About CMIG

First and most importantly, we aim to develop our communication skills. We will first focus on Mandarin, given that it is the most common dialect, and later move on to others. Since there will be a wide variety of skill levels among students, the group will be divided into skill levels, where beginning levels will be familiarized with basic vocabulary, grammar principles, pinyin (the romanization), and pronunciation. Higher levels will be fast-tracked to learning focused topics including medical history, interview, physical exam, vocabulary, and more. Content will be put together and taught by both UCLA DGSOM faculty and bilingual coordinators at meetings. Students can practice outside of meetings by pairing newer speakers with bilingual members.

While communicating through native Chinese languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc.) is one of the primary focuses of the organization, CMIG aims to address unique cultural aspects and intersections of Chinese culture and health, including topics such as how ethnic Chinese people perceive blood pressure, express pain, mental health; how East and West medicine can be combined to optimize care; and epidemiologies of diseases and their specific manifestations within Chinese populations. We will accomplish this through lunch talks and presentations by collaborating with faculty of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine and practicing UCLA physicians who work closely with ethnic Chinese patients.

Finally, we aim to provide clinical opportunities for students to experience first-hand the caring of ethnic Chinese patients, both in language and in the unique approaches and practices that are adopted to best care for these specific populations. One primary avenue will be through the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. Our mentor, Dr. Ka-Kit Hui, has already expressed interest in bringing about such opportunities to DGSOM students. Altogether, these three avenues will not only enhance students’ future medical careers no matter what field they go into through communication and culturally-competent care, but also stimulate interest and advocacy in important cultural aspects that are central to the care of ethnic Chinese patients.