in eastern China). The school's well-rounded social and academic programs gave me the confidence to apply as a volunteer at a mental hospital during my second year of study. At this hospital, I worked for two years with people whose minds were as fragile as their bodies. One cannot speak for all aspiring physicians, but my experience was that the need to behave both professionally and sympathetically with psychiatric patients became a lesson that I could take with me to my clinical practice. My view is that all patients should be respected and that they deserve the best care doctors can provide.
In 1998, after graduating with honors, I did a two-year residency at Tianjin Central Hospital, which has a strong reputation in hepatobiliary surgery; Tianjin is China's third larg
...