Sisterhood Spotlight

You have worked tirelessly on pediatric health issues throughout your career in medicine. Can you speak to what inspired you to pursue this line of work? 

As a child of immigrants growing up living in poverty, I know personally what it is like to have very little and struggle to ensure that basic necessities are available. My parents worked very hard throughout their lives, and eventually owned a successful Chinese restaurant in Virginia. Committed to ensuring that their children would have better lives, they stressed the importance of education to myself and my siblings.

In the fourth grade, I had to do a project on what I wanted to be when I grew up. A neighbor, who was a nurse, suggested that I should become a doctor and gave me supplies for my project including scrubs, a tongue depressor, and a stethoscope.  From that day forward, I was inspired to become a physician.  I loved working with children, so becoming a pediatrician was a natural fit.

Over my career, I learned that healthcare has many facets, including the business side of medicine.  Growing up in a small family business, I learned the importance of taking the best care of customers, creating a positive work environment for employees, and how to be resilient in the face of adversity.  As a perpetual volunteer and servant leader, I also knew that I wanted to help as many children and families as possible and was constantly looking for ways to achieve this mission.

In my practice, I became the managing partner early in my career and then in 2018, collaborated with other practices to create Trusted Doctors, a pediatric group of over 200 pediatric providers.  As CEO of Trusted Doctors, I can help take care of children and adolescents on a large scale through the amazing work of our excellent pediatric clinicians. On a statewide and national level, I have been inspired by those who have been pediatric leaders before me. Having held over 30 community, state, and national leadership positions in my career, I was most recently national President of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2023.  It has been a tremendous honor to work with and learn from pediatric colleagues from across the country and the world. Having the opportunity to impact the care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults nationally has been my greatest honor. 

What has been the most impactful aspect of your career thus far? Are there any specific people or events that played a major role? 

Every day that a child is healthier because of something I have done or helped to create gives me the greatest possible joy.  I am particularly proud of being the Founder and Medical Director of the Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP).  This program increases access to mental health care for children and adolescents, and now moms. As a nation, we are experiencing a crisis in access to mental health care. VMAP helps to address this by training and supporting primary care providers to identify and treat patients who are struggling with behavioral and mental health issues. VMAP also provides care navigation services to families to help them find mental health care in their communities.

In 2017, I had a 14-year-old young patient who had bipolar disorder.  His child psychiatrist had just retired. Initially the family could only find an appointment with a new psychiatrist four months later. As his pediatrician, we helped him to get an earlier appointment, but unfortunately while waiting, he ran out of his medication and had an exacerbation of his disease. During this flare, he got into a violent fight and tragically killed a person. This was a horrible event that made me realize that we needed to address mental health access differently.  The shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists needs to be fixed but this will take time.  Right now, we need to empower our existing clinicians who are taking care of children and adolescents every day.  Our clinicians who see pediatric patients - pediatricians, family physicians, emergency room physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants – all are overwhelmed with the numbers of young people who need help.  Families need access to care more immediately.  Their children cannot wait.

VMAP helps with this by ensuring that families can get help through their primary care provider, and I am so grateful to the Governor, the First Lady, the Secretary of Health, the state agencies, and legislators for supporting VMAP.

What advice do you have for Virginia's Women+girls pursuing a healthcare-related career? Further, has the environment evolved in any way since you began as a young woman in the workforce? 

Healthcare is an incredibly fulfilling field to be in. No matter what is happening in the world, people need healthcare. And we need more people in healthcare because there is a shortage of workers overall. 

When I started in medicine, there were more men than women physicians.  That trend has changed, notably in certain specialties like pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. Working part-time is now accepted and, while there is more to be done, it is easier now to balance work and life in a career in healthcare. 

Having a mentor and sponsor can be helpful especially as you start your career.  Finding a woman leader who is in your healthcare field can be invaluable.  I have been fortunate to have several amazing female role models over my twenty plus years in medicine. To find a mentor, just ask someone who you would like as your mentor.  Do not be intimidated or afraid to ask. Chances are, they will be flattered by request. And if they cannot do it, ask if they know of someone else who could help you.  No one will advocate for you better than you. If you are unsuccessful with the first person you ask, just ask someone else. There are also organizations for each healthcare profession which can be an invaluable resource for finding mentors.  They are almost always looking for young people to become involved in their fields and their organizations.

