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| Credit: Dr. Tran-Harding, Kreative Circle |
Dr. Tran-Harding, Welcome to Authors by Sasha! You're a medical professional working as a radiologist at Southern California's Irvine Medical Center. What life experiences influenced you to pursue an interest in radiology? What training is needed to become a radiologist?
Thank you so much for having me, Sasha! I’m so happy to be part of the Kreative Circle. Interestingly, my first specialty choice when I became a physician was OB/GYN but after 2 years, I felt the pull of Radiology and switched specialties. It was the right decision for me as I absolutely love Radiology, interpreting imaging, and being a consultant for other physicians. To become a Radiologist, the training includes 4 years of medical school and a residency (postgraduate medical training where you are a practicing doctor but under supervision) consisting of a 1-year internship and 4 years of Radiology residency. Most Radiologists do 1-2 years of additional specialty fellowship training.
The arrival of the pandemic has triggered the global population to rethink their life choices and priorities. As a medical professional you're exposed to patients representing demographics from the young to elderly. How has the pandemic impacted your perspective on living given the fragility of life?
The pandemic really made me realize that we all shouldn’t put off important life choices and priorities. We spend so much of our lives thinking that we are just too busy or now just isn’t the right time for things such as passion projects or second career choices. I hope that the pandemic made us all appreciate that life can be very short and that we should really seize our opportunities whenever we get the chance. It’s also important that we don’t take for granted all our friends, families, and loved ones and take a chance to show them our appreciation every chance we get.
Medical Heroes is a 30 minute show on DB&A television that presents the stories of frontline medical professionals and their experiences navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic, including highlighting the remarkable recoveries of patients battling this illness. Do you recall the moment the idea of creating the show 'Medical Heroes' was planted in the universe?
I do remember the moment! It was actually over a year ago, in May 2020, a few months after the pandemic began and there was still a lot of fear and uncertainty about COVID-19. I watched as my husband, a frontline physician, take direct care of patients affected by the coronavirus day after day and how difficult it was for him. At the same time, I was really touched by the appreciation that many people were showing for the health care workers that were fighting the global health crisis not just at our hospital but across the world. I thought it would be really interesting for an audience to see what medical workers experienced at their jobs, their daily struggles, and even get a glimpse into their personal lives. After watching, I hope viewers will come away knowing that there is goodness, selflessness, and altruism in the world.
The episodes share insights from guests within the United States and abroad. Is there a particular segment that deeply resonates with you? How so?
I really enjoyed having all the guests on the show as they are all amazing and are all the epitome of strength and perseverance. A particular segment that resonates with me is with Marc Cohen, an EMT from New York, who is not only a first responder throughout the COVID-19 pandemic but is also doing it completely as a volunteer! Another segment that resonates with me is with ARNP Lydia Phan, someone who not only contracted and recovered from the virus herself, but also lost her father to COVID-19. She even went right back to work as soon as she could during the pandemic where she was so desperately needed despite all she went through.
Dr. Tran-Harding, the show shares the stories of "heroes" in the medical community and society. While growing up, what did you envision a hero to be? How has that perception of a 'hero' evolved for you over the years?
Growing up, I always envisioned the typical textbook definition of a hero to be someone who is courageous, an overachiever, and a superhuman. Over time, my perception of hero now also includes someone (or something – animals can be heroes too!) that is selfless, caring, and giving. So in a way, what I thought of as a hero when I was a child really expanded into the many heroes we see every day, beyond just health care professionals. I think that anyone that does a kind deed for others without even considering getting anything back in return is a truly commendable person.
Frontline medical professionals are risking their lives daily to provide healing services to patients. What aspects of risk management have hospitals administered to protect their staff from unnecessary physical harm and emotional trauma?
In the beginning of the global health crisis, hospitals just weren’t equipped to handle a pandemic, and we all know the turmoil of how hospital workers did not have appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). I admit, I even had to reuse PPE for weeks until they fell apart. Luckily, over time, the situation vastly improved.
I do think hospitals and administration did the best they could to protect their staff from physical harm and trauma during the pandemic. Rules were in place to prevent the spread of the virus and the administration provided a lot of education, updates, and emotional support during the past year.
What is the most courageous thing you've done in the previous year? This can be in the context of being a medical hero yourself, or your personal development.
In my professional life, I’m not sure I really did anything all that courageous this past year. I do think that even though it’s a part of my job to take great care of my patients either in person or by interpreting their imaging as a Radiologist, I really tried to go above and beyond for my patients knowing how scared they were being in the hospital. Despite the risks, I really wanted to spend as much time as possible with my patients and their families so they could feel a little bit more at ease in those uncertain times. Something I did this past year that was out of character for me was hosting and launching my TV show “Medical Heroes”. It was very uncomfortable for me to put myself out there. I’m not a huge fan of watching or listening to myself on playback but it was all worth it to speak to and interview the great guests I have had on the show and to share their inspirational stories with viewers.
The previous year has forced society to learn how to take better care of their health and community. How can everyday civilians take better care of themselves while also serving as better Samaritans in society?
