Lan Luu
When Lan Luu, MD, MPH, first joined the Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) in 2008, she didn’t know she was beginning a lifelong relationship with a place that would shape her as a clinician, educator, and leader. Now serving as CUHCC’s Medical and Lab Director, Luu’s journey reflects CUHCC’s mission to provide compassionate, comprehensive care to underserved communities while training the next generation of health professionals.
Building Foundations in Community Care
Luu’s first role at CUHCC was as a mental health case manager working primarily with Vietnamese-speaking patients—many of them refugees, like her own parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam. “It was a very special place for me to be,” she recalls. “I got to help people who shared my family’s story, supporting them through challenges that go far beyond medicine—housing, transportation, insurance, and citizenship.”
Those early years left an enduring impact. “That experience taught me to look at patients from a holistic approach,” she says. “It’s not just about what’s medically needed, but whether a care plan fits their context and their life.”
Encouraged by her CUHCC colleagues, Luu decided to pursue medical school at the University of Minnesota. She later returned to CUHCC as an internal medicine–pediatrics resident, and finally as a faculty physician. “Each time I came back, I learned something new about the patients and the clinic,” she says. “It always felt like coming home.”
Lessons in Leadership and Service
Now as CUHCC’s Co-Medical Director, Lab Director and Primary Care Physician, Luu’s early experiences guide how she approaches leadership and clinical care. “Our patients face complex challenges—immigration, housing, food insecurity, access to medications. My job isn’t just to treat them, but to help shape systems that make care accessible and equitable,” she explains. “That’s what makes this work so meaningful.”
CUHCC’s integrated model of care—offering medical, dental, mental health, pharmacy, legal and social services under one roof—embodies CUHCC’s whole-person care approach. She adds, “A routine visit here rarely goes as planned—and that’s a good thing. Our patients’ needs are multifaceted, and we’re here to meet them where they are.”
A key part of CUHCC’s success, Luu emphasizes, is its people. “The staff here are incredible. Everyone is driven by the mission, and it shows,” she says.
Teaching the Next Generation
Luu is equally passionate about CUHCC’s role as a teaching clinic. “Teaching keeps you on your toes, but it’s also a way to pay it forward,” she says. “So many people taught me along the way, and now I have the privilege to teach others. It’s rewarding to see residents and students who train here come back—just like I did.”
At CUHCC, learning is a shared value. “We say that everyone here is both a learner and a preceptor,” Luu explains. “We’re constantly learning from one another—providers, interpreters, staff, and patients alike.”
As a bilingual physician, Luu understands firsthand how language and culture influence care. “Speaking Vietnamese helps me connect with patients on a deeper level,” she says. “Sometimes it’s not just about translating words—it’s about understanding cultural context.”
CUHCC’s in-house interpreters play a vital role in that process. “They’re not just translators,” she says. “They help us understand our patients’ stories and cultural perspectives. They go the extra mile, and they teach us how to communicate better. It’s truly collaborative.”
Reflecting on her many years at CUHCC, Luu feels an enduring sense of belonging and purpose. “CUHCC has always been more than a workplace—it’s a community,” she says. “I keep coming back because it aligns with who I am and why I went into medicine: to serve, to teach, and to make care accessible for everyone.”