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.
Inspiration: 1976 – 2002
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 opportunitiesfor 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 invested two years 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.
INITIATION: 2003 – 2004 ACADEMIC YEAR
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 self-paceds, 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 June 30, 2003.
DEVELOPMENT: 2004 – 2005 Academic Year
In 2004, Dr. Comninellis departed 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 credential: the Professional Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health (DIMPH)
- 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
ADDITION: 2005 – 2006 Academic Year
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 Professional Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health 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 Professional Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health
- 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
FIGHT HIV: 2006 – 2007 Academic Year
In the 2006-2007 Academic Year, INMED continued to develop and expand the services offered. Here are the highlights of the year:
- INMED published the International Medicine Course & International Medicine Book to prepare health professionals for international service
- The number of students completing the INMED Professional Diploma in International Medicine & Public Health for this academic year reached 33
- 350 individuals and 16 exhibitors attended the 2007 Exploring Medical Missions Conference
- INMED announced it’s new IN
MED International HIV Medicine CertificateProgram - INMED added new training sites in Belize, Zambia, Ecuador, and Guatemala
- INMED received significant funding from: Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, College Park Family Care Center, and Dr. David and Alverda Tillema Fund through the Baptist Trinity Lutheran Foundation.
LAUNCHING INTO MEDICAL MISSIONS: 2007 – 2008 Academic Year
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 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: College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Saint Luke’s Health System, David & Alverda Tillema Fund through the Baptist Trinity Lutheran Foundation, Truman Heartland Foundation, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine.
Fighting the diseases of Poverty: 2008 – 2009 Academic Year
INMED developed several new programs and experienced considerable growth of the organization in 2008-2009. Here are the highlights of the year:
- Dr. Ted Higgins and Dr. Peter Greenspan were added to the INMED Board of Directors
- INMED hosted the first two-week International Medicine Intensive Course with 32 participants completing the course
- IINMED developed and launched the International HIV Medicine Self-paced Course
- INMED launched the INMED International HIV Medicine Certificate Program
- The number of students completing the INMED International Medicine & International H
V Medicine Certificate Programs reached 60 - INMED added new Training Sites in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, India, and the Dominican Republic
- The INMED International Medicine Fellowship was launched for physicians who are intent on a full-time career in the field of international medicine
- 393 individuals and 27 exhibitors attended the 2009 Exploring Medical Missions Conference
- INMED hosted the 2008 Disaster Medicine Management Symposium with over 100 participants in attendance.
- INMED announced the Cross-Cultural Competency in Healthcare Symposium to be held October 2, 2009 in Kansas City
- INMED received significant funding from: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Bob and Janie Hodgdon, Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Saint Luke’s Health System, National Christian Foundation Heartland, and the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine.
Serving the Forgotten: 2009 – 2010 Academic Year
INMED continued to experience growth of the organization in 2009-2010. Here are the highlights of the year:
- INMED hosted the second two-week International Medicine Intensive Course with 44 participants completing the course
- INMED hosted the second one-week International Public Health Intensive Course with 67 participants completing the course
- INMED launched the INMED International Public Health Certificate Program & the INMED International Pharmacy Certificate Program
- The number of students completing the INMED Certificate & Diploma Programs was 50
- INMED added new Training Sites in Cambodia, India, Kenya, Honduras, and Haiti
- INMED initiated the INMED Professional Diploma in International Public Health & the INMED International Pharmacy Diploma
- 400 individuals and 30 exhibitors attended the 2010 Exploring Medical Missions Conference
- INMED hosted the 2009 Cross-Cultural Competency in Healthcare Symposium with over 125 participants in attendance.
- INMED received significant funding from: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Saint Luke’s Health System, National Christian Foundation Heartland, and the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine.
