Timothy B. Jang
Seaver College | 1993, 1995
Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, David Geffen
School of Medicine at UCLA
Timothy Jang has worked to promote excellence in emergency medicine throughout his career. He works with a national group to establish guidelines for rational and appropriate care in emergency medicine (GRACE) for the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has helped develop national guidelines for lung ultrasound in patients with respiratory symptoms and suspected COVID-19, writing regional guidelines for palliative care of patients with COVID-19, and continuing to help develop local protocols for taking care of COVID-19 patients.
What does being an honoree of the Outstanding Alumni in Healthcare campaign mean to you?
I committed my life to serving others and I hope that people realize we do our best when we are helping others. There are many outstanding Pepperdine alumni in medicine so it's humbling to be honored among them.
Describe your road to success.
I wouldn't be here if not for my parents and mentors who poured into me along the way. My father taught me the value of integrity and to take care of others. My mother and father taught me the value of hard work. Dr. Vandergon, Dr. Ganske, and Dr. Adjemian pushed me to challenge myself intellectually. Dr. Willis encouraged me to keep integrating faith into my work in the sciences, and mentors like Dan Anders, Rich Dawson, and Dr. Olbricht helped me to pursue excellence in the totality of my being, not just the career or academic. Through their encouragement, I was able to go to medical school at UCSD and start a ministry at the Canyon View Church of Christ and then I did my residency and fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis where I also go to serve at the Mid-County Church before joining the faculty at UCLA.
Who has helped you achieve success in your career?
The faculty at Pepperdine took the time to know me as a person, pushed me to do my best academically, and reminded me that there was always more to life.
Describe a lesson you've learned from a challenging time in your career or life.
I've learned that despite the advances of science and the best technology, people still need God and the sense of mystery that comes from being known by the One who made the world and sustains life through the chaos.
How do you prepare for a busy day?
Pray.
"I committed my life to serving others and I hope that people realize we do our best when we are helping others."
Timothy Jang ('93, '95)
What's next for you?
I've been working with the Christian Medical and Dental Association to create guidelines for churches during the current COVID-19 pandemic. I am part of a multi-center study looking at COVID-19 in patients presenting to the emergency department. I hope to continue serving at the intersection of faith, science, and medicine to both serve God and mankind. I was going to serve Muslim refugees displaced by violence in the Middle East, but my trip got cancelled due to COVID-19 so I hope I can do that in 2021.
What is your mantra or favorite quote?
There are three: "Keep up don't catch up. Don't do tomorrow what can be done today. Everything in its place."