Stephanie Wu

Stephanie was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and grew up in thesuburbs of Indiana. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an artist, a tendency that she has always held onto. At Duke University, she found a vibrant and inspiring community in the Visual Arts & Art History departments, which opened her eyes to the ways that modern and contemporary visual artists engage with issues of representation and justice. Compelled by those grappling with ethical representations of tragedy, she developed an interest in psychological trauma, which informed her own audiovisual work exploring the power of radio as a vehicle for mass trauma. She additionally volunteered at a local crisis response center, taking calls from people experiencing domestic and sexual violence. She went on to attend medical school at NYU, where these interests led her to examine models of trauma-informed care and health disparities rooted in sexual-and gender-based violence. Excited about the potential for art to transform activism and empathy, she developed a workshop engaging her peers in critical analysis of contemporary art as anti-racist discourse. She decided to go into psychiatry in pursuit of creativity, social justice, and kind, inspiring colleagues. She finds joy in large dogs, cooking for friends, reading, creative writing, and swapping out concrete for desktop background-worthy scenery.