Lilian Bui, ’25 MD, ’25 MPH, a recent Feinberg graduate, completed two global health rotations as part of her medical school education and has lobbied on behalf of public health on Capitol Hill.
As she heads to the University of Colorado for her residency, Bui reflected on her experiences at Feinberg.
Read more about Bui’s time at Feinberg and her plans for the future below.
What are your clinical and research interests?
Clinically, I am hoping to become an OBGYN generalist or pursue fellowships in family planning or pediatric and adolescent gynecology. I am interested in disparities in pregnancy outcomes that are influenced by state policies. I am also interested in HPV-related cancer prevention and developing tools to mitigate cultural barriers.
Why did you choose Feinberg for medical school?
I chose Feinberg for the unique opportunity to complete an MPH concurrently with the MD curriculum, the warm and welcoming virtual second look, and to be close to my sister who has been completing her undergraduate degree at Northwestern in the past four years. I had never been to Chicago before moving for medical school, but I had full confidence that I could achieve my professional goals and have a support system.
You recently completed your global health rotation. How was that experience?
I completed two global health rotations this year: in Oaxaca, Mexico and Cape Town, South Africa. In Oaxaca, my Spanish proficiency improved significantly, and I had an incredible time being co-students and roommates with my first roommate of medical school. We shared many jokes and delicious meals with our host family. In Cape Town, South Africa, I learned a lot more about managing drug-resistant TB, community-based efforts to facilitate detection and treatment of HIV, and the deep effects of apartheid from our program leaders and tour guides who shared their personal stories. I also had the opportunity to explore the mountains and beaches with the partner of a former Stellenbosch medical student I met when he rotated at Northwestern, a friend from college, and new local friends.
Tell me about your Capitol Hill visit you made this spring regarding academic public health?
I went to Capitol Hill with Dr. Ron Ackermann for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s Hill Day to lobby for academic public health. We joined forces with the UIC team to speak with Senator Tammy Duckworth’s, Senator Dick Durbin’s, and Representative Danny Davis’s staffers, and we advocated for funding agencies such as the NIH, CDC, and HRSA. I had the privilege of speaking from a student perspective of having opportunities to work on funded research projects using national datasets and their impact on population health and why these opportunities are important for building a public health workforce that promotes well-being for all people.
What are your plans after graduation?
I will be completing my OBGYN residency at the University of Colorado!
What advice would you give to prospective medical students?
Pursue opportunities that make you excited like a kid even if they are a bit tangential, and you’re not sure how they will fit into your CV. Life isn’t about the resume anyway. My detours and side projects were some of the most fun experiences I had in medical school. The time that you are the busiest and stressed is also the time to make the most effort to spend time with people you love, celebrate others, and do a random act of kindness. It will make you feel better, I promise.
