His was an intriguing proposal. Tim Stephens, a medical student at Kansas University, approached me about a unique learning opportunity in the city of Shenyang, northeastern China. He selected the right mentor, for years earlier I too studied at the Shanghai Charity Hospital. Through the INMED Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health program Tim proceeded to study at the LIGHT Family Medicine Residency in Shenyang. This innovative site provides medical education for Chinese physicians while also serving that city’s most marginalized peoples.
The example ignited Tim’s vision. Subsequently he completed family medicine training in Boston and two years of dedicated Mandarin language school. Today Tim Stephens is a Faculty Physician with the Haikou Municipal Hospital on the island of Hainan, southern China. With a keen vision to multiply his skills, Tim and his Chinese colleagues are forging primary care training for young Chinese. The quality of their endeavor is of such high caliber that the World Bank is drawing upon their expertise. And this all began in 2004 with a student and a dream.