From Survivor to Surgeon: The Inspiring Journey of SreyRam Kuy
SreyRam Kuy is a Cambodian American surgeon, writer, and healthcare leader. As a child, she survived the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields and a bombing in a Thai refugee camp, experiences that inspired her to pursue medicine. After moving to the U.S. in 1981, she earned degrees in Philosophy and Microbiology from Oregon State University, followed by a medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University. She completed her surgical residency at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center and the Medical College of Wisconsin, and later obtained a master’s degree from Yale School of Medicine.
Dr. Kuy has held significant roles, including Director of the Center for Innovations in Quality, Outcomes, and Patient Safety at Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, and Chief Medical Officer for Medicaid in Louisiana, where she led efforts to reduce opioid prescriptions by 40%. She also served as Associate Chief of Staff at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston and was the first woman appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Community Care. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Kuy has taught surgery at Louisiana State University and Baylor College of Medicine, and has contributed to various publications, sharing her insights on healthcare quality and policy.