Lei Zou, MD, is a psychiatrist who specializes in treating children and adolescents at Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital.
Dr. Zou obtained her medical degree in China in internal medicine and focused on the mind–gut connections and how mental factors can cause physical symptoms, including gastrointestinal issues. When she came to the U.S. to conduct research, she realized she was more interested in direct patient care, and pursued additional training in psychiatry.
“I became interested in focusing on child and adolescent care because it also involves a lot of work with families, which I enjoy,” she says. “You can make a small change with a child and see a rather quick response, and I like that. And while it can be very challenging work, I also find it very rewarding. I can believe that I am making a difference.”
Dr. Zou’s patients are between ages 13 and 18, and she says she learns a lot from them. “This age group has really struggled with all that’s going on with COVID. It’s a tough developmental age to begin with, a time when they are figuring out their identity,” she says.
And while Dr. Zou can’t take away the challenges her patients are up against, she can at least help one child at a time. “Sometimes, they just need us to listen and to have a place where they know they have a voice and where we can try to find a common ground.”
