Christopher Shih, a 35-year-old gastroenterologist from Maryland, has won the first YouTube Contest for amateur pianists sponsored by the Van Cliburn Foundation. He will receive automatic entry into the sixth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, which will be held in Fort Worth in the spring of 2011.

Shih, who received a B.A. in biochemistry from Harvard and his M.D. from Johns Hopkins, competed in the 10th Van Cliburn International Competition in 1997. In the YouTube Contest he received 701 votes out of 2,389 cast. To see and hear his winning performance, click here.