Richard Wu’s life experience informed his decision to come to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, and to continue in Boston with a residency in internal medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC).
“I really found a very good match here at BU because of the patients we see at Boston Medical Center, and I really have a passion for the mission here (to treat the underserved and marginalized).
Richard Wu, MD’25
“I really found a very good match here at BU because of the patients we see at Boston Medical Center, and I really have a passion for the mission here (to treat the underserved and marginalized),” said Wu, MD’25.
The child of parents who immigrated to the U.S. from China as his father pursued a PhD at Pennsylvania State University, Wu worked in an AmeriCorps program teaching preschoolers from low-income families and single-parent households when he was an undergraduate.
“I just found it immensely rewarding to see kids who didn’t really have much of a support system in their lives be able to connect with us and flourish in that environment,” he said.
He continued teaching and mentoring while in medical school, volunteering with the MedSci and Pipeline for Underrepresented Students in Healthcare programs that educate and support Boston Public School high-school students exploring careers in healthcare and biomedical sciences. He also mentored undergraduate students considering a career in healthcare, particularly as a physician, working with the Minority Association of Pre-Med/Pre-Health Students.
“I definitely see myself staying in academia in a teaching role,” said Wu.
Speaking both Mandarin and English at home gave Wu an appreciation for being multilingual and he would like to use that language skill to serve the Chinese community or brush up on his Spanish and work with the Hispanic community. Working at BMC, exposed Wu to patients whose life experiences are far different from his own.
“I think that has given me a perspective on how patients think about the doctor-patient relationship and has made me a lot more compassionate and open,” he said.