BUT WHAT ABOUT
Who’s Chen Chen?
I am currently a medical student at UCLA School of Medicine with an interest in global health. I completed a Masters of Global Affairs in Beijing, China as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, a fully-funded international leadership program in Beijing “designed for future leaders who will deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world.” I graduated cum laude from Duke University with distinction in both Biology (BS) and Public Policy (BA), in addition to completing the certificate program in Journalism.
During my time in China, I interned at the China CDC in Beijing and learned about public health leadership and collaboration. After coming back to the US, I worked as a Community Reporting Fellow for KTOO Public Media in Juneau, Alaska. Then, I moved to Washington DC to write for ThinkGlobalHealth.org at the Council on Foreign Relations and worked toward carving out a career in global health, medicine and communication.
My lived experiences as a multicultural citizen, competitive figure skater and adventurer guide my storytelling. I’m convinced that there is no one too different, no place too far and no voice too small to listen to, appreciate and learn from.
Born in the fishing-village-turned-megacity of Shenzhen, I moved to Ohio when I was 5. My childhood was spent going back and forth between the American Midwest and the tech metropolis of China—including attending (public) middle school in China where I relearned Chinese and reconnected to my roots.
As a figure skater, I traveled around the US and to Russia, Canada, China and Turkey for training and I am a USFSA National Double Gold Medalist. Even after ending my competitive skating career, the love for exploring, pushing my limits and interacting with diverse people and cultures stayed with me.
I’ve been to all 7 continents and have been inspired by women and girls that I’ve met in over 40 countries. I’m a licensed private pilot, a PADI certified scuba diver and I’ve worked as a trip leader at my university’s climbing gym where I obtained my Wilderness First Responder certification.
Whether it’s academic research or journalistic reporting, I focus on finding the story in each issue, providing facts and nuance from experts, and structuring my narrative around the systemic issues shaped by identity and public policy.
Contact
email: cyuexuan[at]gmail.com
Grants and Fellowships
Alaska Press Club Award: Best Short Feature
Statewide award for third place recognizing my coverage on Alaskan-Iranians and their experiences of the protests in Iran for “Women, Life, Freedom.”
Schwarzman Scholar
Fully funded Master of Global Affairs at Tsinghua University where I’m among 140 scholars chosen from more than 3,600 applicants worldwide, selected on the basis of “leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to understand other cultures”
Merritt Science Communications Award Honorable Mention
Honors an undergraduate student for an outstanding article explaining a scientific topic; Recognized by judges for “ability to capture, in depth, the firsthand experience of a provider on the front lines of the pandemic through interviews conducted in Mandarin”
Kenan Ethics Fellowship Recipient
Summer funding for an Asia wildlife trafficking investigative project looking at the connections between Traditional Chinese Medicine and new wildlife protection laws implemented in China as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
DukeEngage Independent Project Grant
8-weeks of competitive project funding for my internship in Durban, South Africa with Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism
Duke Undergraduate Research Support Remote Summer Project Award
Researching equitable health interventions for the COVID-19 pandemic and TB care in Mexicali, Baja California for Advanced Access & Delivery NGO.