INTERVIEW: Dr. Christine Giap Stern
Welcome to the first of many interviews with Vietnamese-American professionals! Our first interviewee is Dr. Christine Giap Stern.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Stern, a pediatrician in New York City. She’s been in practice for 16 years and lives with her husband and two children. She was incredibly friendly and warm, and we ended up having a two-hour conversation. Dr. Stern was born in Kansas and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her parents immigrated to the United States in 1975, starting in California. Her father was a surgeon in Vietnam but became a psychiatrist in the United States. Although Stern’s local Vietnamese community was relatively small, her family spent a lot of time visiting the large Fairfax, Virginia community. She also visited her family in Houston, Irvine, and Seattle often, so she was well-immersed in large Vietnamese communities and the culture.
Initially, I was incredibly nervous about talking to her. This was the first time I had ever spoken to a Vietnamese-American professional. But when I called Dr. Stern, she immediately opened with a friendly and warm manner. I appreciated her casual kindness and felt like I was talking to a future version of myself. Hopefully hearing her story will inspire you to fulfill your career dreams!
When asked what led her to medicine and pediatrics, Stern said, “My parents and my love for STEM were my main influences.” Her parents expected her to become a doctor or lawyer. Like most Vietnamese parents, “they held great expectations for me and would be silent about my achievements.” They emphasized that college was very expensive and instilled in her that it was her duty to succeed because of her parents’ sacrifice. When asked about what led her to pediatrics, she said, “I like kids and enjoy taking care of them more than adults.”
I asked about how stereotypes have affected her life and career, if at all. Stern pondered and responded, “One stereotype that affected me was the stereotype that Asian people are naturally stellar at math.” Another stereotype she saw in her childhood was that her family was relatively loud–highlighting the stereotype that Vietnamese families love parties and are rambunctious/exuberant. Also, she supports shoeless households! However, she feels as though she identifies more hardships with being female in a predominantly male field rather than her Vietnamese identity affecting her career. Still, she does experience racism and sexism on both ends, especially when treating patients. For example, she will have patients doubting her abilities as a physician because of her appearance, and many of her patients will make racist/sexist remarks to her.
On bringing Vietnamese culture and identity into her adult life, she does not prioritize it, but she does consider it. For example, she changed her last name because of a childhood experience. “When I was 7 or 8, I was playing in a department store and hid in one of the spinning clothing racks. I didn’t realize my mom had walked off, couldn’t find her myself, and had to go up to the sales clerk to page my mom on the overhead speakers.” When asked what her last name was, young Stern had to explain why her mom had a different last name than her. Because the sales clerk gave her such a hard time about it, she vowed to take her husband’s last name in the future. Additionally, she wanted to have the same last name as her kids to establish unity in her family.
I would like to thank Liza Natale and Howard Schott for connecting me with Dr. Stern. Also, I would like to thank Dr. Christine Stern for her time and insight. This interview has truly touched my heart because I always knew that a Vietnamese-American could become a doctor, but I had never met one. Dr. Stern’s responses, kindness, insight, and time have helped me realize that success as a Vietnamese-American is possible. I hope that her story will also touch the hearts of the members of Flourish and encourage them to strive for the “impossible”.
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