(The following text is an excerpt from the book Chinese Americans in Irvine 1971-2021.)
Dr. Elaine King is a physician at Irvine’s Hoag Hospital. She is also on the board of Hoag Hospital Foundation 552 Club and UCI School of Medicine Alumni Association. She served as president of the Second Generation Association of SCCCA.
Dr. Elaine King was born in Shanghai. When she was 12, along with her family, she came to the United States. Before then, she did not know a word of English. After she attended Irvine School District’s ESL classes for three months, she was accepted at the Irvine elementary school as a sixth grader; because of her innate quick learning abilities, Elaine was praised for overcoming her language barriers in such a short period of time.
As both of her parents are teachers, Elaine loves learning and school. She took part in piano and recitation competitions, she was the pride of her parents. Before their migration, her parents were more concerned about her Chinese learning, not so much with her learning of English. Elaine’s mother, Mary King, was an English teacher in Shanghai. Her tutoring at home was a great asset for Elaine in keeping up both her English and Social Studies with her classmates.
During the latter part of the 1980’s, the population of Asian Americans in Irvine was less than 10%, mainly, they were immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Elaine learned to be more appreciative and respectful toward a multicultural society. Elaine’s mother worked at school, she needed to stay an extra hour after school, therefore, Elaine spent a lot of time at the library. Besides reading, she also did her homework and volunteered at reading to young kids. During the summer, she organized games which inspired the pleasure of reading.
Generally speaking, Irvine residents are better educated and financially well off, there are peer pressures about name brands, but not for Elaine, she was more focused on her academic achievement. There was one time, when she could not afford a $100 extracurricular program during winter break; thus she was motivated to look for chores in order to earn some money.
While she was in junior high, she was on the school math team, she also tutored. One time, she was treated to a Japanese meal at Taiko which was her first encounter with Japanese food. She was very impressed. Later, the entire King clan fell in love with this popular Japanese restaurant.
While she was in high school, she had a part-time job at a pediatric gastroenterologist clinic, where she worked more than 20 hours each week, and she worked her way up from an assistant to being the manager. During her senior year, she was awarded by UCI as a “high school scholar”, she was able to take an internship on biology and calculus courses, driving back and forth between the Cities of Irvine and Orange in her second-hand car.
As King’s families charged full force in getting ahead, the maternal grandma fell ill, Elaine accepted UCI’s full scholarship in order to stay close and help with grandma’s rehab. It was during this period of time, Elaine noticed that American physicians in general are more focused on diagnostics and how to cure the patients rather than on more holistic care, such as: patients’ psychological needs, daily care, cultural adjustment, or whether they grasp the American Medical System...; this void of support has primed Elaine to become a medical physician.
In the 1990’s, UCI’s Asian American student population was less than 30%, but it was the highest percentage in the nation. UCI Medical School was actively seeking minority and female students; as a high achiever, Elaine was chosen. After graduation she went straight to the Medical School, to specialize as a family doctor.
Elaine has been practicing medicine in the City of Irvine. She has also been doing pro bono teaching at UCI Medical School, introducing her students to the most cutting-edge family medicine. As a membership based family doctor, Elaine made herself available listening to her patients; with those who just had major surgeries, she would not mind making house calls, and giving advice to their attending doctors, as if the patients were her own family members.
Elaine continues seeing her patients under the looming threat of COVID-19; Irvine Hoag was the hospital that cured the first COVID-19 patient in Orange County. It is very encouraging to know that the Irvine Hoag Hospital and its medical staff are fully geared against the ongoing virus.
