Family Matters

Dr. Wong delivers decades of care to Stockton community

BY JO ANN KIRBY

It’s all about family for the 2023 recipient of the San Joaquin Medical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Robin Wong, a champion of family medicine, has cared for patients from cradle to grave in the footsteps of his late trailblazing mother, Dr. Dora Lee, who nurtured his interest in medicine before inviting him to join her practice. Today, more than four decades later, he still demonstrates that family matters as his wife and daughter work by his side along with loyal staff who seem more like kin. >>

The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient must demonstrate dedication, community involvement and leadership — qualities Dr. Kwabena Adubofour cited when nominating Dr. Wong, singling out his roles as past president of the San Joaquin Medical Society as well as a long-term board member and district delegate; his commitment to mentoring, his role in the health education of the local Chinese community, and his longevity as a primary care physician.

One of the rare doctors to still operate a solo practice, Dr. Wong’s old school paper charts for each of his patients belies a lifelong learner who works tirelessly to stay abreast of the latest in medicine so that he can handle the care of his patients until they are able to see a specialist, if needed.

“I might be the last family medicine physician in private practice who delivered babies,” he said at his California Street office, shelves upon shelves of those manila file folders visible past the front counter. “I miss delivering babies but right now I’m focused more on an aging population.”

At 74, Dr. Wong has no plans to immediately retire unless the key member of staff who runs the front office, Tina Zavala, beats him to it. Being a doctor is a dream job for Dr. Wong and the culmination of a pact he made with his childhood friend. It’s not so easy to hang up the stethoscope.

“My friendship with him is what inspired me to become a doctor. We got to go and visit his mother’s office on our way home from school. His mom, Dora Lee, was quite a woman. She was one of the first woman doctors in Stockton. We made a pact that we would become doctors then,” his friend Dr. Timothy Coates said. “Family physicians, we get taught that because of the family moniker, we should take care of everyone in the family, and we get to know them and treat each one with respect. Robin does that very well. He’s honest, forthright, easy to understand and always does the right thing.”

That might be the Boy Scout in him. Along with his mother and his father, a well-known professional commercial photographer in Stockton, Scouting made a lasting impression. “What influenced me a lot when I grew up was scouting, Cub, Boy and Explorer. I was able to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.” In addition to numerous Scouting become a doctor. We got to go and visit his mother’s office on our way home from school. His mom, Dora Lee, was quite a woman. She was one of the first woman doctors in Stockton. We made a pact that we would become doctors then.”

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awards, he grew into a young man who possessed a love of the outdoors, the ability to do things independently, and a knowledge of safety as well as first aid.

He would go on to earn his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and headed to medical school at Automous University of Guadalajara, graduating in 1975. “I then went to UC Irvine, which took three people per year for a fifth-year pathway, and that was a key moment in me being able to continue my education in the U.S. I think when I die, I’m going to donate some money to them,” he said, laughing. “You have to have brains, but you also have to have luck.”

He came back to the Valley to do his residency and internship before starting work with his mother, who also invited Dr. Coates to come on board, as well.

He was awarded the degree of Fellow by the American Academy of Family Physicians in 1994. He served as chief of staff at St. Joseph’s Medical Center from January 2003 to December 2005 and as president of its community board from

July 2011 to July 2013. “Serving as chief of staff is challenging, you are overseeing doctors, attending so many meetings and also you have your own practice,” he said. During his tenure as with St. Joe’s, the hospital underwent a Joint Commission survey. “You want your hospital to be recognized for excellent quality and safety. It was an honor, and it was very challenging,” he said.

Together with his wife Clara, they share three children, Nicholas, Joel and Natalie, who is his accounts manager and certified medical coder/ biller for the office. Dr. Wong is a proud father and grandfather. He’s also immensely grateful for his wife. They are coming up on their 45th wedding anniversary. He met his her on a trip to Taiwan, when she was his tour guide at one of his tourist stops. “Later that afternoon in Taipei, I spotted her, and I told my friend that we needed to take her out to dinner,” he said. Natalie still marvels at their chance second encounter that day and calls it fate. Clara has been a steadfast and supportive partner at home and in the office, “taking care of all the things no one else wants to,” she said. What’s it like for Natalie working with dad? “He’s a good boss,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot from him from his interaction with patients. They have a lot of trust and confidence in him.” She is also impressed with the lengths he goes to keep abreast of the latest medical breakthroughs — always learning so that he can help his patients. But most of all, she says what makes him a great doctor is that he takes time to listen to his patients.

In his spare time, he enjoys running and has competed in more than a half dozen marathons “It’s my peace time. I think about my patients. I think about what I need to do for the day,” he said. He loves traveling and dabbles in cooking. He has been an avid golfer and enjoyed skiing. At age 60, he and his daughter became scuba certified. But that hobby was short-lived. “I went a couple of times, but my wife said it’s too dangerous,” he said.

He enjoys hanging out with his three grandsons. Clearly, he would have enough to keep him occupied in retirement. But he feels like his patients still need him and he’s concerned about the shortage of physicians that continues to plague the area. He is a big champion of mentoring and is proud to have inspired a former patient to become a doctor.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Dr. Wong on June 4, just 22 years after his mother received the same award.