Dr. Irvin Huang

Because access to care is not always guaranteed, we’ve been working to help close the gap on the nation’s rheumatologist shortage through our fellowship initiative. In June, we announced five new fellowship awards for 2018. One of those grants was offered to the University of Washington (UW), which recently announced that the fellowship will be awarded to Irvin Huang, doctor of osteopathic (DO) medicine.

Dr. Huang became interested in medicine as a young child after being inspired by the free health care he received from a student-run clinic serving the local indigent and immigrant communities near his childhood home in California.
From there, he pursued his undergraduate studies in biological sciences at the University of California, Davis. During those years, he volunteered as a patient advocate and interpreter for Chinese immigrants at the very same free clinic that helped him in his youth. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree, he continued his volunteer work at the clinic and established a referral system that streamlined patient access to more advanced medical care at the local county hospital.

Dr. Huang attended medical school at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona and completed his postgraduate training in Portland, Oregon. He completed the UW internal medicine residency program in Boise, Idaho. Residents in the UW Boise internal medicine residency program train at all three of the major hospitals in the area, which exposes them to unique patient populations at each hospital and provides a well-rounded resident education. While there, Dr. Huang gained an interest in rheumatology.

Dr. Huang was recently chosen for the rheumatology fellowship at UW in Seattle. This program provides regional support for five states. They also work with underserved Native Americans. UW has a history of excellence in academic training, with strong interactions between the adult and pediatric training programs.

Dr. Huang is excited about this program because it offers him the opportunity to care for a diverse population with complex diseases and form long-term relationships with his patients. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our fellowship program is helping Dr. Huang as a first-year fellow in rheumatology at UW.