Both my father and grandfather are physicians. Growing up, I was constantly reminded of my family’s generational ties to medicine. Since early childhood, dinner conversations nudged me down the same career path. We discussed the honor of working in healthcare. My father frequently praised the stability of his profession and the social respect that comes with the title “Dr.”. His reason for going into medicine was always the same, to help others. Years of these conversations solidified a single, stagnant perception of a physician's career. Yet, as I learned more about my familial lineage and its ties with medicine. I grew increasingly aware of how our interpretations of the medical profession differed.
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In 1965, at the onset of China’s Cultural Revolution, Chairman Mao Ze Dong enacted the June 26th directive  to increase access to healthcare in rural villages. This initiative led to  thousands of young farmers being mobilized to become “half-physicians-half farmers” (Harvard).These physicians were colloquially known as barefoot doctors, as they often worked barefoot in the rice paddies. They received minimal training and immediately practiced medicine after returning to their respective villages. While their training emphasized western medicines, they also trained in acupuncture and herbal medicine. They were their village’s primary contact for every form of medical service from the common cold, to natural births and other surgeries.
In 1965, my grandfather was chosen to become his village's first barefoot doctor. This marked the beginning of my family’s close relationship with medicine. Years later, my father followed in his footsteps and became a physician as well. He was first certified in China, then re-trained and certified in America.
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In this project, I use oral history, collage, and poetry to explore how medical practice has shifted across the generations of my family. I examine the elasticity of the medical profession and how its meaning and significance changes with different times, cultures, and geographies. The project includes three chronological storylines. Each highlights the main turning points in our relationships with the physician career. They are displayed side by side to allow for comparison between our unique narratives. Each storyline begins with the physician’s motivation for going into medicine, their training, practice, and self-reflection on their work. Through this project, I provide a glimpse at how our perceptions of medicine, our motivations, training, and culture influence our understanding of the field. I encourage others to view medicine as not a monolith of a subject, but a complex and changing field that is influenced by history, culture and politics.