Ruth Wang, MD is a first-generation Taiwanese American from San Diego, California, where she grew up in a multilingual immigrant household. Witnessing the health inequities in her hometown—from high rates of homelessness to the struggles faced by immigrant and border communities—inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.

She studied biology, neuroscience, and Spanish at the University of Pittsburgh, then taught high school biology in Las Vegas through Teach For America while earning her master’s in education. She went on to attend medical school at UC San Diego and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Throughout her training, Ruth pursued work aligned with her commitment to equity, including global health experiences in Mexico, South Africa, and Peru, leadership in civic engagement and voter registration projects, and advocacy for language-concordant care. She is particularly interested in tropical medicine, border health, and immigrant health.

Ruth joined the HEAL fellowship to continue serving resource-denied communities while growing as a clinician-advocate and systems-level thinker. She is especially looking forward to returning home to San Diego, working alongside interdisciplinary colleagues, and building lasting partnerships through HEAL’s immersive and justice-driven model.