The impact of aging-related diseases on several members of Dr. Richard Wu’s family inspired him from a young age to seek out volunteer opportunities serving older adults. Initially drawn in by their stories, he also saw an unmet need related to mental health and its connection to overall health. His goal as a psychiatrist is to tap into that connection and significantly improve health outcomes.

Richard Wu, M.D.

What this award means: I have always been drawn to older adults and their stories and wisdom. I hope to provide patient-centered, compassionate care for older adults in my future practice, and I am honored to have been recognized for this award.

Mentor comment: Richard began his work with the Geriatrics Division in 2018 as an undergrad volunteer for the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP). He continued this outreach during medical school. His compassion for patients and enthusiasm for promoting humanism in medicine will serve him well in his career. – Jessica Voit, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Background and family: I was born in Houston and spent many summers visiting family in Shanghai, China. There are multiple nonagenarians (people in their 90s) in my family, and I really treasured hearing about their life experiences and wisdom through the years.

What led to your career path: As I was growing up, several relatives developed dementia, and when I was in college, an uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. These experiences showed me how such diseases can affect patients and their loved ones, inspiring me to get involved with volunteering and research related to geriatrics and gerontology. While I initially planned on a career in geriatric medicine, I also felt strongly drawn to the mental health needs of older adults. In the wake of the pandemic, many older patients shared with me that they felt lonely or depressed, and over the course of my medical school training, I found that mental health and social connections can have significant influences on health outcomes. From there, I ultimately decided to pursue a career in psychiatry.

College: I attended UT Dallas, where I was named a Eugene McDermott Scholar. I majored in molecular biology and minored in creative writing. Outside of school, I volunteered at both UT Southwestern and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, conducted aging research at the National Institutes of Health and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and organized an art show to raise money for an Alzheimer’s disease charity.

UTSW activities: I served as co-President of the Geriatrics Interest Group and co-founded the UT Southwestern medical student chapter of HELP, a volunteer program that implements evidence-based delirium prevention interventions for hospitalized older adults. Before my second year of medical school, I conducted research through the Medical Student Training in Aging Research program at Johns Hopkins, where I studied the patterns and health impacts of social isolation in older adults. This further inspired me to get involved with geriatric psychiatry through the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Scholars Program.

Surprising fact: I enjoy creating art, writing stories, and composing music. One of my works – a painting that won an award in an art competition – was once exhibited at the U.S. Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C.

Future plans: I plan to head to Johns Hopkins for my psychiatry residency and am interested in a geriatric psychiatry fellowship afterward.

About the award: The Sulkin-Schein Award recognizes a medical student who has demonstrated compassion, keen interest, and commitment to the care of older adults. The award is named in honor of Mrs. Schein, a longtime supporter of UT Southwestern who bequeathed funds to promote geriatrics as a career path for medical students. She died in 2007 at the age of 89.