Physician Opts for First-Name Introduction, Challenging Customary Medical Protocol
Oakland, CA – In a move reflecting a growing conversation around identity and patient interaction, Dr. Jennifer Tsai, an emergency medicine physician in Oakland, California, has chosen to introduce herself to patients as “Jenny,” rather than “Dr. Tsai.” The decision, detailed in a recent personal essay, stems from a complex negotiation between honoring her family’s sacrifices, navigating perceptions of professional authority, and asserting her own sense of self within the medical field.
Dr. Tsai recounts experiences where her authority as a physician was questioned, despite her extensive training – a “squillion dollars” invested in medical education, as she puts it, and years of “blood, sweat, tears, and telomeres.” She acknowledges a pervasive pressure to conform to traditional expectations of how a doctor should look and behave, recalling a medical school orientation where a rotation director shared a personal story of having her skills dismissed due to her appearance.
While recognizing the impact of perception, dr. Tsai actively rejects the idea that she needs to alter herself to gain respect. She points to the burgeoning “I look like a doctor” movement online, celebrating the diversity of medical professionals, and admits to the exhaustion of constantly trying to meet external expectations.
“It’s exhausting.At some point, I cannot keep bending or bowing to these extra expectations at this cost,” she writes. Ultimately, she arrived at a place of self-acceptance: “Whether or not I look like a doctor, I am one.”
However, the decision to introduce herself as Jenny is also deeply personal. Dr. Tsai’s father worked tirelessly to provide her with the opportunities to achieve her dream of becoming Dr.Tsai, and she initially worried about diminishing his legacy by not emphasizing her formal title.She notes her mother’s anxieties about a potential spouse’s reaction to her not using her full name,and acknowledges not knowing her father’s thoughts on the matter.
Despite these concerns, Dr. Tsai has chosen to prioritize her own sense of identity. She describes a feeling of “voluntary undoing” when she observes her name being simplified or mispronounced, viewing it as a ”splintered inheritance.”
“Maybe honoring my family doesn’t require me to perseverate on pronunciation or professionalism,” she reflects. “Maybe the real betrayal is forcing myself to fit.”
Dr. Tsai’s choice is framed as an exercise in self-determination, a reclaiming of agency. She hopes her experience will empower others to define themselves on their own terms.
“I am telling whoever may be reading, just as I am learning to tell myself: You get to choose,” she concludes. “My father gave me this name. His legacy is the power to define it.”
Despite opting for a more informal introduction, Dr. Tsai emphasizes her commitment to her patients: “I am excited to be your doctor today.”
