Phuoc Tran , MD, PhD

University of Maryland Medical Center

Born in what is now known as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Phuoc Tran, MD, PhD, was only 11 months old when Saigon fell. He and his parents immigrated from Vietnam to San Diego and lived in a refugee camp until he was two years old. The next 21 years of Dr. Tran’s childhood were spent in San Diego, until he left to go to medical school at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. He then traded the west coast for the east and worked at John Hopkins University starting in 2009. Dr. Tran now serves as the Vice Chair of Research at University of Maryland Medical Center.

Dr. Tran has had many mentors who helped him find direction in his career. He wants to pass on the same mentorship to his mentees. “I would say most people need some guidance. Some people, like me, need a lot of guidance. Having good mentors can make a world of difference.” Says Dr. Tran. He says he is the proudest of seeing his mentees go beyond what they envisioned for themselves. It is clear this sentiment is successfully reflected in his work. One of Dr. Tran's mentees said, “He has been a driving force in guiding me through many projects and grant applications and taken the time, much more than anyone I’ve ever worked with, to meticulously educate me on how to be successful in these endeavors.”

Dr. Tran did not expect the experience of mentorship to have such a big impact on his career. He says that when you work in a lab or at a teaching hospital, you are automatically thrust into a mentorship position. This is not to say that mentors do not learn just as much from their mentees. Dr. Tran says the biggest thing he has learned as a mentor is, “don’t assume that you know the right way and that your way is the only way.”