Kingsley R Chin - Contributed

Kingsley R. Chin, M.D, expert in orthopaedics and spine surgery says that he was "honoured to be asked" by Dr. Mark Minott, local orthopaedic surgeon and David Benjamin, who supplies medical instruments for surgeries, to travel to Kingston to assist them with Courtney Barclay's surgery.

Dr. Chin is a Jamaican who was born in Buff Bay, Portland. He attended Titchfield High School in Port Antonio and, after completing passes at A' Level mathematics, chemistry, biology, and general paper, he received a football scholarship to attend Columbia University. "I played for the Jamaica Juveniles team in international competition and while at Titchfield, I played in the daCosta Cup finals which gave me the exposure," he recalls.

Successfully completed two degrees

Kingsley Chin successfully completed two degrees at Columbia, in the U.S., where he was also the senior class president and the Ivy League player of the year in 1988. Upon graduating, he worked in business in Manhattan for two years before going to Harvard Medical School.

After medical school, he was accepted to stay at Harvard for his residency in orthopaedic surgery before going to the Case Western Reserve University to specialise in spinal surgery with world-renowned spine surgeon Dr. Henry H. Bohlman, a major name in the field.

Dr. Chin notes, "I have the not-so-important honour of being the only black fellow he has trained." He was then hired to be the chief orthopaedic spine surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania where he is currently an assistant professor.

Dr. Chin has published over 31 articles, written 12 book chapters, edited many articles for spine journals, wrote a textbook on orthopaedics, and patented several medical devices for spinal surgery.

"It is a honour for me to have the opportunity to be invited to perform surgery in Jamaica," he states. "It is also a dream come true that should inspire many single mothers and any child growing up in Jamaica, especially from humble means. They too can achieve once they have a good education.

Dedicated mother

"It also helped," he adds, "to have had a dedicated mother, loving grandmother, and a supportive sister and two brothers." He offers thanks to his wife Kim, sister Marilyn and her husband Rudolph Speid who he said, "kept me grounded to my Jamaican roots and encouraged me to accept the offer to do this surgery and to find ways to give back."

- Outlook Team