Two young girls walked into a hospital one afternoon, anxious about their grandmother. She had gone to the emergency department a day earlier, struggling with respiratory issues. Traveling an hour from their rural home in Taiwan, she ended up lying in a hallway, only given a bed, not a proper room.
Peiyin Hung, who was around 10 years old then, remembers her grandmother telling her and her cousin, “Study hard so your voice will be heard.” Sadly, just days later, their grandmother passed away due to complications.
Hung reflects on that moment as a turning point. “It pushed me and my cousin to ask ourselves, ‘How can we do better in the future?’” Her cousin became a physician in Taiwan, while Hung pursued a career in public health, becoming an associate professor at the University of South Carolina.
“My mission is clear: I want rural families everywhere to access quality care,” she says.
Originally, Hung aimed to be a hospital administrator to prevent scenarios like her grandmother’s. After college in Taiwan, she earned a post-graduate certificate from the University of Washington, which shifted her focus towards rural health.
“When I moved to the U.S., I realized my family’s experiences weren’t unique. There are even bigger gaps in care, especially in rural communities here,” she explains.
At Emory University and later the University of Minnesota, her doctoral work drew attention. Her dissertation tackled the alarming closure of hospital labor and delivery units across the U.S., a trend that affected thousands.
“I found out that over 100 hospitals had shut down these units, and nobody was discussing it. I knew I had to bring it to light,” she shares. This work led to critical legislation, H.R. 315, enacted in 2018. This law aimed to identify communities lacking maternity care and direct resources their way.
Once at USC, Hung continued her impactful research. The university’s supportive environment and the opportunity to work with diverse populations drew her in. “In South Carolina, I saw an opportunity to move my research forward,” she says.
In her initial year, she explored various research paths, eventually honing in on maternal health and access to care. Her work received funding through the ASPIRE program, allowing her to investigate maternal care disparities in urban vs. rural settings.
“ASPIRE provided a foundation. It allowed me to hire an assistant and gather crucial data for future projects,” she says.
Hung quickly became a prominent figure, leading initiatives to address the healthcare challenges faced by residents in underserved areas. Her research focuses on the question: What happens when healthcare disappears?
“Many rural mothers in South Carolina must travel long distances to give birth, partly due to hospital closures. This often leads to missed postpartum care and serious complications,” she reveals.
Her work also explores how race and socioeconomic status intersect with maternal health. Notably, women in marginalized communities experience disproportionately high risks, regardless of their race.
“Something is affecting these communities. We know where they are; now, we need to break the cycle and bolster their infrastructure,” she emphasizes.
“This connects back to my childhood lesson—that geography can shape your health,” she adds. Despite the advancements in healthcare, such issues persist in a nation as developed as the U.S.
By addressing these disparities, Hung aims to ensure every family, regardless of where they live, gets the healthcare they deserve.
For more insights into public health and healthcare access, check out resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
