#  Rory Vu Mather 

MD-PhD Candidate '28, Harvard-MIT

 

 

 



   ![Rory Vu poses with his arms crossed. A fine line floral tattoo is visible on his upper left arm and he is wearing a ring on his right ring finger.](/sites/g/files/omnuum11411/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/2026-05/104.Rory-Vu-Mather-Questions.png?h=01347495&itok=8SmU2gjY) 

 



 





 

**What inspires or motivates you in your role at HMS/HSDM?**  
Growing up, I always looked up to my mom as the pinnacle of the American Dream. She immigrated to the U.S. as a child during the Vietnam War, knowing no English and with no supports besides her siblings and her parents. Despite so many obstacles, she managed to not just finish college but go on to medical school and eventually become a general surgeon. However, what defined my mom's success most was her drive to provide her family with a stable foundation so that they could achieve any dream they set their mind towards.

I thought all of her work was lost when my mom passed away suddenly when I was 16 years old. I remember when I was going into my senior year of college and finally solidified that I wanted to become a physician, only to realize that the only person I could have turned to for help towards that path was gone.

However, over time I realized that even though my mom was gone, the drive that pushed her towards success wasn't.  
I noticed how everything I had done in college and even now in medical school stems from the same motivation: to be a constant foundation for the people I love around me so that they can achieve any dream. During medical school, that manifested through my work on Student Council and the HMS Substance Use & Pain Societal Theme. As student body vice president, I worked with HMS administrators and students to shape the virtual learning resources and return to classroom policies during COVID. When I became student lead for the HMS Substance Use & Pain Societal Theme, I worked to create an environment where students are the leads of projects to update the HMS curriculum and can say they left their own lasting mark at HMS. Seeing my friends and peers have the resources they need to achieve their goals is what motivates my work every single day.

**What is the significance of the object you brought with you to the photo shoot?**  
After my mom passed away, my dad gave me two things to remember my mom: a necklace he gifted her after finishing residency and the engagement ring he used to propose to her. In 2024, I got a tattoo of her favorite flowers on my left arm marked with the day she passed. All of these are reminders of the motivation I adopted from my mom and the hope that one day I can be the same foundation for the people I love, just as she was for me.



 

 

 



 [ https://occe.hms.harvard.edu/dimensions-harvard-medical-school arrow\_circle\_right ](https://occe.hms.harvard.edu/dimensions-harvard-medical-school) 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

- ## Person Categories
    
     [Dimensions](/person-categories/dimensions)
- ## Institution
    
     [Harvard Medical School](/institution/harvard-medical-school)