Q: What is your heritage, and how did you connect with it growing up?

Diertl: “I come from a very happy and proud polycultural family. My father is Austrian, and my mother is Japanese. When I was young, there were little things my mom would do that I didn’t realize were part of Japanese culture until I got older, like always taking your shoes off when you enter somebody’s home and not sweeping on New Year’s Day, only on New Year’s Eve. My mom was always cooking Japanese foods and teaching me Japanese phrases and sayings. Having that culture from my mom was nice. Not to mention, it’s also nice when you can invite your friends over and you’re the only one who can make dumplings. It makes you really popular.”

Xu: “My family is originally from Shanghai. I was born and grew up in Pembroke Pines, Florida. When I was 10, my family moved to Shanghai, and I attended an American international school there.”

Q: How can different AAPI cultures impact medicine and patient care?

Diertl: “Japanese culture is very communal, very team-oriented. It kind of deprioritizes the individual when compared with the more westernized promotion of individual success. I think having both of those experiences growing up was important and applicable to medicine. From my dad’s side, it was like making yourself as good as you can be, and then I had my mom’s balance to remember your team, remember to help those around you and think about how you exist in this group of people. I think medicine is a great juxtaposition of those things. You as a doctor have to be the best you can, as talented as you can. But at the end of the day, you’re part of a team, and you have to figure out how your talent can be incorporated into that.”

Xu: “Speaking from my own experience having grown up in both the U.S. and China, there are unique cultural practices within Chinese culture that affect the way patients receive medical care. Even within my own family, I notice there is a strong sense of taboo to talk about certain medical conditions, and families may avoid addressing it or sharing it with patients altogether due to fear of it bringing bad luck. There are also unique cultural practices within Chinese culture such as consuming Chinese traditional medicine, and these heavily influence the types of care patients are willing to receive, and ultimately their health care outcomes.

“I think it is so important to practice cultural sensitivity and humility. Navigating the medical system in the U.S. is challenging, and I think it is essential to recognize how much more difficult it can be for AAPI patients who aren’t proficient in English or who aren’t familiar with the U.S. medical system. Even though I grew up in the U.S. and am fluent in English, when I initially came back to the U.S. after living in China, there was a lot I didn’t understand about the U.S. health care system, which made it difficult for me to get care for myself and my parents. Understanding these unique challenges and the values of patients will help physicians foster trust with patients and deliver care that is tailored to their unique cultural framework.”

Q: How do you share your culture with others in medical school?

Diertl: “It’s almost like an exchange of information when you tell somebody a little bit about your culture and you get to know a little bit more about them. My classmates are receptive. I tell them I’m half Japanese, and they always want to know more. I still make people take their shoes off and put them in a nice little pile when they come into my apartment. And hospitality has been one thing that’s important. I always have friends over, I always make a variety of Asian meals, I always try to clean the space to be welcoming, and I always try to be open and share with people. While I’m not at home with my mom speaking Japanese words, I can still create a warm, clean, open place for my friends to come.”

Xu: “The way I like to connect with and share my culture with others is through food! My favorite Chinese dish is Shanghai braised pork belly, or 红烧肉, which is an absolute labor of love to make and always reminds me of Shanghai and the home-cooked meals my mother made. I also like taking my friends out to eat hot pot and sharing mooncake snacks during holidays like Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Q: What is the importance of AAPI Heritage Month to you?

Diertl: “Even though Asian culture is one that people think is common in medicine, broadly speaking, it’s still a minority. People may have bits and pieces of Asian experiences, like eating Asian food at least once in their life and knowing what a Japanese animated cartoon is. But rarely do they get some briefing on what the significance of those things may be in Asian culture. AAPI Heritage Month really calls to mind the importance for any group that has a cultural recognition month of taking time that month to learn a little bit about the culture and struggles of that group. It’s important to broaden your knowledge base as much as you can, especially in medicine, where you’re going to be interacting with people from a variety of different cultural groups. And I think the more you know about them, the more you can recognize their unique struggles and beliefs, and the better provider you can be. So that’s the importance to me — it’s an opportunity to educate yourself.”

Q: What is APAMSA, and how can interested students learn more?

Xu: “I’ve recently become one of the co-presidents of APAMSA, the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, at the College of Medicine. Some of our goals for APAMSA moving forward include increasing awareness of the unique medical challenges facing people of Asian Pacific heritage and fostering a sense of community within UF. We hope to collaborate with other interest groups, establish mentorships between AAPI individuals across all spectrums of medicine, connect our local APAMSA chapter with other medical school chapters across the U.S. and promote AAPI culture by hosting events to celebrate various holidays. APAMSA is open to everyone! People can reach out to me at axu@ufl.edu if interested and visit our website, mcc.med.ufl.edu/organizations/apamsa, to learn more.”