Meet Ricky — A research engineer empowering medical students with artificial intelligence education.
Q: What is your role in health research?
A: I am a resident physician at Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital, as well as an artificial intelligence (AI) research engineer at the Robotics and Control Laboratory and the AI Core Echo Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC). My clinical duties include examining patients, creating treatment plans, working with the medical team, responding to unstable patients and performing bedside procedures. My research duties include collaborating with engineers and clinicians on algorithms, debugging models and assessing the clinical utility of our inventions.
Q: How did you arrive at your research area of interest?
A: My interest in developing AI for clinical applications stems from my academic passions: computer science, where I leverage complex machine learning architectures to solve difficult tasks; physics, where I modify models to reflect the mathematics of medical imaging; and medicine, where I address clinical problems with engineering solutions.
Q: What is the best part of working in research?
A: Collaborating with my colleagues is very rewarding. I have had the opportunity to work with exceptional clinician-scientists, engineering faculty and graduate students who are leaders in their fields. Together, we have developed unique technologies that combine complex ideas from various disciplines.
Q: What is one of the proudest moments of your career?
A: A particularly touching experience was when a patient’s family gifted me a very personal card following a difficult hospitalization. Knowing that the family wanted to express their gratitude for the care we provided was incredibly moving. Experiences like this remind me of how privileged I am to make a meaningful impact on someone’s life during their most challenging moments.
Q: What career would you have pursued if you were not in health research?
A: Outside of engineering and medicine, I would likely have pursued a career in comedy. I always try to incorporate humour into my lectures, so being a full-time comedian would be a blast.
Q: What is your favourite show?
A: I am a big fan of Mark Rober’s YouTube channel. He is a former NASA engineer who creates entertaining and often comedic projects, such as revealing the tricks and physics behind carnival games. Teaming up with him on a project one day would be a dream come true!
Q: What hobbies do you enjoy in your spare time?
A: I love playing hockey and cheering on my favorite NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. I also enjoy trivia. I previously competed with the UBC and Queen’s Collegiate Teams, placing fourth among Canadian universities and making it into the top 32 in North America.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
A: I would visit the village where my parents grew up in China. The entire neighbourhood was so welcoming and shared amazing hospitality and food the last time I visited in 2011. I am eager to return and reconnect with my friends and family in person.
Q: What is your healthiest habit?
A: I try to take the stairs in the hospital whenever I can. It is a great way to incorporate bite-sized exercise into my workday and is sometimes even more efficient than taking the elevator!
Q: What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
A: Time is the most valuable resource; no amount of money can replace memories with loved ones.
