Dr. Anthony Chin-Quee’s story offers a hopeful example of a pathway through medicine. 

Early Interests And Entry To Medicine

Dr. Chin-Quee grew up in an immigrant family that strongly emphasized traditional careers like medicine. 

Bright as a child, he also had a creative spark and was drawn to the arts and performance. He performed in theater productions and was in an acapella group during his undergraduate years of college. However, he ultimately decided to pursue medicine. 

Dr. Chin-Quee excelled as a pre-med student and gained acceptance to a top medical school, setting off on a path he thought would bring him fulfillment in helping others.

Losing His Creative Side In Medicine

The demanding path of medical training stifled Dr. Chin-Quee’s creative passions. 

Between intense studying and long hours at the hospital, he found it hard to make time for artistic pursuits. The music and performance that had once brought him joy took a backseat during medical school and residency. 

Being a doctor became his sole focus and identity. 

Finding His Way Back To Creativity

After years of ignoring his creative passions and battling depression, he was put on leave from his residency. During this time he realized that reclaiming his creativity and self-expression was vital to his happiness and fulfillment. 

It was time to bring the arts back into his life.

Dr. Chin-Quee gradually reintroduced artistic and creative pursuits into his daily routine. He ventured into performing at local open mic and storytelling nights, rediscovering his love for the stage and the power of storytelling. Here, he stumbled upon The Moth, a renowned live storytelling organization. 

Sharing his experiences in the medical field through storytelling reignited his passion for writing. 

His positive reception at these events inspired him to write a memoir, “I Can’t Save You,” chronicling his journey through medicine.

Leaving Clinical Medicine

Despite successfully completing medical school and residency, he found that clinical medicine did not bring him fulfillment. 

He had followed the expected path and achieved his dream of becoming a physician, but the work left him uninspired and unsatisfied.

Ready for a radical change, he left clinical practice behind. He transitioned into a career as a medical advisor and writer for television shows, where he found joy in the creative collaboration and the storytelling process. Here, his medical background proved invaluable in his creative endeavors. 

He leveraged his medical knowledge to add depth and authenticity to his new ventures.

Don’t Miss Out On Our Conversation With Dr. Anthony Chin-Quee

Author, Television Writer, and Board Certified Otolaryngologist Dr Anthony Chin-Quee joins the Glaucomfleckens to rank the five senses, before talking about his path to medicine from growing up in Brooklyn within an immigrant family to studying at Harvard, sharing his experience with depression while studying and working, and explains why he left the field of medicine to work in Hollywood.