Dr. Aye Min, a board-certified diagnostic radiologist with Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg (RAF), received his initial medical training in Burma, his home country. Starting in 1988, in the midst of political unrest, he served for three years with a volunteer army of student activists fighting against the government’s military dictatorship. After fleeing to Thailand, he moved to the US in 1992 and a new life in Richmond.
On a two-year scholarship, Dr. Min attended the medical technologist program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and worked at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) hospital blood bank. He went on to pursue his medical degree, internship and radiology residency at MCV. He also completed a fellowship with the Ellen Shaw de Paredes Institute for Women’s Imaging in Richmond, a facility devoted to the early detection of breast cancer.
Today, the focus of Dr. Min’s practice is mammography and women’s imaging. For 6 years, he served as the physician director of the Imaging Center for Women, a partnership of RAF and Mary Washington Healthcare.
“My decision to choose breast imaging as my specialty was influenced greatly by the late Dr. Paredes,” he said.“She taught me that breast imaging is not only about detecting an abnormal finding on a mammogram, but also about having a compassionate heart in delivering care. In giving me purpose and direction in my career, she was a true mentor.”
In his 10 years of practice, Dr. Min has seen a gradual evolution in the field of breast imaging. “We are now more involved with direct patient care and management, meeting with patients when we recommend a biopsy and then meeting with them again to provide results. If the result is cancer or a high-risk lesion that needs surgical attention, we arrange for a breast cancer navigator nurse to provide guidance and resources every step of the way, a service our patients truly appreciate. We are fortunate to be part of this coordinated program with Mary Washington Healthcare.”
Dr. Min met his wife, Edith, a Fredericksburg native, in 1994. “We were in the same calculus class at VCU,” he said. “She invited me to have Thanksgiving dinner with her family because she knew I was a refugee without a family in the US. The rest is history!”
Dr. Min’s children on a recent trip to Burma
In 2006, Dr. Min joined RAF. He was introduced to the group by R. Donald Doherty Jr., MD, an interventional radiologist with RAF and fellow MCV graduate. “Don knew Edith,” Dr. Min explained. “He spotted me in our engagement notice in the Free Lance-Star newspaper and contacted Edith about a position opening at RAF. She encouraged me to apply. The charm of Fredericksburg and the people I met at RAF won me over.”
Dr. Min and Edith, now an attorney, have three children together: Esther, 10, and twins Andrew and Elliott, 8. In their family time, the Mins enjoy walks and bike rides along the Rappahannock Canal.
Dr. Min finds time also to visit Burma, where his parents and oldest sister still live. As part of a national reconciliation plan, he was able to return to the country in 2012 and has been back each year since. Along with visiting his family, his activities have included presenting at the Annual Myanmar (Burmese) Radiologic Society Meeting and lecturing to radiology residents at the Yangon General Hospital.
Pictured above is Dr. Min and his wife, Edith