Daniel Liauw
Daniel Liauw is a second-year medical student at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where he also plans on earning an MPH. Born in Los Angeles, but raised in Indonesia and China, Daniel returned to the U.S. for his undergraduate studies in Polymer Chemistry and Music at UNC Chapel Hill. Before starting medical school, he spent time as a medical scribe and researcher at a private oncology clinic in Cary, NC, further developing his interest in hematology/oncology.
While in medical school, Daniel has served with the Student National Medical Association to support underrepresented minority medical students and address the needs of underserved communities. Through the Intimate Partner Violence Advocacy and Awareness Group, he has also assisted local high schools and hospitals in creating programs to raise awareness for domestic violence, the most common cause of injury in women and a serious, preventable health problem. Aside from medicine, Daniel enjoys learning new musical instruments, playing in chamber ensembles, traveling and (more importantly) tasting new cuisines while traveling.
Project: "Expanding the Use of Cell Blocks (CBs) for Lymphoma Diagnosis and Research in a Resource-Limited Environment Resource-Limited Environment"
June 1, 2016 - July 26, 2016
Malawi
What does the Kean Fellowship mean to you?
I am honored to be receiving the Kean Fellowship, knowing that my research is supported by the larger tropical medicine and global health community. I am also encouraged by the society’s recognition of diagnostic pathology in limited-resource settings as an important object of study in tropical countries. The support has eased the logistics inherent with seeking out enriching international experiences.
What do you anticipate learning?
I expect to develop a better understanding of the cultural perception of disease and healthcare in Malawi, observing potential cultural barriers to communication and trust and how to overcome them. On this first professional experience abroad, I hope to further my research skills in quantitative data collection and analysis in preparation for a Master of Public Health degree.
What interests you about tropical medicine and what problems are you interested in solving?
What currently interests me most about tropical medicine is its demand for an incorporation of existing clinical knowledge to sustainable, cost-effective, efficient solutions in order to tackle pressing health issues. Often within the confines of a resource-limited setting, it demands innovative, high-quality research in service of marginalized populations. I hope my continued research will help inform our understanding of the epidemiology of non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, among HIV-infected persons, thereby increasing access to and quality of care.