A 'Well-being Angel' for Busy Medical Students
June 13, 2025
Heather Choi is an enthusiastic ambassador for the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) – an avid fundraiser, event planner and all-around booster in support of the medical school and its students.
“Being involved is a bigtime honor!” she said. “The medical students are the best of the best.” As if to illustrate that point, on June 5, HMSOM graduated 136 into residency programs at top institutions across the country - the school’s largest class yet.
To assist students, Heather and her husband pledged $3 million to establish the Dr. and Mrs. Mingi Choi Scholarship Fund in 2017; the medical school in Nutley welcomed its first class the following year. The Chois have been ardent supporters since.
This past May, Heather hosted her annual fundraiser for HMSOM, a Kentucky Derby party that featured guests in bold and festive headwear. And for the last several years, her non-profit Show Me Your Heart Foundation has hosted quarterly lunches for medical students at the school that are both a treat and a stress-buster. A variety of cuisines are catered in; the high-quality lunches average about 170 students, but as many as 350 diners have attended.
Heather said the luncheons provide emotional support and fellowship. “I was once a needy student and I want to do something for others, that’s a way of changing the world,” said Heather, who emigrated to the United States from South Korea as a young woman and now lives in Franklin Lakes. A simple lunch, she said, is “a little thing that could have a big impact.”
Heather and other volunteers do the set up and serving, and she has recruited fellow Korean immigrants to work with her foundation. “They are proud to be part of it,” Heather said.
“Ms. Heather Choi has a huge heart – she just wants to see everyone succeed. We are so grateful for the treat,” said Laurie Sullivan, Ph.D., senior associate dean of the Office of Student Affairs and Wellbeing at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Dr. Sullivan said Heather has also hosted concerts on site and donated a “magnificent” grand piano for the Stethoscope Suite - a room for students at the Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus. “It’s played all the time by the students and it provides warmth and well-being,” she said.
Students enjoy the recitals, which prompt them to “stop and listen,” said Dr. Sullivan. “Heather is our well-being angel.”
Philanthropy reaches many facets of life for students at the School of Medicine, and Heather is most certainly making a difference in their lives. We thank her for her giving spirit. To learn how you can support students at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, please email Sheila Wolfinger, executive director of development, at sheila.wolfinger@hmhn.org or visit GiveHMH.org/SchoolofMed.
