Dr. Alice Jean’s work as a medical student and her charitable service in Texas and other countries has been recognized by both faculty and fellow students. The Medical School Class of 2019 chose her to receive the Iatros Award, while the Department of Family and Community Medicine honored her with the Minnie Lancaster, M.D., Scholarship Award in Family Medicine.

Dr. Alice Jean

What the Iatros Award means: I am honored to be the recipient of the Iatros Award. I alone do not deserve this recognition because it is only through many passionate health professionals working together in solidarity with communities that we can achieve wellness.

Mentor comment: Alice Jean is so deserving of this prestigious award for her absolute selflessness, dedication to service, compassion, and tireless work ethic. She regularly goes above and beyond for her patients, to be there for her peers, or to help make lives better for the underserved in the community. Aptly recognized by her peers, she demonstrates the qualities that we all hope to attain as physicians. We could not be prouder of her and know that she will continue to make an incredible impact in residency and throughout her career. – Dr. Angela Mihalic, Dean of Medical Students and Associate Dean for Student Affairs

What the Lancaster Award means: I am honored to receive this scholarship because Dr. Minnie Lancaster devoted her life to serving the community. She was an inspiring female figure who paved the way for women in medicine to care for patients and their families.

Mentor comment: Alice Jean is an exceptional student, hardworking, passionate, and dedicated. It has been my pleasure to serve as her mentor. She has committed herself to primary care and people in need. Her enthusiasm and commitment have been outstanding and I feel confident that she will continue to succeed in the future of family medicine. – Dr. Nora Gimpel, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Community Health in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, who holds the Dr. John L. and Louise Roan Professorship in Family Medicine. 

Background and family: My interest in global health and international disaster relief began in high school while I attended the Global Studies Academy. I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, with my younger brother. My parents are from Taiwan. My father, a retired chemical engineer, and my mother, a nurse, taught us the importance of education.

What led to your career path: My mother volunteered at many health fairs with the Tzu Chi Foundation and often brought me along. The Foundation’s missions that were instilled in me were education, medicine, humanistic culture, and charity.

College: I attended UT Austin, where I majored in environmental science with a concentration in biological sciences. I participated in GlobeMed, traveling to El Salvador with a team for an internship at Clinica Ana Manganaro. I was also part of the Tzu Chi Collegiate Association, Kappa Rho Pre-Med Honor Society, Asian Health Professions Organization, and the Lions Club.

UTSW activities: I’ve continued to participate with international service groups such as Tzu Chi Foundation and Foundation for Peace, which allowed me to do volunteer work in the Dominican Republic. I also enjoyed leadership roles in organizations such as V-Day and the Texas Medical Association Medical Student Section.

Surprising fact: I like watching Korean dramas with Spanish subtitles.

Future plans: I plan to attend a family medicine residency program that serves a diverse population and offers international clinical experience. I will also pursue a Master of Public Health degree to help me better understand how to advocate for population health and facilitate policy changes. After residency at Loma Linda University in California, I plan to work in underserved communities, such as rural Texas, and gain more experience abroad by potentially working with organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and Doctors of the World. I hope to ultimately start my own nonprofit to work with other nonprofits to share information about successes and lessons learned to increase access to and quality of health care worldwide.

About the awards: The Iatros is the only award for which the recipient is chosen by the class. The Class of 1984 established the honor, hoping that each subsequent graduating class would select the individual who most emulates the complete qualities of a physician. “Iatros” is the Greek word for “physician.” The Lancaster Award honors Dr. Lancaster and her husband, Dr. Edgar Lancaster, who in 1953 opened the Grapevine Clinic and Hospital, the first clinic in Grapevine and the forerunner of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center at Grapevine.