Welcome to Deep Dives, a new Health video series where inspiring people talk about a health topic that's meaningful to them and share relatable stories around health and wellness. Watch Dr. Tiffany Moon's Deep Dive above!
Real Housewives of Dallas star Tiffany Moon, MD, is what most everyone would call an overachiever; she graduated from Cornell University at age 19. Dr. Moon, 36, credits her parents and her natural curiosity with her success: "My parents pushed me hard…But I was always wanting to please."
But her success hasn't protected her from racism, and this became very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I had a patient once, outright, say to me, 'Can I get a doctor that doesn't have coronavirus?'" Dr. Moon, an anesthesiologist, tells Health.
Dr. Moon, who was born in China and is a first-generation Asian American, was also exposed to racism when she was young. "It's not new that we have been discriminated against," she says. "I remember, growing up, my parents telling me, 'Don't make a stink about it. It's not worth it.'" This was the way racism was handled then. That was sort of our culture—to be quiet."
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But now, she's definitely not staying silent. "When I found out that there was a recent increase in the amount of hate crimes against Asian American Pacific Islanders, it really broke my heart," she says. "That's when I decided to speak up."
Since then, she's been using her voice to educate others about racism endured by Asian Americans. She's encouraging other Asian Americans to speak out against racism as well, and she also has advice for their allies. "Reach out to your friends that are Asian American," she advises. "Ask them about their culture. Ask them what their upbringing was like, if they've ever experienced any microaggressions."
What Dr. Moon advises against is silence: "It's okay to ask your friends about these topics. It's not taboo."
Watch the rest of Dr. Moon's deep dive in the video above.
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