FROM RESCUE TO RESILIENCE: 2010 – 2011 Academic Year
This year witnessed particular growth in INMED’s academic offerings. Here are the highlights:
- Elizabeth Burgos joined the INMED staff as Director of Student Affairs
- INMED became recognized as an accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) provider
- INMED hosted the third two-week International Medicine Intensive Course with 33 participants completing the course
- INMED hosted the third one-week International Public Health Intensive Course with 49 participants completing the course
- INMED launched CME accredited Elective Online Courses on the topics of International Public Health, Diseases Of Poverty, Cross-Cultural Competency, Disaster Medicine Management, and International Health Leadership
- The number of students completing the INMED Certificate & Diploma Programs was 46
- INMED added new Training Sites in Ecuador, Ghana, and Kenya
- 350 individuals and 30 exhibitors participated the 2011 Exploring Medical Missions Conference whose theme was From Rescue To Resilience
- INMED hosted the 2011 Cross-Cultural Competency in Healthcare Symposium with 176 participants
- INMED received significant funding from: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Saint Luke’s Health System, and the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine.
From Inspiration To Mobilization: 2011 – 2012 Academic Year
This year witnessed particular growth in INMED’s academic offerings. Here are the highlights:
- INMED completed the first year of being an accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) provider
- INMED established the Cross-Cultural Health Leadership Institute
- INMED hosted a Crisis Response Training with 102 participants
- INMED hosted the Fall, Winter, & Summer Professional Certificate Courses in International Medicine & Public Health with 66 participants
- INMED published the INMED International Medicine & Public Health, 2nd Edition
- The number of students completing the INMED Certificate & Diploma Programs was 36
- INMED added new Training Sites in International Medicine and Public Health in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, and United Arab Emirates.
552 individuals and 26 exhibitors participated the 2012 Exploring Medical Missions Conference whose theme was From Inspiration To Mobilization
- INMED hosted the 2012 Cross-Cultural Healthcare Symposium with 154 participants
- INMED received significant funding from: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, Moyes Eye Center, Physicians Reference Laboratories, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Saint Luke’s Health System, National Christian Foundation Heartland, and the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine.
The Road Less Traveled: 2012 – 2013 Academic Year
Over this year INMED emphasized broader accreditation and recognition of it’s programs, with these spotlights:
- INMED received Continuing Medical Education Joint Sponsorship recognition with commendation by the Missouri State Medical Association.
- All INMED service-learning programs were accredited by the Accreditation Council for International Healthcare Education (ACIHE)
- Cindy Obenhaus joined INMED as Director of Operations, and Skylar Rolf departed to begin doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska.
- INMED hosted the Fall, Winter, & Summer Professional Certificate Courses in International Medicine & Public Health with 73 participants
- The number of participants completing the INMED Certificate & Diploma Programs and Alumni Service Program was 58.
- INMED added new Training Sites in International Medicine and Public Health in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, and the United States of America.
- INMED hosted the 2012 Cross-Cultural Healthcare Symposium with 300 participants, and featuring Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down.
- 500 individuals and 32 exhibitors participated the 2013 Exploring Medical Missions Conference whose theme was The Road Less Traveled
- INMED received significant funding from: College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, REACH Healthcare Foundation, Saint Luke’s Health System, and the National Christian Foundation Heartland.
Sticks in a Bundle Are Unbreakable: 2013 – 2014 Academic Year
Throughout this year INMED particularly worked to increase access to its hybrid intensive courses, with these high points:
- INMED Professional Certificate Courses in International Medicine & Public Health were held four times, including in-classroom locations in Kansas City MO, Fort Worth TX, and Knoxville TN, with 57 total participants.
- Thirty individuals completed an INMED Certificate or Diploma Program during this academic year.
430 individuals and 30 exhibitors participated the 2014 Exploring Medical Missions Conference. The conference theme was Sticks In A Bundle Are Unbreakable.
- INMED provided Continuing Medical Education Joint Providership for eight educational events.
- INMED received significant funding from: College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, and Saint Luke’s Health System.
