5/19/2025
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Posted by Dr. Li Lu, Rendr Group Physician
As a first-generation immigrant from China, I have lived in the beautiful United States for 24 years. For 18 of those years, my stethoscope has touched the heartbeat of New York City where nearly 15 percent of its population is of Asian heritage.
Like many New Yorkers, we are blessed to be both observers of and participants in the development of our community. Each May, in observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, I am encouraged to ask, "Who am I? What have I built? What is left to heal?"
The 2025 AAPI Heritage Month theme is “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience.” This creates a spark to enlighten our minds to understand the meaning of endurance, because as physicians, we know resilience intimately. We fight invisible battles every day, from diseases to fears to disappointments.
The global situation requires our physicians to evaluate more comprehensive diagnostic criteria, make medicine more evidence-based, and create more value to society. Both the white coat and the suit are our uniforms and discipline us to participate in national healthcare reform and share the responsibility of local disease prevention.
We all are leaders not because we seek a shining title or more incentives. Leadership is a duty to each of us in building a more united and connected community. Physicians understand that every person in the community deserves more balanced and organized healthcare to increase their happiness and longevity. With help from insurance companies like Fidelis Care, our expectations are happening now.
Challenges come from everywhere, every day. We are together not only during AAPI Heritage Month, but also in each of the four seasons. Let the month of May be more than a celebration month. Each of us makes history every single day. Go strong!
Li Lu, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician based in New York City and a dedicated advocate for community health. In 2013, Dr. Lu founded East Sunrise Medical PLLC and expanded her practice to serve patients in both Brooklyn and Flushing. In 2022, driven by her belief in value-based care, Dr. Lu joined Rendr, the leading Asian American medical group in New York City. Rendr is committed to providing high-quality, culturally sensitive, and linguistically appropriate healthcare that addresses the unique needs of the medically underserved Asian community.