Dorothy Liu, MD
Dorothy Liu was born in Chicago and moved to sunny Southern California when she was 9. She has remained here since, completing her undergraduate education at UCLA and her medical degree at UC Irvine before starting residency at UCSD. At UCLA she majored in Psychobiology, which sparked her interest in linking the study of the mind and body. She also volunteered at the UCLA Peer Helpline which provided an after-hours counseling service. After college, Dorothy took 2 years off before finding her way to medical school. She spent 6 months working as a residential counselor for pregnant and parenting teenagers at a group home in downtown LA, and also worked at a flower shop to help fund her independent travels to Argentina, Guatemala, and China, where she participated in language immersion and volunteer work at local clinics.
During medical school, Dorothy developed a passion for primary care in underserved populations and participated in the CAFP rural health summer preceptorship, as well as Clinica Carino, a student-run screening clinic serving an indigent Spanish-speaking population. She spent a month in Honduras working on a diabetes education project linked with a mobile clinic.
Dorothy chose the UCSD Combined Program because of its mission to serve the sick, regardless of socioeconomic status, mental illness, or language barrier. During residency, she has nurtured an interest in psychotherapy and completed a fellowship at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Institute. She is also participating in the Integrative Medicine curriculum to explore complementary and alternative therapies. She also maintains a strong interest in international health, and hopes to continue providing medical and psychiatric care to populations that are traditionally overlooked, such as refugees.
Outside of residency, she enjoys spending quality time with friends and family and traveling when possible. She also enjoys craft projects, eating just about anything, hiking, and playing piano/flute/guitar. She formed a musical group in medical school named "Bamboo Smoothie," and dreams one day of writing film scores.
