Richmond is the home of many firsts in Virginia history: In 1609 John Smith and company established Jamestown. In 1740 the First Great Awakening broke out in the city. Here in 1862 the USS Monitor clashed with the CSS Virginia (aka, Merrimac). Also in Richmond, hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University, INMED graduated the first class of International Medicine & Public Health students in the state.
From where came the inspiration to offer such an opportunity? Scott Armistead, standing at the feet of George Washington. I first met Scott in 1991 when he was a family medicine resident at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Scott particularly impressed me with his gentle and strong spirit, and wholehearted commitment to remote people. Three years later Scott and his family moved to United Arab Emirates and then onward to Pakistan, where for the next twenty years they gave of themselves in healthcare and education.
Now on faculty at the VCU College of Medicine, Scott Armistead’s naturally magnetic persona rapidly drew students and colleagues to be inspired by his vision and lifestyle. In February, he leads the seven of them on a month-long service-learning experience in Ghana. And what better preparation than the INMED International Medicine & Public Health Hybrid Course!