Tom Chang

Biography

Hello! I’m a first-generation Hmong-American PhD student in the Composition and Rhetoric Program in the English Department. My current dissertation research focuses on developing a theoretical framework of Hmong Rhetoric by examining the elements of embodied storytelling and language within Hmong funeral practices. My experience working with the Hmong community began in Fall 2021, where I started my journey under the tutelage of Dr. Maichou Lor and focused on interviewing participants to understand their needs and develop a medical translation tool to help facilitate communication between patients, interpreters, and healthcare providers. Since then, I’ve continued working with Dr. Lor and her colleague, Dr. Michal Engleman, in the DIAMOND Project as a qualitative researcher. Recently, I joined Dr. Jingxi Sheng’s research team to assist with the literature review process and to learn how Community Advisory Boards (CAB) have been developed and utilized within cancer related research across various racial, ethnic, underserved, and minority populations. Additionally, working with Dr. Sheng has allowed me to further develop and foster skills within different data collection methods – particularly that of survey questionnaires within Asian-American men and women. I look forward to embracing the writing process within the medical world as well as understanding breast cancer research in both tangible and rhetorical terms as it concerns the human condition. While away from my academic responsibilities, I enjoy playing board games and casual rounds of disc golf, strength training, and playing my instrument as a means of staying connected to my community.