We had a deeply distressing and racist experience with Dr. Myngoc Thi Nguyen at Bay Area Allergy's Berkeley office. Our 37-week-old son had a reaction to eggs, prompting us to seek an appointment with an allergist, as recommended by our pediatrician. We waited over a month for this appointment, which we understood. What we did not expect, nor can we accept, were the racist microaggressions we endured during our appointment with Dr. Myngoc Nguyen.
Upon learning that we were breastfeeding our 37-week-old son, Dr. Myngoc expressed surprise and repeatedly questioned if we were supplementing with cow’s milk or formula. Her persistent probing continued with inquiries about our childcare plans (“How are you still home with him? Do you work? But he will be going to daycare when you go to work, right?”). When we mentioned our consideration of becoming a single-income family to provide home care, she responded with disbelief and prying questions about our income and employment. She bluntly asked, “How are you going to do this with just your income?” and made assumptions about our profession, stating, “You work from home ? You must work in tech, right?” These questions had no relevance to the medical care of our child and felt intrusive and inappropriate.
Furthermore, Dr. Myngoc’s comment on our son's strength, saying, “He’ll probably be an athlete,” felt like racial profiling. As a mixed-race couple – I am Filipino and my wife is Black – we found these comments deeply offensive and inappropriate. The experience left us feeling uncomfortable and targeted, leading us to request a different doctor.
At checkout, my wife discreetly inquired about the process to change doctors with the front desk clerk. The clerk showed no concern or empathy and loudly directed us to call the scheduling office, disregarding our effort to maintain privacy and avoid causing a scene.
When we called the scheduling office, Jessica, who refused to provide her last name, was extremely rude and dismissive. She assumed we wanted to switch doctors for arbitrary reasons without asking why. Her disrespectful demeanor led us to disclose our reasons, only to be told that we would have to wait another two months to see a different doctor.
This experience has caused us significant emotional distress, highlighting the racial biases that persist in healthcare. We hope that by sharing our story, Bay Area Allergy will take the necessary steps to address and rectify such behaviors to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all patients.
