decided to go to medical school and found that osteopathic medicine most resonated with me. During medical school, I traveled to China for a month to gain further knowledge about Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was a valuable eye-opening experience. Today, I try to incorporate both evidence-based medicine and complementary medicine in my practice. While I enjoy performing surgeries, I am also regularly talking to my patients about the potential benefits of acupuncture and meditation.

What are some reasons you chose TriHealth, and what has your experience been thus far as a diverse care provider here?

The amazing sense of community cultivated within Trihealth and, specifically, GME, is what initially drew me to Trihealth. From my very first interview for residency until today, as Program Director, I have been impressed with the strong sense of family here.

My experience as a diverse care provider here has been incredible. Some of my patients’ concerns when they see my name or my picture is whether there will be a language barrier. Often-times, once we get past the fact that I was born in the US and speak better English than Chinese, then they will often tell me about another Asian person they know. I will then often talk about my husband being born and raised in Morehead, Kentucky. And once we have established these commonalities, then we are ready to dive into the specifics of why they are here to see me.

We all want to be heard and understood. My patients may be thinking, how could she possibly understand me if we do not speak the same language and grew up in a different country? Even though I have a strong connection to my Chinese heritage, I am an American and had similar difficulties navigating the Chinese medical system when I was in China. What I find is that if I can establish more similarities than differences with my patients, then my patients are able to relax and trust me more. I also find that people are generally curious; I will frequently get questions about my cultural background, my family, and my parents’ immigrant story. I appreciate their acknowledgement of our differences and genuine desire to learn more about me.

Are there any health disparities that you see or are aware of in the Asian American community that should be highlighted and how we could move forward with addressing them?

First, osteoporosis. Both my grandmother and mother weigh less than 100 lbs soaking wet. Since peak bone mass is reached at an early age, education needs to be early and increased among young patients and their parents so that even school aged children understand the importance of calcium and vitamin D. Also emphasizing weight bearing exercises and having fitness classes directed towards bone building exercises and how to perform them safely would be helpful. Which is actually an excellent segue to diabetes. I myself had gestational diabetes and continue to monitor my A1c closely. Diabetes education is particularly important within the Asian American community. While we tend to be of smaller statue, we also develop diabetes at a younger age and may have lower thresholds for environmental risk factors.

Finally, I would like to see Asian Americans to be parsed out a little more. Someone from South India is likely to have different risk factors and genetic predispositions compared to someone from Japan, and yet, both these people and many more are considered Asian American.

We are so lucky to have Dr. Yueng in our amazing UROGYN practice. She is wonderful!
Posted by: Bridget Oyer on July 24, 2023
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Trihealth is very lucky to have her. She is amazing.
Posted by: Nanette Guest on July 24, 2023
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Fantastic, compassionate physician!
Posted by: Pam McClintock on July 24, 2023
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Jen is the best!
Posted by: Peggy Wertz on July 24, 2023
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