As the daughter of immigrants whose father practiced medicine in a small Pennsylvania coal-mining town, Judy Jang ’03 MD’07 knew from an early age that she wanted to be a doctor—but she also loved visual arts and was interested in economics. She chose Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education so she could “do all of it,” she says.

After medical school, Jang completed an internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine and joined their faculty. She returned to Brown in 2016 as an assistant dean of medicine, PLME advising, and assistant professor of medicine, and she practices nephrology in Fall River, MA.

Like many of her PLME peers, Medicine@Brown editorial intern Gabriella Lui celebrated when Jang was appointed associate dean for the program in February. The opportunity to interview her felt like talking to a classmate in the future—the PLME experience transcends time. Hearing her reminisce on her time as a student and her plans to shape the program as its dean made it clear the pride, history, care, and love that Jang has and will pour into this program for years to come.

How does it feel to go from being a PLME student to the dean?

It feels very surreal, to be honest. It’s incredible. It’s obviously not something you think about when you’re a PLME student. A lot of my thoughts are rooted in the tremendous investment that the PLME and its mentors placed in me. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity and to follow in the footsteps of one of my mentors, Dean [Julianne] Ip [’75 MD’78 RES’81, P’18, the inaugural PLME dean].

Did PLME impact the way you are practicing as a doctor today?

Definitely. Being afforded the opportunity to go after your passions changes you as a person—it just makes you a more holistic and humanistic physician.

PLME has changed my path and that of many of my classmates. It offers you such a different perspective of medicine early on. And even if you do something that’s completely unrelated to medicine while you’re in undergrad, when you come back to medicine, it gives you a greater appreciation of it.

How has the program changed since you were a PLME?

The commitment and investment of the advising team has always been present, and strongly student focused. A lot of the staple programs have not changed, like Whole Patient Program. But that’s not to say there isn’t room for growth. There’s opportunity to bring in new curricula. Student experiences in the clinical setting can start much earlier. Having more panels about physicians and their experiences, both within and outside of medicine, to show students that even though you are a physician, that’s only one part of your identity.

What might the PLME look like under your direction in, say, 10 years?

We serve the legacy of those who have come before us, and the PLME that was built is amazing. I’ve heard so many students and alumni say that if it weren’t for the PLME, they would not have become doctors. My general sense is to continue to encourage students who may not have the opportunity, or may not necessarily know all the ins and outs of medicine, to really find their passion within medicine. Short term and long term, that would be one of my biggest goals. That’s always been the ethos of the program in terms of encouraging students to be the best whole physician that they can be.

But the PLME offers us a unique opportunity to start the training of becoming a physician earlier. I look forward to introducing other ways for students to explore medicine. We’re thinking of revamping Medicine in Action. For example, [Liza] Aguiar [’04 MD’08 RES’13, assistant dean, PLME advising], a urologist, has suggested having students go in robotics simulation labs to give students exposure and experience. She also holds the PLME suturing workshop. I think the goal is just being creative in the ways we present this message to students while still maintaining that foundation.

Why are programs like PLME so important for aspiring physicians?

There are so many talented students out there, and we have many of them who come from different backgrounds, different places, with different circumstances. Our goal is to offer this opportunity to students who possess a drive and a passion to become physicians but may not necessarily have the resources or knowledge to negotiate that path.

The PLME’s always been a little bit different in its a non-accelerated nature. It has a core set of requirements, but beyond that, you’re a Brown student and you’re encouraged to explore the Open Curriculum. We encourage you to expand your horizons, take risks, and learn from your mistakes. You can go abroad in the summer through the PLME. You have your whole lives ahead of you to pursue medicine, but this is really your one chance in college to take advantage of all these opportunities and choices. Having that different bend and approach to your education makes your journey different than those who had to follow standard pre-med requirements—it’s a different path and, in my opinion, a better one.

I believe in the program. I’m a product of the program. It’s a unique privilege to be given the freedom of exploration in undergrad while still getting a taste of medicine and knowing that it is what you ultimately want to do.

What’s the best part of your job?

The students, hands down. As a student, I was so bonded to the program. I felt so supported as a student, so I love meeting with students and giving back some of what was invested in me.

The other part of it is working with the amazing team that we’ve built. We all have a common goal to see you become the best possible physicians you can be. This really isn’t a job for us—it’s a passion project.