Wendee Duong earned dual degrees in Piano Performance and Public Health Sciences from UCI. During her gap years, she worked as a piano teacher, where she realized how much she enjoyed storytelling and helping children find their creative voices. When one student loved superheroes, she turned tricky musical passages into battles against sneaky villains. For pediatric patients confined to their hospital beds, she created imaginative programs like A Day at the Zoo, a virtual musical adventure where she acted as a tour guide and performed pieces that brought animal sounds to life. Through these experiences, Wendee saw how stories can transform hard things into brave adventures and lonely moments into shared joy. Remembering how alone she once felt as a child with glaucoma, she set out to create the story she wished she had.

Wendee is now a third-year medical student at PCOM-GA with a strong interest in pediatric ophthalmology. She is learning to teach piano to blind and low-vision children through the Academy of Music for the Blind & Vision Through Music, an experience that gives her real-world insight into how children navigate the world with visual impairments. These lessons deepen her understanding of her future patients’ perspectives and inspire her to provide care that is compassionate, empowering, and tailored to each child. In her free time, she likes to explore new boba shops!