Meet Vy Tran Plata, MD, from Vietnam. She attended University of Michigan, and is a PGY-3 in the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program HIV Training Track.
What led you to pursue a career in medicine?
From years of navigating my family's lack of health insurance, language barriers, food insecurity, and unsafe housing first-hand, I empathize with having little control over one’s health and environment. Poverty and health inequities—abstract concepts to many—were my lived experiences. To medicine, I offer a tenacious commitment to reducing health inequities. Often it is not just the patient’s body failing, but our healthcare system too. I grappled with these wicked problems where timely care and healthcare access fade into obscurity in the face of poverty. Caring for patients and their families during their most vulnerable moments instill in me a humbling, yet powerful sense of purpose. Serving patients and advocating with them by my side, I strive for a future in which a patient's life doesn’t determine how long they live. I hope to help under-resourced communities inform legislators with their often unheard, yet powerful narratives to transform clinical practice and increase access to care. However, I do not want to be my patients’ voice. Instead, I want to cultivate relationships that empower my patients to speak up and join these decision-making and scientific spaces. As a physician and health advocate, I see community engagement as a tool for deep listening– and one as important to me as my future stethoscope. I aspire to tune into these stories of pain and partner with communities to advocate for policy remedies. Motivated by the unique lives that have delicately interlaced with mine, I dreamed of providing care and creating health programs meeting people where they are––financially, culturally, and compassionately. Building on the scientific rigor of evidence-based medicine, the evidence I must bring to light are my own and my patients’ lived experiences.
What are your goals after you complete internal medicine residency? Where do you see yourself?
Having grown up in Georgia, it has always been my dream to return home where my family is and contribute to the health and well-being of this diverse community. Georgia ranks among the states with the most severe physician shortages, with a particular deficit in primary care. I am currently applying to primary care physician positions in Georgia to help address this critical need!
Why did you choose Yale for your internal medicine residency?
I love these kindred spirits who share my passion for medicine braided with evidence, social justice and holistic care. I love that we actually hang out–we even have our own unofficial resident support group. I love that faculty take an interest in who we are outside of medicine– such diverse talents that come out in our annual Medicine and the Arts. It was my number one choice and I never looked back!
Describe your experience at Yale IMed in 3 words.
Warm, brilliant, inspirational.
What is your fondest memory at Yale thus far?
Just one? There are too many to choose from! One of my first memories during residency was our intern retreat–the extended edition that involved camping by a lake surrounded by golden autumn leaves, crisp cool air in the evening by the campfire as we shared our life stories and crossed paths in medicine. I will never forget how warm I felt, sitting by the fire, bundled by dreams of how the next three years will be and our friendships unfolding beneath the blanket of stars.
Who has had the greatest influence on you, and why?
I am surrounded by geniuses including Nobel Laureates, but none have influenced me so much as my sister. Born with a congenital heart defect, she pushed to have an active life, running cross-country over the years and, recently, even conquering a marathon. A runner against all odds, she is a natural trailblazer. She is a personal hero not only to me, but so many others for the thousands of hours she’s dedicated to mentoring other disadvantaged students to challenge society-imposed limits, along the way helping immigrant youths to attain not only college acceptance but also prestigious scholarships such as the Gates Millenium as she had. I am constantly moved by the way my sister has so generously given her talent and heart to lifting others as she climbs.
If you could say anything to your younger self, what would you say?
You are good enough. In fact, so much more than you know. The people who love and believe in you can only help you so much in seeing that. Through life's trifles, you will learn just how strong you are. No need to measure yourself by anyone else's yardstick, and follow your own north star.
What is one piece of advice you'd give someone who is applying for internal medicine residency?
If they invite you for an interview, they already liked your application. There is no need to impress because they already are! Remove the stress. Bring your authentic self and enjoy the experience.
What's a fun fact about you?
I have not bought bread since 2020, as I bake loaves fresh at home every week.
The Department of Internal Medicine at Yale is among the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators and educators in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more about the department, visit Internal Medicine.