Brandon Leung Finds A Sense of Purpose

May 9, 2025

As Brandon Leung walks across the stage to receive his medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, the moment represents not just four years of medical education, but a journey marked by persistence, purpose, and a profound commitment to serving others.

“I don’t know how these last few years flew by so quickly,” said Leung as he reflected on his achievement.

Growing up in Natick, Massachusetts, Leung was raised by parents who emigrated from Hong Kong. While no one in his family was a doctor, his mother worked in the finance department at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. This early exposure to health care for marginalized populations inspired his path to medicine.

"Caring for the underserved is so ingrained in my identity,” said Leung. “It is a mission that I have been aligned with my entire life."

After graduating from Boston University, Leung experienced multiple application cycles before getting into medical school. The setback was a moment of transformation for him – a “five-year detour” working at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program in several roles.

"It was during these years that my love for patient care grew," Leung said. "It was such an immense privilege to work with some of the most vulnerable and marginalized members of my community. It was hard work that was sometimes discouraging. But each small victory gave me such a grand sense of fulfillment."

Those years working in community health shaped Leung into the medical student – and now physician – he has become.

As a medical student at the College of Human Medicine’s Flint Campus, Brandon found an environment that further supported him.

"I am so grateful for the Flint Campus for nurturing that sense of purpose for me," he said. "I could have easily become burnt out after experiencing what it was like to work in the American health care system. But the spirit of community and collaboration is so fundamental to the Flint community that I never lost track of my mission."

Coming full circle, Brandon recently completed a street medicine elective with his former employer, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

"When I finally returned after 3.5 years, with the skills and knowledge of a soon-to-be intern, I was struck with such a profound sense of purpose and fulfillment," Leung said.

Later this summer, Leung will start a residency in general adult psychiatry University of Vermont Medical Center. The specialty was inspired by his years working with unhoused individuals, he explained.

"I saw how destabilizing unmanaged mental illness and substance use disorder was. In the rare moments when a patient would open up to me and share their story, I was struck by the depth of our connection."

The choice feels perfectly aligned for his mission to care for underserved populations.

With a move to Vermont just around the corner, Leung reflected on the community he found among his classmates—relationships made throughout challenging times both in and outside the classroom.

"I did not come to MSU expecting to form the friendships that I have," he said. "These are people who have helped me through the toughest days of medical school.”

For Leung, the journey to becoming a physician wasn't just about reaching a destination—it was about the sense of purpose he found along the way.

“Even in my most tired and stressful moments, I still felt so fortunate to be studying medicine."