I’m a doctor and a rap musician. I got drawn to hip-hop music growing up, when artists like Public Enemy and 2Pac would use the genre as a tool for political activism. At the same time, I wanted to pursue my interest in science and be at the coalface of healthcare. I didn’t know where a career in hip-hop would fit among the many years of study ahead of me, and how it would be received by my colleagues, so I initially kept my medical and musical endeavours separate. Since then, I have worked as a resident in tertiary and rural hospitals, as a registrar in Aboriginal and antenatal health services, and as a fellow in a university and youth mental health clinics. I’ve witnessed a wide spectrum of human experience, and how social issues can affect health outcomes. I released my debut album Made of Jade in 2013, about my experience as a Vietnamese Australian, and I’m working on my second album Agenda, which covers topics I’ve come across as a clinician, including young carers, organ donation, asylum-seekers and mental health. I am a member of the Queensland Leadership Group for the Institute of Creative Health, and have performed shows in Brisbane, Sydney and New York. I no longer have to hide my double life, and I’m proud to be a part of a global, evolving tradition of political hip-hop activism.

Dr Tu Pham
Ipswich, Queensland