MEET YOUR NEW SFMMS PRESIDENT: Heyman

Oo, MD, MPH

Why did you choose a career in medicine?

Both of my parents trained as physicians in Burma, where it was less of a choice and more of an expectation for learners tracked into certain fields from an early age. Neither of my parents pursued recertification when given the choice after immigrating to the US. Therefore, I grew up only peripherally aware of medicine as a career path, and as not a particularly inspiring one. It was not until college, when I spent a summer in a Thai border town teaching refugees at a local clinic, that my interest in medicine blossomed. I realized the physicians I met there were not only clinicians, but also teachers, humanitarians, public health experts and adventurers. For the first time, I saw medicine as an opportunity to combine my various interests in science, humanism, activism, and public service.

Why did you choose your medical specialty?

I love working with kids because of the way they keep us adults honest. They do not tolerate our pretenses and are quick to see through hypocrisy. Additionally, parents, on the whole, are also much more willing to engage in hard conversations and make difficult decisions and lifestyle changes for the sake of their children in a way that they may not do for themselves (like quitting smoking). I find caring for the whole family makes my work even more impactful than if I were caring for a single patient.

Why are you

a member of SFMMS?

Being a member of SFMMS positions me to be a physician advocate at the table with policy makers. Early on in my training, it became clear that many “social factors” beyond the walls of the clinic room or hospital bed shaped the health outcomes of my patients. Whether or not a patient could afford their chronic disease medications was a root cause for why they were hospitalized. Whether or not a child had a safe, easilyaccessible outdoor space to exercise and play deeply impacted if and when they developed metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes. Whether a family had insurance or documentation was critical in whether they were able to seek out and receive the same level of healthcare services as another person. Rather than viewing these factors as beyond or outside of my responsibility as a physician, I believe they are core to our role as healers who aspire to treat all patients with dignity. As patient advocates, strengthened by collective voice and action, we can guide policymakers regarding these connections to health.

Can you tell us about any goals you hope to accomplish as SFMMS President?

I have been impressed by how SFMMS membership has grown and flourished despite the challenges of recent years, how we have increased physician engagement, and how we have provided even more value to members through our advocacy, activities and events. A recent survey of our Board of Directors underscored the primacy of activism as a core value. As SFMMS President, I plan to develop and expand opportunities for direct activism for our members both locally and at the state level. We have plans to offer skill-building workshops throughout next year and are looking for ways to expand and grow the influence of our SFMMS Political Action Committee (PAC). Also, having benefited immensely from mentors throughout my career, I am sensitive to the importance of investing

Interview by Steve Heilig, MPH

in physician leadership pipeline and would like to develop partnerships with our many excellent training programs in the area to encourage and nurture a foundation of physician advocacy and leadership early in a trainee’s career.

What are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that you see for healthcare in the next 3-5 years?

I see physician burnout/early career exit as the most salient challenge for our healthcare system. This stems from many problems of the current healthcare system such as consolidation, profit-driven rather than patient-driven incentives, lack of physician autonomy and practice control, increased administrative burden, and so on. As self-sacrificing members of a healing profession, we physicians have often deferred our own priorities and needs until, at present, we arrive at a breaking point.

Legislators, policy makers, hospital CEOs and other non-clinician administrators must really start to listen to physicians and representative organizations like SFMMS and the CMA to change these structural issues. For example, we can align incentives to encourage patient quality metrics rather than visit numbers, we can develop innovative ways to reward effective, team-based care, we can streamline documentation and prior approvals processes; in doing so, we can allow physicians to get back to spending time taking care of patients, rather than being a “cog in the wheel.”

What about you would surprise our members?

I love to host themed dinner parties that bridge the many cultures and traditions of my family and friends. For example, we host an annual dumpling-making party around Lunar New Year and back in medical school, my classmates and I made 700 dumplings by hand one year! Our family whips up latkes for Hanukkah and cranks out tamales and buñuelos for Christmas and I’m always looking for new and delicious traditions to explore.

Any advice for new physicians transitioning into practice from residency?

There are many stages in your career ahead, and your first job out of residency will not, and probably should not, be your last job. It can be stressful to not have a clear next step provided for you after so many years of achieving milestone after milestone. View career uncertainty as a gift of freedom and space to “choose your own adventure.” Everyone’s personal situation is different, and of course, medical education debt is often a central consideration. However, whenever possible, I encourage newly graduated physicians to reflect on what is most important to them about a potential new job, whether it is location, schedule flexibility, patient mix, mentorship/leadership opportunities or something else.

If you weren’t a physician, what profession would you most like to try?

I am obsessed with food and probably have watched too many Netflix cooking shows, but I think it would be interesting and fulfilling to open a small restaurant or food truck. It would be grueling work, but I can easily envision myself crafting meals with heart and soul, making people happy with my cooking, and receiving immense joy in return.