This time of year, many people are beginning a resolution to get healthier in the New Year. In recognition of this and in honor of National Staying Healthy Month, do you have any tips for Virginians looking to embark on a healthier lifestyle in 2024?

Being healthy is so important for all of us. However, achieving good health can be a challenge for many. Here are some tips to help you be successful:

1. Set small goals. It is important when you set goals to make them realistic and achievable. Start with taking your overall goal and breaking it up into much smaller pieces.  For example, if you want to start eating healthier and snacking less, choose one snack to address.  If you try to restrict all snacking, then that is unlikely to last very long. After you succeed at just one small goal for several weeks, then add another small goal.
2. Figure out why. It can be helpful to look at what motivates you and whether or not there are underlying reasons why you have unhealthy behaviors. Is it related to emotions like boredom, stress, anxiety, or depression?  If so, getting professional advice about the underlying emotions from a doctor, coach, or therapist could be helpful.
3. Give yourself a prize. Setting your sights on a reward can be another way to motivate yourself to be healthier. Set some short-term goals with rewards (for example, if I don’t eat a snack before bedtime today, then tomorrow I will watch another episode of my favorite show).
4. Do this with someone else. Even if you are an introvert, we are social beings and naturally seek others.  Having support for your efforts can be helpful to keep you motivated, especially when progress is slower, or you are less motivated. Signing up for a group class, online support group, having a friend join you, or getting a coach can be effective.

And just remember, no one is perfect, and we all have moments where we may not achieve exactly what we want.  The key is to move yourself a little bit more towards better health!

As a shining example of hard work, leadership, and success among Virginia’s Women+girls (W+g), what might you tell your younger self just getting started in her professional life? 

I’ve had the wonderful opportunity this past year to travel the country and the world talking to people in various aspects of healthcare. Often I am asked by undergraduate and medical students what advice I would give to them. Here are some bits of advice I offer to anyone who is thinking about their future professional life.

I could not have predicted the path that my career took when I was in my twenties just starting my career. So, when you are young, try not to chart your entire career path.  Chances are that the right thing will happen when it is meant to happen.

Focus on what you can control.  Worrying about things that you cannot control will not be helpful and will only cause you stress.  Your thoughts ultimately will lead you to feelings and then to behaviors and actions. So, by focusing your thoughts on what you can control and finding a way to reframe your thoughts into positive ones, you will feel better and achieve more.

Say “yes” when opportunities arise. Over my career some of my most amazing leadership experiences stemmed from an activity where I was willing to say “yes” and volunteer for something where there was need. Take a chance, meet new people, and try different things. With an open mind and helping hand, you will fill your heart while making the world just a bit better every day.

About Sandy Chung, MD, FAAP

Pediatrician Dr. Sandy Chung has held over 30 state and national leadership positions, including AAP Virginia Chapter President and Founder and Medical Director of the Virginia Mental Health Access Program. She is the CEO of Trusted Doctors, a pediatric practice of over 200 clinicians in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, and serves as Medical Director of Informatics at Children’s National Hospital’s Pediatric Health Network. Her passionate advocacy for child health and pediatricians has delivered major advancements in healthcare equity, mental health, EHR burden reduction, appropriate payment, physician well-being, and optimal child health policies. She is the recipient of multiple awards including March of Dimes Lifetime Heroine Award recognizing a lifetime of community volunteerism, the Clarence A. Holland Award for providing outstanding contributions to the community and demonstrating leadership in the field of political advocacy, and most recently Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare recognizing individuals who are the most influential individuals in healthcare the country in terms of leadership and impact. As an avid educator of the next generation of pediatricians, her publications include articles on telemedicine, virtual learning, and health information technology. Dr. Chung received her medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed her pediatric residency at the Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital. She has appeared in numerous media outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Contemporary Pediatrics, and USAToday. Dr. Chung is the proud mother of four amazing children who teach her something new every day.