Fellow of the Month: Meet Wint Yan (Arthur) Aung, MD

This Fellow of the Month interview features Wint Yan (Arthur) Aung, MD, a first-year Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. Dr. Aung shares more about why he decided to become a physician, how he’s been enjoying his first year of fellowship, his passion for research and improving patient care, his future career aspirations, and what he loves most about being a fellow.

Meet Wint Yan (Arthur) Aung, MD

Fellows Forum: Hi everybody, welcome to today’s episode of the Fellows Forum podcast. Today we have another episode of our Fellow of the Month series. Our Fellow of the Month, the first one of 2025, is Dr. Arthur Aung, who is a first-year Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. Dr. Aung, we’re so excited to have you, first of all, as a new member of the Fellows Forum and also to have you on the podcast today.

Wint Yan (Arthur) Aung, MD: Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here today.

Fellows Forum: Absolutely. To start off, would you like to introduce and tell us a little bit about yourself?

Dr. Aung: I am currently a first-year Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Northshore Long Island Jewish Medical Center, which is affiliated with Zucker School of Medicine and Northwell Health. I went to medical school at St. Louis University School of Medicine, and then I came to New York for residency. My journey began much further away though, because I’m originally from Myanmar in Southeast Asia, and then I moved to the US after I finished high school there. And that’s really where my journey to medicine began.

Fellows Forum: Amazing. So, why did you decide to begin your journey in medicine and become a physician?

Dr. Aung: It’s a great question. For me, when I was growing up in Myanmar, it was under a military regime. It was a very influential part of my life. I saw how poverty and limited access to education and healthcare affected people’s lives. From the beginning, I was interested in a career where I could make a difference.

Then when I was in college, I was very drawn to biomedical sciences. I love science, and I was very privileged to work in a lab, but I didn’t have much of a feel for the project. We were working on microRNAs and their role in degenerative disease. It was quite abstract for me, and I was not particularly a patient person when it came to bench work, so it just added to my frustration.

But what really clicked with me was when I discovered genomics and biostatistics, especially learning risk prediction models like the Gale model for breast cancer risk. That felt very tangible to me because I could calculate a risk score and then use it to guide decisions. I kind of pivoted into population health sciences. Initially, I was working on clinical trials and doing risk prediction modeling. It was exciting work, but I wanted something closer to action. I wanted to have the opportunity to work directly with patients and apply the science in a hands-on way.

That’s when I really started thinking about medical school. At the time, I was an international student on a visa, so I knew going to medical school was going to be a tough thing for me. But I was very fortunate to have mentors who believed in me and knew that I would get more out of going to medical school, and they were right. It ended up being a much better option. Now, I have the chance to combine science with my passion for helping people. I feel very privileged to be here, and I cannot imagine doing anything else.

Fellows Forum: That’s amazing. It’s really the best of both worlds. Thanks for telling us your story. So, now that we’re connecting as you’re a first year Heme/Onc Fellow, what has your fellowship experience been like, and how have you been enjoying it so far?

Dr. Aung: It’s a steep learning curve, but I’m learning something new every day, and I love working with patients. The diverse pathology that we see at our hospital is very interesting, and I really enjoy working with my colleagues as well as the attendings. They’re very passionate about guiding us and mentoring us. All in all, I think it’s very similar to starting residency. It feels like drinking water out of a hose, but so far, I’ve been enjoying it. It’s a challenge, but it’s been great so far.

Fellows Forum: That’s awesome. What are some of your research interests and areas of focus that you’ve gotten to explore during your training?

Dr. Aung: I’m quite interested in thoracic and head and neck cancers, especially looking at the intersection of immunotherapy and autoimmune diseases. It’s really an area of unmet need, because when we look at lung cancer patients in general, 15% to 20% of patients have some form of preexisting autoimmune disease.

We know that immunotherapy is well tolerated generally, and it’s especially effective in the metastatic setting. But when it comes to patients with autoimmune disease, these agents can have increased toxicity, because immunotherapy is harnessing the immune system so it can lead to overactivation of the immune system, which leads to autoimmune disease flares and more adverse events for these patients.

I’m really interested in finding ways to improve the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with cancer and autoimmune disease by looking at combination treatments to mitigate the autoimmune disease flares. My hope is that if we are able to find a safer way to administer immunotherapy, we would be able to expand its use in this patient population and hopefully make it safer for patients with autoimmune disease and cancer so that they can benefit from these treatments as well.

Fellows Forum: That’s such an integral part of treatment and amazing work that you’re doing to research the connections and help improve care for patients. So, as you continue your fellowship and continue exploring these research areas, what are some of the career directions you’re hoping to pursue after your training?

Dr. Aung: Great question. I think that I’d like to focus my career on thoracic and head and neck cancers. My ultimate goal is to become a clinician investigator where I could work on research and then also bring that research to patients in the clinic. I’m hoping to stay in academia, but I’m very interested in teaching and training future physicians as well. Those are my passions.

Fellows Forum: That’s great. So, for those who are watching this interview, what advice would you give to medical students or residents who are considering pursuing a Heme/Onc Fellowship—especially, as you mentioned in your journey, those who are international medical graduates? Do you have any advice for those in our audience today as they look at different career options?

Dr. Aung: I love this question, because I went through this process. It’s always very helpful to talk to people who’ve gone through the process and have them share their journey, which was the case for me. My advice for those interested in hematology/oncology is to be proactive from the beginning. Let your attendings know that you’re interested early on, because they can help you find opportunities. I was lucky in that sense, because the opportunities that I had were all because I showed interest in rotating through different specialties in oncology and hematology, building the experience.

Then for applications and just fellowship-wise in general, research is a very key aspect of hematology/oncology. Starting early is always good. Don’t hesitate to ask about what’s going on and whether there are any projects that you can join. It’s always good to be involved in multiple research projects because sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. But it’s also important to have a primary project that is your poster child, something that you can aim to publish before you apply.

Then in terms of conferences, they are a great place to network and showcase your work. I know the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has a research forum specifically for medical students and residents. That’s a great way to present your research, and the faculty are always interested to see what students are doing. It’s a great opportunity to connect and network, and it might open doors that you didn’t realize were there.

Fellows Forum: That’s some really great advice. Our last question of the interview today, something we always ask everybody at the end of these interviews, is what is your favorite part of being a fellow?

Dr. Aung: It’s definitely a very collegial environment being able to work with co-fellows and attendings who are very passionate about the work. It is truly inspiring. Then I go back to the patients at the heart of it all, because you’re getting to know them at a time that is so critical for them, when they’re most vulnerable. They really rely on your expertise, and they really value your input. It’s incredibly meaningful and fulfilling. I just came off a round of service in oncology, and the amount of trust that patients put in us is very inspiring and very humbling. Thinking back to my journey, I don’t think I could imagine doing anything different. I’m so blessed to be in this career, and I hope that I’ll have a long journey ahead.

Fellows Forum: That’s really wonderful. Thank you so much, Arthur, for sharing all this with us today. It’s really amazing to hear about your medical journey so far and all the things you’ve accomplished, and we’re definitely looking forward to discussing all of this further on the Fellows Forum. Thanks so much again for coming on today to share all this with us.

Dr. Aung: Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed talking to you and sharing my journey, and I hope that I’ll be able to mentor future hematologist/oncologists.

Fellows Forum: Absolutely.

About Dr. Aung

Wint Yan (Arthur) Aung, MD, is a first-year Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. He is interested in lung cancer and head and neck cancer, including immunotherapy and clinical trial development.