The intersection of faith and medicine at Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Students meet former director of National Institutes of Health
Caleb Luk deeply connected with Francis Collins' journey of discovering Christ through medicine. Luk heard about Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, at Wheaton College and later met him. Luk felt Collins' story also might be an inspiration to his Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine classmates. So he reached out to Collins to create an opportunity for the physician to speak with the rest of his peers.
Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine (BUCOM) student Caleb Luk, his peers in the Memphis chapter of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations and BUCOM faculty coordinated a virtual appearance from Dr. Francis Collins, former director of the National Institutes of Health. Joshua McCoy, Luk's peer at BUCOM and fellow CMDA Memphis member, was also excited for other students to hear from the former NIH director.
“When you have somebody who is not only so established, but also a person of faith, they can really share valuable insight with us because they can relate to how we're progressing in our careers,” said McCoy. “It’s a good opportunity for students to learn.”
Collins, the only NIH director to serve under three presidents, is a physician-geneticist who is known for his leadership of the international Human Genome Project and monumental discoveries of disease genes. He is also a Christian who spoke to students about his journey from atheism to Christianity and how it was kickstarted by a patient reading a scripture to him.
This story really resonated with me because we never know when speaking about our faith has an impact on somebody. We can only do what the Lord calls us to do and walk in obedience with him. Part of that is sharing his word.
Collins emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong sense of curiosity throughout his guest lecture. Both Luk and McCoy look forward to practicing this wisdom in their own medical journeys.
“It’s something that I try to implement in my own personal life,” said McCoy. “Even just aside from medicine, remain curious about people and really try to understand them. When you're talking with people, listen with the intent to ask them more about who they are rather than about yourself. I think that creates more of a safe bond with others. It’s a skill that I want to develop because it’ll help me connect with my patients and other people. Remain curious and leave your heart open to what they have to say."
Remaining humble by remembering that medical professionals exist to serve people is another key takeaway that both Luk and McCoy wish to embody.
Dr. Collins reminded us that we're here to serve other people. Serving people should be the main focus of our careers, not trying to achieve a status. We’re ultimately here to serve our patients and find ways to help them live better and healthier lives.
Deepening faith while working toward a medical career at BUCOM
McCoy was introduced to BUCOM during a medical school expo at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. A representative from BUCOM spoke with McCoy about the program and the Memphis community. Hearing that BUCOM was a Christian school interested him the most.
“I wanted to go to a place where I could grow in my faith while growing in my medical career,” said McCoy. “That was the main driving factor behind me applying.”
Enrolling at BUCOM has allowed McCoy to achieve this goal.
“The school encourages your faith in every way possible,” said McCoy. “I think having a faculty who speaks about their faith so openly and practices it without anybody batting an eye has been really encouraging. They also create a space for us and give us so many opportunities to be bold about our faith while surrounding us with a supportive community, which is important.”
BUCOM's existence within the Memphis area has also been helpful for Luk.
There have been so many Memphians who've actually been a blessing in my life. I'm very thankful not just for our school but also our community here, which has given me the opportunity to really thrive and grow.
For students wanting to feed their own curiosity about Christ like Collins has, McCoy says BUCOM offers all the support they need.
“On the graduate side of things, CMDA is completely free to join and you get access to so many different resources by becoming a member,” said McCoy. “If you're an undergraduate, talk to Chaplain Rusty Woods. He does a lot with undergraduate students, so he’s a great resource as well.”
McCoy also recommends people reach out to the Christians in their own personal lives. “Just talk to them and pick their brain to see what Christ is about,” said McCoy.
About Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine is the first school for Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine in Memphis and West Tennessee and is one of 15 majors of study offered by Baptist Health Sciences University. Part of Baptist Memorial Health Care, one of the country’s largest not-for-profit health care systems with 25 hospitals across Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee, Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s DO students have the unique opportunity to study and train at some of the best hospitals and with one of the largest multispecialty physician groups in the Mid-South. Like medical doctors, Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine students complete four years of medical school, followed by residency and fellowship training. The primary location for the school includes a 100,000-square-foot building with the latest medical technology in Memphis’ medical district.
