Annual Pub 2023 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 40
K I R K K E R K O R I A N S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E AT U N LV
PEDIATRICIAN LEARNS
FROM HIS PATIENTS
B Y PA U L H A R A S I M
M
eat spoilage: it turned out to be the subject matter
that had a lot to do with Julpohng (“JP”) Vilai, MD,
becoming a physician.
J U L P O H N G (“ J P ” ) V I L A I , M D
P H O T O : J O S H H A W K I N S / U N LV
That unusual bit of biography was shared by the
pediatrician as he re昀ected on how he became the
physician he is today. An assistant professor with
the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, he received the 2002
Department of Pediatrics Faculty Educator of the Year Award.
“When I was an undergraduate at UNLV, I took a microbiology
course taught by a visiting professor, Dr. James Jay. He was a food
microbiologist nearing the end of his career, yet his enthusiasm for
what he taught was infectious. It was clear that he loved what he was
doing. He was like a grandfatherly 昀gure who wanted his grandchildren
to enjoy microbiology as much as he did. He was just so full of life
and stories about his own life in science, which he said was made
more challenging early on because African Americans lacked career
opportunities. I was lucky he took me under his wing. I worked in his lab
and we published a manuscript on meat spoilage … That work, coupled
with lively discussions he led on topics that ranged from good and bad
bacteria to how long you could have ground beef around without it being
harmful … served as a catalyst for my interest in medicine. I wanted
to use what is learned in science to help people. Dr. Jay was a great
teacher – great teachers inspire.”
Dr. Vilai, a former Bishop Gorman High School valedictorian who
graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biological sciences from
UNLV, says he often thinks about Dr. Jay before he teaches medical
students and pediatric residents. “I will never forget the enthusiasm
he had for his subject, how animated and excited he was about what
he was teaching. It’s something I always want to bring to my teaching.”
Born in Las Vegas at Women’s Hospital – it closed in 1994 – Dr. Vilai is
the only child of immigrants from Thailand who came to Las Vegas in
the 1970s. His father earned a degree in economics at UNLV, and when
he couldn’t get a good-paying job at a bank, worked as a casino slot
mechanic. His mother worked as a casino card dealer until her son was
born, and then became a stay-at-home mom. The small family home
on East Charleston Boulevard where Dr. Vilai grew up now houses Sin
City DMV Services.
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