Elaine has stressed the importance of washing hands, wearing a facial mask, taking Vitamins C & D, cooking with fresh seasonal materials, keeping up regular exercises and eating a balanced diet in order to elevate one’s immunity. (English translation by Rose Cheung)
Elaine King joined Irvine residents to support Sukhee Kang’s campaign in 2010
金詠祺參與爾灣居民支持 Sukhee Kang 競選爾灣市長的活動
(以下文字摘錄自《爾灣華裔紀實1971-2021》一書)
金詠祺為現任爾灣 Hoag 醫院醫師、Hoag 醫院 基金會 552 Club 理事、UCI 醫學院校友會理 事，曾任 SCCCA 第二代華裔協會會長。
出生在上海的金詠祺，12 歲隨家人移民南加州，在來美之前，金詠祺沒有學過一句英語，她進爾灣學區公立小學的 ESL 班念了三個月之後，即獲准轉入六年級正規班，這麼快就跨越語言的鴻溝，金詠祺超強的領悟力令人稱羨。
熱愛學習的金詠祺說，可能因為父母都曾擔任老師之故，她從小喜歡上學，也經常參加鋼琴比賽和朗誦比賽，成績讓爸媽引以為傲。移民來美之前，爸媽只要她好好學中文，卻不擔心她的英語趕不上。媽媽丁歷明曾是上海的英文教師，剛來美國時就靠媽媽從旁協助，讓她的英文和社會科能很快趕上本地小學的進度。
80 年代後期的爾灣，亞裔人口不及一成，以台港移民居多，金詠祺卻能感受到社區對多元文化兼容並蓄的尊重。由於媽媽在學校上班，放學後仍要留校辦公一小時，因此，金詠祺幾乎天天上公立圖書館報到，除了看書、做功課之外，她也在圖書館擔任義工，為年紀小的學生朗讀書本，每逢暑假，還擔任圖書館暑期閱讀活動義工，帶領培養閱書興趣的遊戲。
爾灣居民的教育及經濟水平高，同學間不乏有人互相攀比身上穿的名牌服飾，而金詠祺卻不以為意， 只想在學業上力求表現。她曾因沒餘錢而放棄 100 元的寒假課外活動，讓她開始想辦法找機會打工。 金詠祺念初中時入選數學代表隊，並利用課餘時間擔任家教，有學生和家長請她去爾灣的 Taiko 餐廳吃飯，那是她第一次吃日式料理，印象特別深刻，後來她和家人都愛上這間門外大排長龍的老店。
念高中時，金詠祺在橙市的小兒腸胃科醫生診所打工，一路從助理升任經理，每周工作超過 20 小時。 同時，她在 12 年級時，獲選入爾灣加大的高中學者計畫，開始在大學課堂修習生物及微積分課程，經常駕著二手車來回奔波在爾灣和橙市的公路上。
正當家人都在為前途衝剌之際，一直默默照顧全家起居飲食的外婆病倒了，復健時期格外需要幫忙， 金詠祺為了就近照顧外婆，選擇就讀提供全額獎學金的爾灣加大。那段時期，金詠祺經常陪外婆就醫，她發現美國醫生看病只管診斷病情，很少關注病人的生活、心理乃至文化上的不同需求，更無法體會患者家屬面對美國醫療系統的惶恐無助，這段經歷更堅定她學醫的決心。
90 年代的爾灣加大本科亞裔學生不到三成，已是全美國亞裔比例最高的大學，UCI 醫學院更致力於爭取少數族裔及女生加入，成績優異的金詠祺也被醫學院網羅，畢業後直升醫學院，並選擇專攻維護整體健康的家庭醫學。
畢業後一直在爾灣行醫的金詠祺，經常義務到 UCI 醫學院講課，介紹家庭醫學的新趨勢。作為會員制的家醫，金詠祺有更多時間傾聽病人需要，碰到剛動完大手術的患者，她也會前往病人家中出診，並依據每位病人不同的生活狀況向專科醫生提供治療的建議，有如照顧自家長輩一樣。
新冠疫情期間仍照常看診的金詠祺說，爾灣的 Hoag 醫院成功治療橙縣地區首名確診病患，而她的同事和病人經過測試都未受感染，可看出醫院採取的應變措施能有效隔絕病毐的傳染。
金詠祺強調，防疫的重點除了打疫苗之外，仍是勤洗手、戴口罩、補充維他命 C 及維他命 D，保持定期運動及注重日常均衡飲食，以提高自身的免疫力。 至於網路上傳來傳去的特效藥，其實都未經科學證實，反而是自己用新鮮食材烹煮的家常菜，更有益維護健康。（蕭迪玉撰文）