Caltech Names New Medical Director for Student Wellness Services

Julia Wang, MD, a triple-board-certified specialist in emergency medicine, sports medicine, and lifestyle medicine, has joined Caltech as medical director for Student Wellness Services (SWS).

Wang, a Pasadena community member, has worked in local emergency rooms and urgent cares, staffed regional marathons and triathlons, and provided vaccines to underserved minorities through community clinics.

While earning her BA in human biology at Stanford University, Wang says, she discovered her passion for teaching health education through a community outreach program to local schools. Her interest in building community through health care advocacy continued during her time in medical school at UC San Diego, where she volunteered with the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project.

Wang completed her internship in general surgery at the University of Hawaii before returning to California for her emergency medicine residency at Kern Medical Center. To augment her training, she returned to Los Angeles for a sports medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente, working at student health clinics at UCLA, Occidental College, Whittier College, and Los Angeles City College.

She has worked as an attending physician at local hospitals such as White Memorial, San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, and Kaiser, while furthering her education in lifestyle medication “to become a better advocate for my patients by working with them to develop diet, exercise, and personal wellness programs,” Wang says.

Wang has a brown belt in Okinawan ryuei-ryu karate and says this practice complements her exploration of and interest in the balance between body and brain and the role of biofeedback in enhancing wellness.

In her new role with SWS—which she describes as her “dream job”—Wang will not only be providing medical care for students but will work to educate individuals on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle while also growing wellness programs throughout campus.