David T. Zhu, an MD/PhD candidate in health policy at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, is deeply committed to advancing social justice and health equity through his clinical, research, and advocacy initiatives. Notably, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded “5-ing COVID-19,” a nonprofit embracing a “youth empowering youth” philosophy, empowering over 150 students to collect and donate personal protective equipment (PPE), meals, hygiene items, clothing, and other essential supplies for children’s hospitals and youth homeless shelters throughout Canada and the U.S.

David mentions that one particularly gratifying moment came when a family, who previously left a homeless shelter due to COVID-19-related fears and overcrowding, joyfully informed his team they would be returning to the shelter due to the enhanced safety and PPE protocols that his team helped implement—a testament to the public health impact of David’s work.

On a similar note, David witnessed how the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the deeply rooted social and structural barriers faced by people who use drugs, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, those living in poverty, homeless populations, and individuals with comorbid substance use disorders. These disparities served as a powerful catalyst for his health policy research on addiction, focusing on the drug overdose epidemic in the US from a population health and policy standpoint.

His research, published in esteemed journals like The Lancet, employs epidemiological and quasi-experimental methods to dissect social disparities in drug overdoses and evaluate the effectiveness of various public health and harm reduction interventions. As an aspiring “physician-harm reductionist,” David aims to advance the practice of social medicine—collaborating with clinicians, researchers, and communities to deliver patient-centered care and support medically underserved populations that have too often slipped through the cracks of the healthcare system.