About Me

I am Stanford-trained academic anesthesiologist and a physician essay coach.

I was always excited to provide feedback on the personal statements of students rotating with me on their anesthesia rotation, even when I was a busy anesthesia resident. The turning point came during my first year as an academic anesthesiologist at Dartmouth: three medical students who I closely coached on their personal statements all matched at Harvard MGH - two in anesthesia and one in orthopedic surgery. That experience inspired me to double down on this passion project and create my coaching business, which brings me much joy and fulfillment.

I have helped individuals with their personal statements across career stages: applicants to medical and dental school, residency, and fellowship. Faculty have also received my coaching on their personal statements for leadership positions and academic promotion. (Read about their experiences on my testimonials page.)

In my tried-and-true coaching method, I get to know my clients on a very deep level through my brainstorming process, and then we leverage their most powerful stories to craft a high-impact personal statement.

I am excited to apply my experience and expertise in writing, physician education, and communication to help get you one step closer to your dreams.

Medical Training

• M.D. from Stony Brook School of Medicine

• Anesthesia Residency at Stanford School of Medicine

• Simulation and Medical Education Fellowship at Stanford School of Medicine

Teaching Awards

• Stanford School of Medicine Arnold P. Gold Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award

• Stanford Department of Anesthesia Senior Resident Teaching Scholar

• Stanford Department of Anesthesia Resident of the Year

• Dartmouth Department of Anesthesia Teacher of the Year

Training in Medical Education

• Instructor Training at the Harvard Center for Medical Simulation

• Teaching Workshops at the Stanford Faculty Development Center

Communication Expertise

• Trained and served as a Communications Consultant at Northern California Kaiser Permanente and coached physicians across all specialties to improve their communication skills.

Medical Prose:

• Essay on organ procurement published in JAMA’s creative writing section “A Piece of My Mind.”

• Delivered a public reading of my essay for the Stanford Medicine Pegasus Writers Group.

Book Chapter:

• Wen, L., & Trockel, M. (2019). Mindfulness. The Art and Science of Physician Wellbeing: A Handbook for Physicians and Trainees, 195-208.

Peer Reviewed Publications:

• Schroeck, H., Whitty, M. A., Hatton, B., Martinez-Camblor, P., Wen, L., & Taenzer, A. H. (2024). Team Relations and Role Perceptions During Anesthesia Crisis Management in Magnetic-Resonance Imaging Settings: A Mixed Methods Exploration. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 50(5), 308-317.

• Schroeck, H., Hatton, B., Martinez-Camblor, P., Whitty, M. A., Wen, L., & Taenzer, A. H. (2024). Effect of Interprofessional Crisis Simulation Training in a Non-Operating Room Anesthesia Setting on Team Coordination: A Mixed Methods Study. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety.

• Trockel, M. T., Menon, N. K., Makowski, M. S., Wen, L. Y., Roberts, R., Bohman, B. D., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2023, January). Impact: evaluation of a controlled organizational intervention using influential peers to promote professional fulfillment. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 98, No. 1, pp. 75-87). Elsevier.

• Wen, L. Y., & Howard, S. K. (2017). Perioperative ACLS/cognitive aids in resuscitation. International Anesthesiology Clinics, 55(3), 4-18.

• Wen, L., Sweeney, T. E., Welton, L., Trockel, M., & Katznelson, L. (2017). Encouraging mindfulness in medical house staff via smartphone app: a pilot study. Academic psychiatry, 41, 646-650.

• Wen, L. Y., & Howard, S. K. (2014). Value of expert systems, quick reference guides and other cognitive aids. Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 27(6), 643-648.