Mental health awareness and treatment are crucial for an individual’s overall well-being. Traditionally, within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, these topics often remain heavily stigmatized and rarely discussed in many households because of its perceived taboo. Younger generations are hopeful for change – striving to break down these barriers to promote open conversations about mental health.
One such advocate is Justin Le, a UC Irvine student who is pursuing both a medical degree as well as a Master of Public Health degree with an expected graduation date of Spring 2025. He is also a recipient of a generous scholarship created by the UCI School of Medicine Class of 1972. This scholarship will support his passion to serve a community close to his heart, the Vietnamese community, through patient care, advocacy, leadership, policy, and public health interventions.
“Words cannot express the gratitude overflowing in my heart. I will utilize this scholarship not for myself, but for the patients and communities that I serve. When I help them become healthier, I will forever be reminded of this generous gift,” Le said on receiving this scholarship.
Born to a family of Vietnamese refugees who fled their homeland after the Vietnam War in fear of persecution, Le grew up in central Orange County, where he worked in his family’s business and relied on government assistance programs to help make ends meet. Witnessing firsthand the prevalence and detriments of his community surviving war and its impact on mental health, he would go on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology at UCLA. During his undergraduate years, he was heavily involved in leadership and service initiatives, spearheading a mentorship program, serving as a peer counselor for Southeast Asian students, and researching culture and minority adolescent mental health in the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County. During his time as a case manager at an integrated primary care and mental health care program in Garden Grove, Le’s family became victims of medical malpractice, which has further reinforced his intense commitment to providing excellent care to his future patients.
The scholarships I’ve received have considerably reduced my anxiety and stress surrounding my finances, allowing me to focus more on acquiring public health knowledge, skills, and experience.”
– Justin Le
After receiving his undergraduate degree, Le’s academic and career pathway led him to the UC Irvine School of Medicine, where he was awarded the prestigious Regents Scholarship. Here, at UCI, he became actively involved with the Psychiatry Student Interest Group and currently serves as its co-President. Understanding that psychiatry alone could not adequately address all community mental health needs, Le decided to pursue an MPH at the UCI Program in Public Health to help provide more comprehensive and effective patient care.
The campus’ MD/MPH training bridges clinical practice and public health by not only training to treat an individual patient but also communities through prevention and health promotion strategies. The dual training will be invaluable for Le to weave in social determinants of health, which are conditions that impact our health and well-being like experiencing war and trauma, in a clinical setting. He is committed to advancing both individual and community health as evident by the additional awards he’s received, including the Public Health Dean’s Fellowship and the Public Health Summer Scholarship, that recognize and empower future public health leaders.
“The scholarships I’ve received have considerably reduced my anxiety and stress surrounding my finances, allowing me to focus more on acquiring public health knowledge, skills, and experience,” Le shared.
Embarking on the next chapter of his journey, Le will be applying for a psychiatry residency to help address one of the largest unspoken health problems impacting immigrant communities: mental health. He also hopes to complete a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship to enhance his ability to care for this vulnerable population.
