05/25/2024
May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with a theme of "Advancing Leaders Through Innovation." We're recognizing leaders like Khaing Nwe Phoo, who was born and raised in Kyaukme, Myanmar.
Khaing moved to the U.S. when she was 14 and struggled to navigate language barriers and new cultural norms. Ultimately, she went to college, earned a bachelor's degree in health science, and began working as a medical scribe at CityMD, an urgent care clinic.
There, she had her first encounter with an Asian-American leader — CityMD founder and then-CEO Richard Park, who described why he opened clinics to serve underrepresented patients.
"I was in awe. I got goosebumps. I realized representation matters," Khaing recalls.
She pursued a master's in health administration. Now, as a University Medical Center administrative fellow, she drives change at UVA Health, leading a lactation support policy that impacts 4,000 team members.
Read more of Khaing's story: https://bit.ly/3wNXK8x