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History of INMED
The Institute for International Medicine is built on the truth that one generation can profoundly motivate and equip the next. INMED itself is the result of model individuals whose self-sacrificing lifestyle inspired INMED's leaders to create this organization. Today, INMED is casting a vision the next generation of healthcare professionals to serve the most neglected citizens of our planet.
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Samuel Marx
As a high school senior, Nicholas Comninellis read Dr. Tom Dooley's moving account of caring for Vietnamese refugees in the book Deliver Us From Evil. "I want to do that too!" was his heart-felt response. As a medical student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Comninellis leaped at opportunities for international service. For two months, he was mentored by Samuel Marx, an American physician who instructed him at the Clinic Evangelica Morava in the jungle of eastern Honduras. After completing medical training in 1982 Comninellis worked for a year at Shanghai Charity Hospital where he was guided by Dr. Donald Dale - a British physician who launched the Jian Hua Foundation. In 1989 Comninellis took two-year an assignment in Angola, southern Africa, where Dr. Steven Foster, a Canadian surgeon, introduced him to the vagrancies of working in that war ravaged nation. They served together at the famed Kalukembe Hospital. In 1991 Comninellis entered service in the Kansas City public hospital system at Truman Medical Centers, all the while a dream growing within him.
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| INITIATION: 2003 - 2004 ACADEMIC YEAR |
First Board of Directors
In 2003, Dr. Comninellis was teaching public health and family medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He noticed a growing desire among students for international service. Many medical schools were also encouraging international education, but few actually offered international clinical electives, and even fewer had a curriculum appropriate to international health issues. Realizing that people who do medical missions usually had a formative experience during their training, Dr. Comninellis envisioned an organization specifically devoted to the educational aspects of international medicine. Community leaders came together to form the first INMED Board of Directors, including Roy Moran, Don Philgreen, Daniel Hickey, and Thad May. INMED was incorporated as a Missouri non-profit corporation on July 2, 2003.
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| 2004 - 2005 ACADEMIC YEAR |
First INMED International Medicine Diploma Graduates
In 2004, Dr. Comninellis said good-bye to his full-time teaching position in order to develop INMED. Here are the highlights of the 2004-2005 academic year:
- INMED launched it's first service: the Diploma in International Medicine
- Training sites were established at Baptist Medical Center in Ghana, at the Hospital Evangelico in Honduras, and with Liaoning International Health Trainers in China
- Dr. Comninellis created an international medicine curriculum covering the essential topics of international health issues, diseases of poverty, cross-cultural skills, and health leadership
- Six medical students from the Universities of Kansas and Missouri-Kansas City completed the INMED International Medicine Certificate. The first graduation was held at the Diastole Scholar's Center at the UMKC School of Medicine in May 2005
- The Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation also provided INMED with its first major funding
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| 2005 - 2006 ACADEMIC YEAR |
Micah Flint
The 2005-2006 Academic Year saw INMED add it's first full-time staff member. Here are the highlights of the year:
- Micah Flint, joined INMED in July 2005 as Chief Executive Officer
- INMED moved to office space provided by the Hospital Corporation of America in Kansas City, MO
- The INMED International Medicine Diploma program grew in popularity with the addition of seven new training sites in Angola, Macau, Jordan, Romania, Cameroon, the United Arab Emirates, and the Clinica Morava in Honduras
- 28 medical students and resident physicians from 15 different academic institutions completed the INMED International Medicine Diploma
- INMED hosted its first Exploring Medical Missions Conference with 200 individuals and 12 exhibitors attending the conference
- The Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation and College Park Family Care Center also provided INMED with major financial support
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| 2006 - 2007 ACADEMIC YEAR |
International Med Course
In the 2006-2007 Academic Year, INMED continued to develop and expand the services offered. Here are the highlights of the year:
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| 2007 - 2008 ACADEMIC YEAR |
Skylar Rolf
INMED experienced growth in all aspects of the organization in 2007-2008. Here are the highlights of the year:
- Skylar Rolf joined the INMED staff as Chief Operations Officer
- INMED launched the CARE for Kids Initiative to protect newborn infants from becoming infected with HIV
- INMED developed a partnership with Remote Medicine and Harvard's Dr. James Li
- The number of students completing the INMED INMED International Medicine Certificate reached 42
- INMED added new training sites in Belize, Zambia, Ecuador, and Guatemala
- The INMED Blog was launched to enable Diploma Program participant's to share their experiences with the world
- 408 individuals and 42 exhibitors attended the 2008 Exploring Medical Missions Conference
- INMED announced the 2008 Disaster Medicine Management Symposium, to be held in Kansas City on October 3, 2008
- INMED received significant funding from:
- Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation
- Saint Luke's Health System
- University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine
- College Park Family Care Center
- Truman Heartland Foundation
- Ted Higgins, MD
- Dr. David and Alverda Tillema Fund through the Baptist Trinity Lutheran Foundation
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| 2008 - 2009 ACADEMIC YEAR |
2009 International Medicine Intensive Course Graduates
INMED developed several new programs and experienced considerable growth of the organization in 2008-2009. Here are the highlights of the year:
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| 2009 - 2010 ACADEMIC YEAR |
2010 Exploring Medical Missions Conference Graduates
INMED continued to experience growth of the organization in 2009-2010. Here are the highlights of the year:
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