Long before he ever stepped into a clinic or delivered his first baby, Dr. Eric Chan learned what compassion looked like. As a child growing up in Hong Kong in the 1960s, he watched families do their best with limited access to medical care. Those early memories stayed with him. They planted the idea that one person, showing up at the right moment, could change someone’s life.
With more than 35 years in women’s health, Dr. Chan says that calling has only grown stronger. His work at Gracelight Community Health remains one of the most meaningful chapters of his career. “I witnessed the importance of doctors in a society that needed help,” he shared. “That’s when I knew I wanted to make a difference.”
He went on to graduate from Holy Family College in 1985 and began his path as an OB/GYN. Early in his career, he faced a moment he’ll never forget: caring for a maternity patient who suffered a severe hemorrhage. He stayed with her through the night, doing everything possible to save her life.
“The next day, she told me she had seen me from above while I was resuscitating her,” he recalled. “That moment reminded me why I became a doctor in the first place.”
Today, Dr. Chan still carries that same sense of purpose into every patient visit. “Being able to help someone in their time of need is an honor,” he said. “That’s what keeps me going.”