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Richard Wu

2,005

Bold Points

4x

Nominee

1x

Winner

Bio

I am an artist and scientist, and I plan to pursue a career as a physician. I am drawn to medicine because it is both a science and an art - a physician not only utilizes anatomy and biology principles to treat disease, but also brings empathy and compassion to make a difference in the human stories of patients' lives. Through a career in medicine, I aim to utilize my skills and passions to directly serve others by alleviating suffering and restoring human dignity. In particular, I am interested in working in geriatric medicine and gerontology, which provide opportunities to engage with the stories of patients from all walks of life. In the future, I also aspire to combine my medical career with creating art/writing, teaching future generations of medical professionals, and conducting research, which will enable me to make a further impact beyond the clinic.

Education

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
2020 - Present
  • Majors:
    • Medicine

The University of Texas at Dallas

Bachelor's degree program
2015 - 2019
  • Majors:
    • Molecular Biology
  • Minors:
    • Literature and Creative Writing

Clear Lake High School

High School
2012 - 2015

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Geriatric Medicine (Internal Medicine)
  • Not planning to go to medical school

    • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Medicine

    • Dream career goals:

      Physician, Writer, Artist, Educator, Researcher

    • Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, Material Measurement Laboratory

      National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
      2016 – 2016

    • Teaching Assistant, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

      The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX
      2017 – 20181 year

    • Summer Research Intern, National Institute on Aging

      National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
      2017 – 2017

    • EuroScholars Research Intern, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research

      Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
      2018 – 2018

    • Academic Intern, Volunteer Services

      Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, Dallas, TX
      2018 – 20191 year

    • Programme Director Team Intern, Cambridge Summer Institute

      Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
      2019 – 2019

    • Medical Scribe

      Robin Healthcare, Austin, TX
      2019 – 20201 year

    Sports

    Swimming

    Club
    2009 – 20101 year

    Karate

    Club
    2010 – 20122 years

    Awards

    • Certificate of Merit
    • green belt

    Research

    • Philosophy

      Independent — Presented at research conference at MIT and won National 2nd Place Award in MIT INSPIRE competition
      2014 – 2015

    • Materials Science

      National Institute of Standards and Technology — Research Intern (Presented work at NIST SURF Research Colloquium)
      2016 – 2016

    • Materials Science

      The University of Texas at Dallas — Research Assistant (Applied for grants and wrote research paper for publication)
      2016 – 2020

    • Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

      National Institutes of Health — Research Intern (Presented work at NIH main campus and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center)
      2017 – 2017

    • Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine

      Katholieke Universiteit Leuven — Research Intern (Presented work at University of Geneva and won 1st Place Award for presentation)
      2018 – 2018

    Arts

    • Music Composition
      2013 International Humans in Space Art Competition 2nd Place Non-Orchestral Music Composition, 2013 Texas PTA Reflections Contest Award of Merit in Musical Composition
      2012 – Present

    • Visual Arts
      2014 Congressional Art Competition Winner (artwork displayed in the US Capitol Complex in Washington, DC), 2010 DOW Chemical Calendar Art Contest Honorable Mention, artwork published in "JAMA Internal Medicine" by the American Medical Association (2020), artwork published in "Lifelines" by Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (2020), artwork published in "Please See Me" by the Center for Healthcare Narratives and MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety (2020), artwork published in "The Penn Review" by the University of Pennsylvania (2020), artwork published in "Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine" by Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2019), artwork published in "The Healing Muse" by the State University of New York Upstate Medical University (2019), artwork published in "deLuge Journal" (2019), artwork published in "Asteria Magazine" by the University of Texas at Dallas (2018), artwork published in "The Blueshift Journal" (2017), artwork published in "The Exley" by the University of Texas at Dallas (2016), artwork published in "Celebrating Art" by Blick Art Materials (2015), pending artwork publication in "AMA Journal of Ethics" by the American Medical Association, pending artwork publication in "The Awakenings Review" by The Awakenings Project and the University of Chicago Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
      2009 – Present

    • Creative Writing
      2020 Irvin David Yalom, MD Literary Award Finalist (short story recognized by the Pegasus Physician Writers at Stanford), 2014 National PTA Reflections Contest Award of Excellence in Literature (short story displayed at the US Department of Education in Washington, DC), 2014 Texas PTA Reflections Contest Outstanding Interpretation Award in Literature, 2014 Read3Zero Literacy Foundation "I Write" Contest Star Author Award, short story published in "Nature" (2020), poem published in "Family Medicine" by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (2020), short story published in "Bellevue Literary Review" by the New York University Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital (2020), poem published in "Lifelines" by Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth (2020), short story published in "The New Physician" by the American Medical Student Association (2019), poem published in "The Healing Muse" by the State University of New York Upstate Medical University (2019), poem published in "Texas’s Best Emerging Poets 2019" (2019), short story published in "Daily Science Fiction" (2017), short story published in "I Write" by the iWrite Literacy Foundation (2014)
      2014 – Present

    • Art UTD

      Visual Arts
      Organized yearly art shows to fundraise for health-related causes (including an Alzheimer's disease charity, a blood cancer charity, and a free pediatric clinic), taught monthly art workshops to university students and staff, was awarded a Victor Worsfold Grant to start a student-led mural-painting initiative at the University of Texas at Dallas
      2015 – 2019

    • Doctors Who Create

      Medical Humanities
      Edit an online medical humanities magazine called "Doctors Who Create" sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania
      2019 – Present

    • Pegasus Physician Writers at Stanford

      Medical Humanities
      Help coordinate writing workshops for physician-writers affiliated with Stanford School of Medicine
      2020 – Present

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Space Center Houston — Volunteer (32 hours)
      2012 – 2012

    • Volunteering

      BrickUniverse Dallas — Volunteer (48 hours)
      2015 – 2016

    • Volunteering

      Golden Key Honor Society — Officer (Service Team Associate Chair) and Volunteer (100 hours)
      2016 – 2019

    • Volunteering

      Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas — Volunteer (550 hours)
      2017 – 2019

    • Volunteering

      The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center — Volunteer (30 hours)
      2019 – Present

    Future Interests

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship

    Bold Moments No-Essay Scholarship
    Here’s what ant salsa tasted like: spicy chili pepper pinpricks, a twist of sour tomatillo, a smoky (almost cheesy) pungence, plus a gritty crunch of crushed ants. It started with my goal to improve my Spanish and immerse myself in local culture while studying abroad in Mexico. I chose to go beyond my comfort zone whenever possible. So one day, when I saw locals catching giant edible ants (chicatanas), I joined in! I caught 40-50 chicatanas, and my host family taught me how to make chicatana salsa. It was surprisingly tasty, and this experience helped me improve my Spanish!