Nicholas Comninellis
MD
Nicholas Comninellis is President and Professor of INMED, the Institute for International Medicine. He is also faculty at Research Medical Center Family Medicine Residency. Over a two-year period Dr. Comninellis served inner-city citizens at Shanghai Charity Hospital.Â
Over another two years, he led a healthcare ministry in the war-besieged nation of Angola in southern Africa. Dr. Comninellis next served for six years in the Kansas City public hospital before launching INMED in 2003. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Public Health and was a family medicine resident at John Peter Smith Hospital. Dr. Comninellis also earned a professional diploma in tropical medicine from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and became board certified in both public health and family medicine.
Among his authored books are Shanghai Doctor, Where Do I Go From Here, and INMED International Medicine & Public Health. Dr. Comninellis is a classical guitarist and faculty advisor for UMKC Cru. He was recognized as the 2009 United Nations Association of the United States World Citizen and the 2015 University of Missouri-Kansas City Alumni of the Year.
Launching Your International Healthcare Career
The international healthcare career tract is often marked by having to deal with unusual diseases, minimal resources, and challenging cultural contexts. It is important to apply these principles of wise decision-making: prayer, analysis of pros and cons, soliciting advice, and ample patience. Professional decisions include selection of a specialty, a community to serve, a sending organization, and sometimes having to learn a foreign language. Personal decisions include money management, personal health, family relationships, and legal compliance. Throughout this process, determination and faith are essential to fulfill a virtuous international healthcare career.