Alumni Spotlight: Sharon Leong, MD

Sharon Co Leong, MD, currently works as a pediatrician in Austin, Texas. Though working as a physician through a pandemic has been challenging, “the process, doing something I never imagined I'd do in my professional life, enriched my year, my career, and my life”.

While at Baylor, Leong was a journalism major who used elective credits to fulfill pre-med requirements. She was also an active member of AED. AED was able to give her  “some needed insights and guidance navigating the road to medical school” as an undergraduate. A highlight of her time in AED was “meeting wonderful people, some of whom [she] ended up going to medical school with”. 

Alpha Epsilon Delta featured in A Part of the Whole: Round Up, 1990

After graduating from Baylor in 1990, Leong attended medical school and completed pediatric residency at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). The journey to becoming a doctor was not without its challenges. Medical school and residency were filled with hours of studying, good months, bad months, and being on call every other night for a month. She recalls her trepidation working with premature babies during her second year NICU rotation. She soon had to overcome her fear, getting “plenty of practice” and “[becoming] good at intubating”, since her “intern had a lot of problem intubating premies”. Although, they “later found out [the intern] couldn’t see well and needed glasses”. In these instances, Leong saw God at working, giving her opportunities to grow and improve.

This past year, was a year of challenges, changes, and growth for many, including Leong. In the midst of the pandemic, physicians in Leong’s medical group were asked to help out with Covid calls. Though having to “[take] care of adults via Covid calls as a pediatrician” was initially intimidating, the experience brought along the opportunity to “[meet] people from all walks of life and [hear] their stories, their fears, their hopes.” Through and despite the “fear of exposure and bringing the virus back home to family”, “telemedicine,…giving Covid shots, [and] journeying with friends and family through the Covid illness”, Leong states she “learned a lot this year not just about Covid, but about life and God”.

Despite the difficult journey to becoming a physician, Leong firmly believes that “being a physician is a privilege. If this is God's will for your life, despite the bumpy road at times, persist wholeheartedly for the end result is worth it.”