What Can You Do In Ten?: 2014 – 2015 Academic Year
In this, the twelfth year of INMED and the tenth year of the Exploring Medical Missions Conference, we observed this particular progress:
INMED’s Continuing Education Department hosted CME joint-providership activities for Saint Luke’s Health System, Kansas City Dermatological Society, Buchanan County Medical Society, The Research Foundation, Research Belton Medical Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, and Lee’s Summit Medical Center, among others. INMED was also awarded Continuing Nursing Education Accreditation through Missouri Nurses Association. To accommodate these demands INMED has welcomed two additional new staff members: Rebekah Herzog and Celina Fisher.
- INMED Professional Certificate Courses in International Medicine & Public Health were held five times, including in-classroom locations in Fort Worth TX, Kansas City MO, Glendale CA, Kirksville MO, and Pittsburgh PA, with 79 total participants.
- INMED also hosted two courses in Helping Babies Breathe and three courses in Ultrasound for Primary Care.
- Twenty-five individuals completed the vigorous requirements to quality for the INMED Diploma in either International Public Health or International Medicine & Public Health, including their service-learning experience at an INMED Training Site.
- What Can You Do In Ten? Was the theme of this year’s Exploring Medical Missions Conference, which featured plenary presentations by David Nassar, Micah Flint, and Rick Donlon. Live actors made up the victims and patients of a simulated disaster in the Midwest and a field hospital in Nepal after the earthquake. 418 individuals were in attendance.
- INMED received substantial funding from College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Physicians Reference Laboratories, Mary Elizabeth Grant Education Foundation, Kansas City Care Clinic, HCA Midwest, and the Butterfield Memorial Foundation.
- INMED Board Members Don Philgreen and Roy Moran recognized and affirmed INMED staff Elizabeth Burgos and Micah Flint, citing their five- and ten-year’s service “…to INMED and to our world’s most forgotten citizens.”
Evidence Behind Medical Missions: 2015 – 2016 Academic Year
During INMED’s thirteenth year we are particularly grateful for these achievements:
- INMED launched a Free Demo Online Course to give prospective participants an opportunity to “test drive” features common to all INMED Elective Courses and the online learning section of INMED Professional Certificate Courses.
- INMED Professional Certificate Courses in International Medicine & Public Health were held five times, including in-classroom locations in Fort Worth TX, Kansas City MO, Glendale CA, Kirksville MO, and Pittsburgh PA, with 67 total participants.
- INMED also hosted three courses in Helping Babies Breathe and four courses in Ultrasound for Primary Care.
- Nine individuals added an international service-learning experience to their previous Professional Certificate Courses to quality for the INMED Professional Diploma in International Medicine or Public Health.
- INMED’s Continuing Education Department hosted CME joint-providership activities for Saint Luke’s Health System, Truman Medical Center, Research Medical Center, Research Belton Medical Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Lee’s Summit Medical Center, and for a number of professional societies.
The 2016 Exploring Medical Missions Conference theme was The Evidence Behind Medical Missions, and included plenary presentation by Gary Morsch, Brad Gautney, and Lani Ackerman. A number of new subjects were added this year, including palliative care, global health education, partnering with national leaders. Approximately 500 individuals participated, including some 200 students.
- INMED received sizable funding from College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, HCA Midwest, and the Butterfield Memorial Foundation, as well as support from 72 individual donors.
Holistic Partnership with the Forgotten: 2016 – 2017 Academic Year
INMED’s fourteenth year is especially noteworthy for:
- New Healthcare Education content was introduced to the INMED curriculum this year. Masterfully composed by Paul Larson, this installation into the International Medicine, International Nursing, and International Public Health curriculum rounds out the training with how to transfer skills to others, and is also available as a Elective Online Course.
- INMED held its first Professional Certificate Courses at a location outside of the United States – a long-anticipated objective. Students studied online for twenty weeks, twice as long as usual given their level of English, and then on July 18-19, 2016, we completed the in-classroom sessions at China Number One Medical University. Thirty-five students participated, representing China, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and UAE.
September 2016, INMED also held the in-classroom section of the first INMED Professional Certificate Course at Harvard University Teaching Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital, with thanks to Hilarie Cranmer, Mass General Director of Global Disaster Response and to Paul Larson, the primary instructor. And in January, Virginial Commonwealth University also hosted the first INMED Professional Certificate Courses in Richmond, with complements to Scott Armistead.
