ArMA Member Spotlight: Vivian W. Huang, MD, MPH
We are honored to introduce this month's ArMA Member Spotlight, Vivian W. Huang, MD, MPH! Dr. Huang is a trained internal medicine & preventive medicine/public health physician with close to 20 years of experience in clinical medicine and international & domestic public health. Currently, Dr. Huang serves as the Senior Medical Science Liaison for Novavax. Within ArMA, Dr. Huang is a member of the newly-established Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Taskforce.
In her interview for our Member Spotlight, Dr. Huang shares details of her work with Doctors Without Borders and her harrowing journey from Syria to Turkey in 2013. Filled with a passion for the great outdoors and peer connections, Dr. Huang continues to support and nurture the health of patients in Arizona and beyond.
Learn all about Dr. Huang's journey with medicine below!
What's a project you're working on right now? Why is it meaningful to you?
I’d like to see more COVID-19 vaccination uptake as we see increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the country. Some of our best tools still are getting vaccinated, wearing a mask, and staying home if sick. It is meaningful to me to see fewer people infected with COVID-19 so we can further prevent people from dying prematurely.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I have spent time in a war zone with shellings happening every night, and I am lucky to have made it out of Syria in one piece. I previously worked with Doctors Without Borders and was on an emergency assignment to Syria in 2013 because there was desperate medical need. While I was in the country seeing patients in an outpatient clinic, sarin gas was released allegedly by the Assad regime. At the same time, an American and Prescott resident aid worker Kayla Mueller was taken captive after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, and was killed by ISIS. When this occurred, my entire team was evacuated to Turkey. We stayed in Turkey for a few weeks due to political unrest and finally returned home. After my return home, I learned that the team that relieved us were kidnapped and held in captivity for 6 months. I am eternally grateful to be alive today.
What do you like best about living in Arizona?
The outdoors here are unbelievable for those who enjoy being with nature as much as possible. I love the hiking, trail running (although I am still a novice), road running, mountain biking, and birding that exist here in Arizona. The nature is healing and is the best medicine.
What has been the biggest change in your career?
I have spent much of my career in clinical medicine and public health. I am a trained preventive medicine physician and have worked for several local health departments, including New York City and Maricopa County, AZ. After responding to COVID-19 in NYC with the NYC Health Department, I was really tired and exhausted. I needed to take a break. I have worked for Dynavax, a vaccine company that manufactures Heplisav, the 2-dose adult hepatitis B vaccine. I tried one last time to work in public health at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and saw one of the very few ocular mpox cases from the recent 2022 outbreak. Another outbreak on the heels of a global pandemic nailed the public health coffin shut for me. I have since gone back to the vaccine industry where I can still make an impact with prevention and vaccines. I now work for Novavax, which manufactures the only non-mRNA, protein-based, adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in the US.
What song has been on repeat lately?
This Land is Your Land, originally by Woody Guthrie. I love this song and what it symbolizes about our country. It is a place for all of us.
What prompted you to become involved in organized medicine?
I enjoy learning from other physicians as to what currently are the medical concerns from a local context. I find an exchange of ideas helps us all to do our work better. It’s also a great way to meet other like-minded people and have a little bit of relaxation and socialization with peers. We can make positive change together as a community.
