In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Corcept recognizes Dr. Margaret Chung, the first Chinese American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, whose career in clinical medicine, public health and military advocacy helped expand access to healthcare and opportunity for underserved communities.
Despite facing significant racial and gender discrimination, Dr. Chung pursued her passion for medicine, graduating from the University of Southern California Medical School in 1916. In 1922, Dr. Chung moved to San Francisco and established one of the first Western medical clinics in Chinatown. She dedicated herself to providing essential medical care in OB/GYN, pediatrics and surgery to a diverse patient population. Her practice bridged Western clinical medicine with the needs of a community navigating significant cultural and economic barriers, and she built a reputation for rigorous, patient-centered care at a time when both her race and gender presented substantial professional obstacles.
Her dedication to her community went beyond her medical career — she also supported American servicemen during World War II. She hosted these servicemen for weekly dinners in her home in San Francisco, ultimately becoming affectionately known as “Mom Chung” to thousands of “adopted sons.” She also leveraged her considerable connections to the military to push for greater inclusion of women in the military, ultimately helping to establish the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), a naval reserve corps for women.
Dr. Chung’s career was defined by her determination to dismantle barriers — in the exam room, in the halls of Congress and in the broader culture of her era. She helped establish institutional frameworks that expanded women’s participation in both medicine and military service, and her Chinatown clinic served as a model for culturally accessible healthcare in an underserved urban community. As a company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Corcept is proud to honor a physician whose most meaningful work was done in the same community we call home.
1. Wagner E. Dr. Margaret “Mom” Chung. U.S. National Park Service. February 20, 2025. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://www.nps.gov/people/dr-margaret-mom-chung.htm
2. Salvo V, Keehnen O, Tzu-Chun J. Margaret Chung. Legacy Project Chicago. 2024. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/margaret-chung
3. Margaret Chung. Britannica Kids. 2026. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Margaret-Chung/634082
4. Amin A. The First American-Born Chinese Woman Doctor. PBS; 2020. Accessed April 23, 2026. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/first-american-born-chinese-woman-doctor-ysk233/14464/