- Twenty-eight individuals participated an INMED service-learning experience at an INMED Training Site to quality for the INMED Professional Diploma in either International Medicine or Public Health. Their Training Sites included locales in Angola, China, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Malawi, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- The twelfth INMED mega-event rolled out on March 23-25, under Micah Flint’s expert guidance. This year’s conference theme was Holistic Partnership with the Forgotten. 450 participated, 22 exhibited, and on the last day everyone had a role in our South Pacific island storm disaster simulation.
- INMED again was bl
essed via funding from College Park Family Care Center, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, HCA Midwest, the Butterfield Memorial Foundation, the Baptist Trinity Lutheran Legacy Foundation Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Fund, as well as support from 68 individual donors.
The Art of Serving: 2017-2018 Academic Year
In its fifteenth year, INMED recognized the following milestones:
- The Professional Certificate Course in International Nursing & Public Health was introduced under the watchful leadership of Micah Flint. Sharing content in common with the Professional Certificate Course in International Medicine & Public Health, this Nursing course emphasizes the nursingmodel and highlights the particular strength of globally-minded nurses.
- INMED enjoyed the privilege of first-ever presentations at the CMDA Continuing Medical & Dental Education conference in Thailand, at the GMMA Global Medical Missions Alliance Conference in Irvine CA, and at international medical student conferences in Shanghai, Nancheng, and Hangzhou. China. The later hosted 900 students from twelve Asian and African nations and planted the first inspirational seeds for INMED to provide future faculty for international medical schools.
- Thirty-six individuals participated an INMED service-learning experiences to quality for an INMED Professional Diplomain International Medicine, International Nursing, or Public Health. Their Training Sites included locales in Angola, Cameron, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia,
- The thirteenth Humanitarian Health Conference was held on April 12-13, 2017, built around the theme The Art of Serving. The conference included day-long courses in Ultrasound for Primary Care, Helping Babies Breathe, Humanitarian Relief, Basic Life Support in Obstetrics, Community Development, and Global Missions.
- INMED’s revenue for this academic year totaled $756,000. Significant funding was generously received from funding from Baptist Trinity Lutheran Legacy Foundation Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Fund, Butterfield Memorial Foundation, College Park Family Care Center, Datcha Dorvil, the George Faile Foundation, Peter and Kim Greenspan, HCA Midwest, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Spencer & Beckie Kerley, the from 42 individual donors.
Equip • Connect • Go: 2018-2019 Academic Year
In our sixteenth year, INMED realized:
- INMED’s entire online learning content – including text, videos, and interactive questions – and updated and professionally edited. In all, some 2,500 web pages were revised, plus the addition of new authored lessons for Diseases of Poverty, Healthcare Education, Health Leadership, and Ultrasound for Primary Care.
- INMED hosted a week-long continuing education event for primary care nurse practitioners at Kalukembe Hospital in southern Africa. Based on chapters from Where There Is No Doctor, this event focused on maternal-newborn skills for care at isolated clinics.
- Thirty-six individuals earned an INMED Professional Diploma, completing their service-learning in Angola, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and USA.
- The fourteenth Humanitarian Health Conference was held on April 5-6, 2019, urging participants to Equip, Connect, and Go. Breakout sessions emphasized skills in wound care & suturing, W.A.S.H (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), crossing cultures through compassion, developing community partnerships, and Sean Mark’s Guide to an International Health Career.
- Remarkable funding was again generously provided by Baptist Trinity Lutheran Legacy Foundation Jack Hill Continuing Medical Education Fund, Butterfield Memorial Foundation, College Park Family Care Center, Datcha Dorvil, the George Faile Foundation, Peter and Kim Greenspan, HCA Midwest, Ted & Kim Higgins, Hodgdon Family Charitable Foundation, Spencer & Beckie Kerley, David Zamierowski, and from 45 individual donors.