I think the past year taught us that life can be very short and that we all need to remember to take care of ourselves first and foremost both physically and emotionally. Our lives are so crazy, and we are always rushing from one place to another these days and I think the pandemic really forced us as individuals to finally slow down.
At the same time, the global health crisis also showed us that we really need to take care of those we love and not take the wonderful things we have in our lives for granted. The pandemic was an absolutely horrible time but in all that darkness, what really resonated with me were all the times that everyday people really stepped up and helped others, even strangers, any way they could. I hope that after this crazy year, we all continue to take care of ourselves, each other and maybe even ‘pay it forward’ with kindness and nice deeds for others even after this pandemic is long over.
Healing is a broad term that extends beyond a medical context. People resort to pet therapy, sound therapy and modalities that are intended to uplift the human spirit to expedite physical, mental and emotional healing. What healing modalities have you observed that yield positive results on Covid patients?
Pet therapy and music therapy are fantastic ways to help patients heal but with restrictions in place this past year, these modalities were limited to prevent the spread of the virus. But one thing that I thought tremendously yielded positive results and uplifted COVID-19 patients was simply human interaction. Sometimes it was the nurses or other staff that could come and just speak to and reassure the patient even just for a few minutes a day. Other times, it was the use of technology so that families and the patients could communicate and show their love for one another despite not being able to see each other in person.
Isolation has been a pivotal challenge during the lock downs around the globe. Human beings typically thrive from social engagement, human touch, and bonding in groups. Is there any upside to human isolation outside the bounds of quarantining and/or healing from an illness?
I completely agree that humans need social interaction at least some of the time to thrive. I wouldn’t say there is an upside to human isolation necessarily, but I do think that some alone time or “me time” can be very beneficial. Even social butterflies need some time to unwind, relax, do an activity that they enjoy alone, and just take some time to think about one’s own needs. For example, I’m a life-long runner and really enjoy going on runs by myself, even on vacation! It’s my alone time to really decompress and just focus on myself.
Dr. Tran-Harding, what is one book that you would recommend audiences to read? How has this book improved the quality of your life?
I wish I could tell you I read more books, but a lot of my reading material has consisted of medical journals lately! The last book I read was actually “Hillbilly Elegy” which I would recommend to audiences. It was really interesting because my husband grew up in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, so he was brought up around a lot of similar characters in the book. “Hillbilly Elegy” also gave me insight into how others think, especially those that had a different lifestyle and upbringing than I did.
When you're not healing others, how do you unwind and relax?
One of my favorite activities that I mentioned that really helps my emotional well-being is running. That “runner’s high” truly exists and even on the days I don’t feel like exercising, I am always so happy and energized after I do it. It really decreases my stress and helps me sleep at night. I also love to play with and cuddle my two corgis, Lola and Jude. Since we are in Southern California, my husband and I also love to take the pups to the dog beach as often as we can since my older corgi is obsessed with swimming. My husband and I also really enjoy sitting on the couch, “vegging out”, and watching movies and TV in the evenings.
Who are your role models and how has their presence in your life helped you cope with the latest realities we face?
My role models are definitely my parents.
They are both immigrants that escaped Vietnam after communist North Vietnamese forces captured South Vietnam in 1975. My mother rode off on a motorcycle in the middle of the night without the chance to say goodbye to her family not knowing if she would ever see them again. My father even stayed in a refugee camp in Indonesia for a year owning a lone pair of clothes before coming to the United States. They really lived the American dream for quite some time but unfortunately my dad’s health started to fail, and he had to close down his business. Our family ended up struggling financially right before I went off to college and our house was eventually foreclosed.
My parents went through so much and made so many sacrifices for me and my sister so that we could have a better life. I owe it to my wonderful and courageous parents to overcome any hardships that life throws my way. I want to continue to make them proud and always give back to them any way that I can.
Do you have any guidance for members in the audience struggling with the 'new' normal as it unfolds? We're all adjusting to modified ways of working and co-existing in society while implementing health safety first.
This past year has been so rough and just like everyone, I hope this all becomes a distant memory soon. I think that as the pandemic winds down, we all should continue to follow safety guidelines (including masking, social distancing, and getting the vaccine) as much as possible to keep ourselves and each other safe. But as soon as science says it is safe for us to do, I believe we all should try to go back to our old, “normal” lives and really appreciate the little things that make us happy. This includes being able to see loved ones in person and being able to see other people’s smiles again. But most of all, I think that adjusting to new things always takes time and we should all be gentle with ourselves and allow as much time as we need to adapt.
Please share with audiences how they can support your work.
Audiences can tune in to “Medical Heroes”, which airs daily on the DB&A Television Network at 9 AM PT/12 PM ET (https://dbandatelevision.tv/) and follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MedicalHeroesTV.
Social Media
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @MedicalHeroesTV
https://www.facebook.com/MedicalHeroesTV
https://twitter.com/MedicalHeroesTV
https://www.instagram.com/medicalheroestv/
