About Tsung Wai Aw:
Dr. Aw first became interested in psychiatry due to a family member who had schizophrenia. Subsequently, he saw firsthand how mental illness can impact the entire family, and learned that by improving the mental health of one person, he could improve the health of an entire family or even community.
Dr. Tsung Aw’s Clinical Interests
Indeed, Dr. Aw primary interest is the intersection between mental and physical health. Dr. Aw’s philosophy, one does not exist outside of the other. Furthermore, Depression and anxiety in patients who are also suffering from medical issues feels significantly worse, and it is his goal to get patients on the road to recovery.
An ideal patient for Dr. Aw, is one who understands that it takes a team to get them feeling better, both the patient themselves and Dr. Aw. Therefore, he enjoys using a collaborative approach and he states, “there must be a buy-in from my patients, otherwise they won’t trust my recommendations and we both should be agreeable to the game plan for getting better.“
Accordingly, Dr. Aw joined Telapsychiatry because telepsychiatry works and has such a great impact on patients who would otherwise be unable to get help. Due to that, he has been treating about 500 patients/month with telepsychiatry and allbeit, most of his patients were patients who said they would have never gotten help if telepsychiatry wasn’t an option.
Dr. Aw’s Education
Dr. Aw completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident. Subsequently, he went on to complete a clinical fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, (a branch of psychiatry focusing on the intersection between physical illness and mental illness) at Yale New Haven Hospital. Subseqeuntly, he then worked in telepsychiatry for 3 years at Teladoc Health. Finally, over the past 3 years, he taught part time/voluntary time at various medical schools.
Dr. Tsung Aw’s Personal Interests
Chiefly, Dr. Aw enjoys several hobbies. Furthermore, he spends most of his free time reading and travelling. Accordingly, he enjoys the paradigm shift when visiting a new culture. Finally, he is from Malaysia, and he aims to reduce stigma of mental health in Malaysia.
