Advocacy Leader Series #2

Interviewee: Dr. K. John Yun, MD, FACS

Biography:

Dr. Yun is an otolaryngologist with Heartland ENT & Allergy Center, specializing in facial plastics, ear, nose, throat, allergy, endocrine, head and neck surgery. Dr. Yun serves his profession and advocates for his patients by being involved as leader in many organized medical societies of local, state and national.

Dr. Yun was recognized and awarded in 2011 at the “60 Years of Korea Medicine” celebration in New York City by Chin, Soo Hee, Health and Welfare Minister of South Korea for service to KAMA and the Korean-American community for his role in obtaining historic voting privilege in the AMA for KAMA as the first ethnic medical society. For the past twenty plus years, he has been a part of the American Medical Association in various capacities as Delegate of Specialty, Service, and Society Representative of KAMA and also as Kentucky delegation serving as Board of Trustee of the Kentucky Medical Association. For his services for KAMA, he was awarded Leadership and Service Award in 2004 and Chai Chang Choi Award in 2017. He has authored a number of academic journal articles and still closely involves himself in teaching by serving as clinical professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Yun has lectured to local, national, and international colleagues and for his dedication in teaching, Dr. Yun was nominated and awarded by medical students for Excellence in Teaching Award in 2016.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. This can include your personal upbringings, educational background, etc.

I immigrated to Kansas City, Missouri at age 11 from Seoul in 1971 along with my family and grew up in the Midwest as a 1.5 generation immigrant. My father having a stroke within one year of arriving in the US, left me in a foreign land with language and cultural barriers, racial discriminations, and economic hardship. Not having any Asians around, I was the token one. If I was to stick out like a sore thumb, I wanted to do good and admirable things. I was determined to succeed and realized that America offered opportunities to do so and make my dreams come true if I worked hard at it. I engaged in sports, theatrics, academic teams, many clubs and graduated valedictorian of my high school. I went on to attend the Washington University in St. Louis graduating with a major in Biology, Sociology and a minor in Chemistry. Then, I graduated from University of Minnesota School of Medicine and completed residency in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at West Virginia University Hospital. I have been in private practice in Elizabethtown, Kentucky for the past 31 years. My three children are also in medicine with Chris in Orthopedic Surgery, Johanna in Neurology, and Angelica in Internal Medicine. Most recently on August 19, 2023, I was inaugurated as the first 1.5-generation President of the Federation of Midwest Korean American Associations and hope to engage in activities and actions bridging the two generations and be of service to all Korean-Americans.

How did you fall into the health advocacy space?

I really did not know much about advocacy or had exposure to organized medicine until I was out of medical school and residency. I was too busy with the day-to-day responsibilities of studying and working. However, I knew at the time I was graduating from medical school that the rumor was that the time for private practice in medicine was limited. In the 80’s, we were bombarded with HMOs and capitulation on top of the AIDS epidemic. I have decided to forego academic medicine and instead went into private practice while the chance still existed. While in private practice, I realized the realities of practicing medicine and its many obstacles firsthand. In order to bring change for the improvement of patient care and to sustain a viable practice, advocacy was vital for our profession in the ever-changing healthcare arena. I have admiration for many of my predecessors in the field of medicine for championing important advocacy issues especially when it comes to patient care and extending private practice viability for over 30 years all due to persistent advocacy. When the opportunity came in local, state, national and specialty organized medicine, I began participating in giving back to my profession for the past 30 plus years because if you want substantial change, you need to pursue larger platforms.

What motivates you every day to be the best physician you can be and to be a health advocate for your patients?

I think you have to have passion and compassion for what you do day in and day out in our profession. Sure – there are times where you are overworked and don’t have much time to talk to patients, but when you do, patients open up about all kinds of issues at hand coming from their point of view. This is where you can make a difference by helping them with compliance and their pocketbook as well as for patients to understand our issues with paperwork, EMR and difficulty with health insurance demands. This also allows me to advocate for them through organized medicine. My motivation comes from the gratification I get from making patients better and resolving their problems. I enjoy the fact that I can make a difference in each of my patient’s lives.

What do you believe are some of the key barriers to health equity faced by AAPI communities (especially Korean communities), and what strategies do you believe we should employ to address these challenges?

When it comes to healthcare access for all, regardless of ethnicity, several factors come into play. These include issues related to access, health literacy, and sometimes financial constraints. However, for ethnic populations, like the AAPI community, the primary barriers often stem from language obstacles, particularly for first-generation immigrants. Young and educated immigrants possess the ability to access information available on the internet and can effectively navigate their healthcare needs. In contrast, individuals with language barriers and low health literacy rely on others for assistance. These individuals actively seek Korean-speaking physicians, which often leads them to settle in larger cities, among other factors. Many of them turn to YouTube for access to healthcare information, and it is imperative for the healthcare profession to engage in assisting them in accessing healthcare services in the United States and providing education.

Some of the information available on YouTube from Korean sources is valuable, but there is also a substantial amount of misleading content, especially evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is crucial for our healthcare system to collaborate with organizations like the Korean American Medical Association to develop educational materials. These materials should not only be disseminated through YouTube but also through various Korean American associations across the United States.

Can you share any notable outcomes or success stories related to health advocacy that you feel especially proud of?

Several years ago, I visited Senator Bunning of Kentucky in Washington, D.C., where he had sponsored a bill that we vehemently opposed. The bill, we believed, would enable direct access for Medicare patients to a group of professionals solely for financial gain. Initially, Senator Bunning was unaware that he had signed on as a sponsor, and this revelation greatly embarrassed him. We took the opportunity to explain that this bill could lead to delays in access for patients with medical conditions, providing specific examples to illustrate our concerns.

The very next day, Senator Bunning removed his name from the list of sponsors, and ultimately, the bill was defeated. It became evident that politicians often have limited knowledge of the many issues they vote on, highlighting the need for comprehensive education. Some lawmakers are motivated to educate themselves further about these issues before casting their votes, while others rely on interest groups to provide them with information. This underscores the crucial importance of advocacy in our political system.

What are your hopes and aspirations for the future of AAPI health and well-being, and how do you see your work contributing to that vision?

I believe that as long as new immigrants continue to arrive in the US from non-English speaking Asian countries, we will consistently encounter both language and cultural barriers. Furthermore, healthcare disparities in terms of access and health literacy will persist. While our efforts for the Korean American communities are important, it is crucial that we look to the future and come together with other Asian communities to share ideas and advocate collectively.

In Kentucky, I have served on the board of the Asian Institute-Crane House, an Asian cultural center, and have been actively involved in cultural events and healthcare disparity forums. We have also joined forces for events like vigils and campaigns to raise awareness about hate crimes against Asians, collaborating with local politicians. It is imperative that we identify common issues and collaborate to amplify our voices and impact. Looking ahead, we should aim to identify bilingual leaders within each ethnic group who can envision the broader benefits of working together.