Calvin Datze Sun (born November 20, 1986) is an American physician.[1] Sun is notable for his first-person accounts of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City emergency rooms and creating the travel blog, The Monsoon Diaries.[2][3]

Calvin Sun
Calvin Sun
Calvin Sun in 2020
Born
Calvin Datze Sun

(1986-11-20) November 20, 1986 (age 37)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materColumbia University
OccupationEmergency Physician
Websitecalvindsun.com

Early life and education

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Sun was born in New York City.[4] His parents came from China, but met in New York City. His father was originally from the Hunan region of China. In 2006, Sun's father died from a heart attack.[5] Sun's mother has Parkinson's disease.[4]

In 2008, Sun graduated with a B.A. in biochemistry from Columbia University.[6] During his sophomore year at Columbia, Sun was a research assistant to molecular biologist Dr. Richard Axel at the Columbia University Medical Center.[7] In 2014, Sun received an M.D. from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and completed four years of residency at the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.[8]

Career

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COVID-19

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Sun works at an urgent care in New York City.[2] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sun was working per diem as an emergency physician, rotating among different hospitals in New York City during the early days of the pandemic. Sun gave first person accounts of his experiences and thoughts on the disease via his Instagram.[9][10] He also gave many interviews to media outlets in the United States and abroad,[11][12][13][14] and with interviewers like Katy Tur from MSNBC,[15] Willie Geist from The TODAY Show.[16]

In his interview with Katie Couric, he likened working on the front-lines of the pandemic to being like going to war every day.[17] Sun discussed his initial concerns with national shortages of ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE),[18] issues with cross-contamination in crowded ER rooms,[3] the importance of testing and staying home in the interest of public safety.[2] Both of Sun's grandparents contracted COVID-19 and his grandfather died of the disease.[19]

The Monsoon Diaries

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In 2010 while beginning medical school, Sun began to document his international travels in an online photo blog called The Monsoon Diaries.[20][21][22]

Around Winter 2012, Sun turned his blog into a travel community so that participants can travel in spontaneously formed groups on budget-conscious trips while still being able to work or go to school full-time.[4]

Filmmaking

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In July 2007, Sun's short film, Asian American Beauty: A Discourse on Female Body Image, won the One to Watch Award at the 30th Asian American International Film Festival in New York City.[23]

Book

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2022: The Monsoon Diaries: A Doctor's Journey of Hope and Healing from the ER Frontlines to the Far Reaches of the World, Harper Horizon, Sep 27, 2022 - Biography & Autobiography - 224 pages

References

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  1. ^ Guarino, Ben (16 April 2020). "Nurses, doctors take extreme precautions to avoid infecting family members". Washington Post.
  2. ^ a b c James, Chris (4 April 2020). "ER doctor in New York details dire supply shortages from the front lines of the coronavirus fight". CNN.
  3. ^ a b Buder, Emily; Raff, Jeremy; Pasztor, Annalise (4 April 2020). "Doctors and Nurses Reveal the Devastating Reality of COVID-19". The Atlantic.
  4. ^ a b c "Dr. Calvin Sun, ER Resident, Entrepreneur, and Adventurer". Accepted Admissions Blog. 10 April 2018.
  5. ^ "About: Calvin D. Sun, MD (Founder & CEO, Guide)". The Monsoon Diaries. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. ^ Zalcman, Daniella (27 March 2013). "The Jack of All Trades". Columbia Daily Spectator.
  7. ^ "Contributors to this Issue: Calvin Sun" (PDF). Columbia Science Review. 3 (1): 3, 29. Spring 2006.
  8. ^ "Jacobi/Montefiore ED Resident of the Block – Calvin Sun". Jacobi/Montefiore Emergency Medicine Residency Program of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 22 April 2016.
  9. ^ Franseen, Jeané A.; Sun, Calvin (2 April 2020). "Dr. Calvin Sun Discusses Covid-19". Media Mangy.
  10. ^ Fraser, Jayme; Bliss, Jessica; Bologna, Giacomo; Hauck, Grace; Kurutz, Daveen Rae (3 April 2020). "Hope, exhaustion, fear: Health workers in quiet areas prep for COVID-19 chaos while colleagues in other cities rush in". USA Today.
  11. ^ "紐約疫情本週高峰 華裔醫:如在著火房中救人". 中視新聞 CTV (Taiwan). 7 April 2020.
  12. ^ Pressl, Damita (8 April 2020). "New Yorker Arzt berichtet von Notaufnahmen vor Ort". Kronen Zeitung.
  13. ^ Guevara-Frey, Eric (9 April 2020). "Tout un monde - Présenté par Eric Guevara-Frey". RTS Radio Switzerland (in French).
  14. ^ Tacik, Jacek; Klisiewicz, Karolina; Gryczkowski, Adam (10 April 2020). ""Pacjenci umierają. Idziesz i... nie żyje, nie żyje, nie żyje"". TVN24 (in Polish and English).
  15. ^ Tur, Katy; Sun, Calvin (31 March 2020). "NYC emergency room doctor on battling coronavirus". MSNBC.
  16. ^ Geist, Willie; Sun, Calvin (5 April 2020). "ER doctor shares experience fighting coronavirus, intubating a colleague". The TODAY Show.
  17. ^ Couric, Katie; Sun, Calvin (3 April 2020). "An ER Doctor Shares Heartbreaking Stories from the Front Lines of COVID-19". Katie Couric.
  18. ^ Plesch, Valerie (3 April 2020). "US doctors, nurses on coronavirus front line beg for critical PPE". Al Jazeera.
  19. ^ Sun, Calvin (7 May 2020). "Love In The Time Of Corona/COVID-19 — The End Of The First Wave". Monsoon Diaries.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ Sun, Calvin (23 August 2011). "Creepy North Korea: The Hidden 5th Floor". Monsoon Diaries.
  21. ^ Lee, Eloise; Johnson, Robert (17 June 2012). "An Unsanctioned Journey Into The Heart Of Iran". Business Insider.
  22. ^ Mohan, Megha (18 June 2018). "Inside the North Korean place that 'doesn't exist'". BBC News.
  23. ^ Ogura, Tamiko (10 December 2007). "Asian American Beauty: A Discourse on Female Body Image: Documentary Short". Schema Magazine.[permanent dead link]
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