As an Asian American, Joe Sirintrapun, MD, FASCP, FCAP, has often encountered—and continues to face—challenges of being included. Throughout his schooling, medical training, and career, he notes, there has been no emphasis on including Asian Americans in various inner circles or even attempts to bring awareness that many inner circles lack Asian American representation. Leadership positions in health care lack diversity, and he notes that only through conscious efforts can that change. Dr. Sirintrapun is the Director of Pathology Informatics and the Associate Attending in the Department of Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He shares more on his experiences of racism in health care in the following Q&A.
How has your personal experience with racism in health care affected your education and career?
Over the years, I’ve found it easier for people above you to elicit disparaging remarks or belittle Asians. Unfortunately, disparaging behavior has happened throughout America’s history.
In 2004 Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcels used the term “Jap plays,” adding in an article that he meant no disrespect by the comment. The article then cites a token Asian opinion, saying no big deal, as if one opinion absolves the issue for the offended group. The public then continues believing it is acceptable to continue such behavior because Asians are “good sports.” Over time and in aggregate, these perceptions have a corrosive effect on societal behavior that bleeds into health care. Because so many people are unaware of Asian discrimination, Asians remain unseen as a group that needs public awareness to address such implicit biases.
My first example of this implicit bias was during medical school, where I received an “F” for a rotation because I was confused with another Asian medical student who did flunk the rotation. Another example was during my surgery residency, where one attending continually called me by another Asian resident’s name. I never uncovered if he found it funny or did he gaffe because he was forgetful, or stupid or both. My third specific example was early in my academic career when a reviewer for a paper I authored stated, “Get a native English speaker to review,” after seeing my name. This was an interesting remark given that English is my only language, and my writing is not half bad.
Continual diminishing actions like my examples erode one’s confidence, and these are just a few of many vivid examples I endured. Even now that I am more established, I still face dismissive comments from people who don’t even realize they are doing it, or maybe these people think it is OK. Fortunately, I’m more self-assured now, especially in what I know and can do, which was not the case early in my medical career, where I lacked an identity. I can admit that my surgical residency was my emotional low point. Had I been the “traditional demographic,” I can only wonder if I would have somehow maintained the confidence to continue my career as a surgeon.
What impact has the recent increase in violence against Asian Americans had on you as a person in health care?
Pre-pandemic, throughout my training and career, I formally dressed for work, many times in a suit and tie. I felt that I look younger and I had to portray the seriousness of my presence in meetings, particularly for leadership. But, even then, when I said something meaningful, it never seemed to get the traction as those in “traditional” demographics got when they spoke.
My formal attire changed during the pandemic where I wore scrubs every day, which prior pre-pandemic, I wore only a few days a month on frozen sections. My belief in wearing scrubs every day during the pandemic was not for comfort or lacking the need for getting taken seriously at work. When derogatory phrases like “China virus” were getting normalized in a public speech during the pandemic, I felt the rise of violence in general settings against Asians. The pandemic had two zeitgeists affecting my perception: the love of healthcare workers and anti-Asian hatred. So, I wore scrubs, as a funny but sad anecdote, to confuse those who carried both those thoughts into jamming their decision on whether to thank me or punch me in the face as I went out on the street.
What should we focus on in the healthcare workforce to teach and practice respect and open-mindedness for one another?
A solution is acknowledging the barriers for Asian Americans in health care and relooking at your circles to see if it is too homogenous. A diversified circle is productive in so many ways, including enabling the diversity of thought. In informatics, I understand the weaknesses of both machines and humans. With humans, weaknesses include the many biases they possess and in humans not acknowledging and managing them. A most significant bias resulting from homogenous circles is “groupthink,” which has contributed to many disasters throughout history (i.e., the Bay of Pigs invasion, the space shuttle Challenger disaster, etc.). “Groupthink,” for anyone who has ever known me, is a group bias that I strive to break, even at the sacrifice of my social capital within that circle. Like physicians who must do continuing medical education, I believe leaders must do continuing mandatory leadership education. This leadership education reinforces the importance of self-improvement and acknowledgment of working through biases without giving leaders a pass that their leadership is innate and never in need of betterment.
This Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.
To read more Q&As with Asian American and Pacific Islander members of the laboratory, click
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