Quan's Story

For Quan Lac, resilience was something he watched every day, growing up in Kalihi-Palama.

His father once made dim sum. His mother still works long hours at Phở Quê Hương on Maunakea Street. Together, they built a life in Hawaiʻi after immigrating from Vietnam when Quan was 2 years old.

“My parents moved here not knowing any English,” Quan said. “My mom didn’t even finish elementary school. My dad didn’t finish middle school. They just wanted to create a better life for us.”

That goal shaped Quan’s childhood. His parents routinely worked 12-hour days to keep food on the table and a roof overhead. While they worked, Quan’s older brother watched over him.
Quan attended Kaʻiulani Elementary School, Kawananakoa Middle School and McKinley High School. He went to Kapiʻolani Community College for a couple years, where he decided to pursue medicine after his grandmother became seriously ill.

Hospitalized at The Queen’s Medical Center with renal failure and pneumonia, her experience became Quan’s introduction to medicine.

At home, he took on caregiving responsibilities by preparing meals, managing medications and helping his grandmother get ready for dialysis. He would have four meaningful years with her before she passed. Although a language barrier kept him from fully expressing how she shaped his future, her message was clear.

“Give it your all,” she told him. “As long as you’re happy.”

Quan carried those words forward.

He was accepted to JABSOM on a full-tuition Kaiser Permanente Scholarship.

“Every once in a while, I think back to opening that email,” he said. “It was like, ‘Is this really happening?’”
Just weeks before his White Coat Ceremony, the joy and excitement would be silenced as Quan’s father passed away.

“It was just me and my mom at home,” Quan said. “But I had to keep going. That’s what my dad would’ve wanted…take care of your mom and keep moving forward.”

At JABSOM, Quan has excelled academically while fully engaging in research, service and mentorship. Free from the burden of tuition, thanks to the Kaiser scholarship, he has been able to focus fully on his training and on giving back to the community.

One of the ways he does that is through judo, a sport he began during his sophomore year at McKinley. He credits it with teaching discipline, accountability and resilience. After graduating from high school, he returned to coach the team and now combines that passion with research.

Quan has been studying concussion rates in judo, examining injury data before and after the ban of the double knee seoi nage throw. His findings, which show elevated concussion rates among beginner girls’ judo, were presented at JABSOM’s annual Biomed Symposium and may eventually be shared with state officials.

“This is the community I grew up in,” Quan said. “I want to give back to what brought me up, to leave a place better than I found it.”

His days are long, often filled with studying, research and service. When fatigue creeps in, he thinks of all the sacrifices his parents have made.

“My parents work backbreaking jobs,” he said. “All I have to do is study. Why am I complaining?”

He remains close with his brother, who often checks in from California, and is deeply connected to his mother, who continues to work long days without complaint.

When asked what his father and grandmother might be thinking now, Quan smiled.

“I’m hoping they’re wondering if I’m eating enough,” he said. “In my family, food is love. As long as you’re eating and healthy, they’re happy.”

Quan Lac’s path to medicine has been shaped by heartbreak many of his peers have never experienced. As he continues his journey at JABSOM, the resilience he carries is the same resilience he learned long before he ever put on a white coat.