Heritage Snapshot Part 234: “The Loma Linda Spirit”

LOMA LINDA >> What is known in Loma Linda University as The China Project, the management of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital in Hangzhou, was preceded by another endeavor which started about the same time. In 1985, the Loma Linda University School of Public Health started a collaborative public health education program in the People’s Republic of China. It involved schools of public health at universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Kwantung and Xian. “We believe this collaboration between Loma Linda, the World Health Organization and the Chinese Ministry of Health holds great promise for upgrading personnel in China,” said Dr. Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, at the time dean of Loma Linda University School of Public Health. “Our hope is to develop a broad base of activities over time." From May 5-11 in 1995, representatives from the Chinese Suzhou Medical College met with Loma Linda University officials to formalize an affiliation to enrich the educational experiences of students in their respective schools of nursing. Following correspondence and meetings, a group from Suzhou traveled to meet with faculty and administrators of Loma Linda University and Medical Center to formalize the affiliation. As part of the agreement, Suzhou would send senior nurses and faculty to Loma Linda for a six-month period, and nursing faculty from Loma Linda would present seminars at SMC. In 1997, the West China University of Medical Sciences in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, wanted to start a school of allied health professions. It received a $1 million grant from the New York City-based China Medical Board to start such a school. Its vice president, Dr. Zhou Tongfu, MD, headed a group of Chinese physicians to visit several institutions throughout the United States to study various schools and their curricula. Their last stop was Loma Linda University, where they spent two weeks discussing options with Dr. Dean Joyce W. Hopp, PhD, MPH, and a number of her School of Allied Health Professions faculty. In addition to learning that Loma Linda’s programs are among the top in the nation, he found something else people who were willing to work with him to make his project a reality. “What impressed me the most about Loma Linda were the people,” Zhou wrote. “All of the other institutions I visited in the United States have excellent programs, but something was missing — and I found it at Loma Linda. The faculty and staff at Loma Linda have something that I did not find at the other places. It is hard to put into words, but your institution has a special spirit. I cannot say enough about your faculty, staff and students.” West China University of Medical Sciences asked Loma Linda University to assist in developing a school of allied health professions beginning with four primary components—rehabilitation (physical and occupational therapy), nutrition and dietetics, respiratory therapy/critical care, and radiation medicine; services usually provided by physicians in that country. It became the first school of allied professions in China. West China University of Medical Sciences was founded in 1910 through the joint effort of five Christian missions from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. It started with programs in medicine, dentistry, and liberal arts. In 1999, it had 5,700 students enrolled in 12 specialties. As part of the agreement, WCUMS sent six faculty members to Loma Linda in late 1997. This first group returned to China in early 1998 with course outlines, textbooks, and other teaching materials, to begin the foundations of the program. Because there were no textbooks in China relating to the specifics of the allied health professions, they wrote their own from what they learned in Loma Linda. One book on critical care, written by Dr. Ying Mingying is now one of the standard textbooks on that subject in China. Five physicians returned to Loma Linda in the spring of 1999 for three months. Although they would direct the new curricula, they took classes alongside Loma Linda University students. In late May, 1999, faculty from Loma Linda University spent 10 days at West China University of Medical Sciences, presenting standing-room-only lectures, consulting with faculty and administration, and making recommendations about the future of the program. Several hospitals are operated by the University, including the largest University hospital in southwest China. “With more than a million outpatients and 50,000 inpatients per year, there are plenty of occasions for student participation in clinical opportunities,” Hopp said. “The clinical facilities are excellent.”