Sharing Expertise in a Sister State by James R. Claflin, MD
Sharing Expertise in a Sister State by James R. Claflin, MD
Sharing Expertise in a Sister State by James R. Claflin, MD
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SEPTEMBER 2011 VOLUME TWO ISSUE NINE<br />
FALL FASHION<br />
96 POWERFUL IN PINK<br />
BLACKBIRD SINGING<br />
ON THE CORNER 46<br />
86 GARDEN FRESH<br />
PERUSING<br />
THE PRINTED PAGE 20<br />
73 FORGIVENESS<br />
DOES A BODY GOOD<br />
SO LONG, SUMMER 64<br />
18 ZIP ON OVER TO<br />
THE TREE HOUSE<br />
54 IN WITH THE NEW<br />
RESPECT FOR THE PAST<br />
AREA OF EXPERTISE 22
Liv<strong>in</strong>g Well | M<strong>in</strong>d, Body, Spirit<br />
<strong>Shar<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Expertise</strong> <strong>in</strong> a <strong>Sister</strong> <strong>State</strong><br />
By <strong>James</strong> R. Clafl<strong>in</strong>, M.D.<br />
Dr. Clafl<strong>in</strong>, a member of the Oklahoma Allergy and<br />
Asthma Cl<strong>in</strong>ic, practices full-time allergy and cl<strong>in</strong>ical<br />
immunology. He served as the 2004 president of the<br />
Oklahoma County Medical Society, was Secretary-<br />
Treasurer of the Oklahoma <strong>State</strong> Medical Association,<br />
and is active with national medical associations. He<br />
and his wife, Marcee, direct the Oklahoma/Gansu<br />
Prov<strong>in</strong>ce Medical Professional Exchange Program.<br />
Dr. Clafl<strong>in</strong> with Dr. Guo Tiang Kung, cardiologist<br />
and senior hospital leader of the Gansu<br />
Prov<strong>in</strong>cial People’s Hospital, and one of the<br />
physicians who began convers<strong>in</strong>g with Dr.<br />
Clafl<strong>in</strong> about medic<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>a and the United<br />
<strong>State</strong>s dur<strong>in</strong>g his first visit <strong>in</strong> 2001. They<br />
have s<strong>in</strong>ce become lao peng you: old friends.<br />
Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>in</strong> mid-central Ch<strong>in</strong>a has a population of 28,000,000 and terra<strong>in</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>g<br />
from mounta<strong>in</strong>ous to true desert… and a sister state: Oklahoma. Its capital, Lanzhou, is<br />
situated <strong>in</strong> a valley between two mounta<strong>in</strong> ranges. A multitude of high rise build<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
of 30 to 40 stories, most of which hold apartments for the over 3 million <strong>in</strong>habitants, populate<br />
the valley from one end to the other. The city is approximately two-and-a-half miles wide and 25<br />
miles long, but manufactur<strong>in</strong>g facilities are located on each end – result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an extreme possibility<br />
of <strong>in</strong>dustrial pollution.<br />
Dur<strong>in</strong>g an Oklahoma state trade delegation visit <strong>in</strong> November 2001, an opportunity was provided<br />
to visit with three leaders of the medical community. The discussion centered around local<br />
health problems <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dustrial pollution, water contam<strong>in</strong>ation, sewage disposal, <strong>in</strong>fectious<br />
diseases and provision of medical care. The degree of water contam<strong>in</strong>ation became evident<br />
when the delegation realized the water from the tap <strong>in</strong> the hotels could not be used for dr<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g<br />
or brush<strong>in</strong>g their teeth. The medical leaders were very open regard<strong>in</strong>g the difficulties that were<br />
be<strong>in</strong>g encountered <strong>by</strong> the Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce Department of Health.<br />
The chance to return to Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce annually s<strong>in</strong>ce that <strong>in</strong>itial visit has allowed the formation<br />
of many friendships with<strong>in</strong> the medical community. Dur<strong>in</strong>g subsequent discussions, the<br />
possibility of exchang<strong>in</strong>g medical <strong>in</strong>formation was made a priority. A group of Oklahoma physicians<br />
(specializ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> neurology, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, endocr<strong>in</strong>ology and allergy), primarily<br />
from Oklahoma County, visited Lanzhou <strong>in</strong> April 2005. Each of the physicians provided<br />
lectures to the local medical community regard<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>dividual specialties represented. The<br />
medical <strong>in</strong>formation provided formed a stepp<strong>in</strong>g stone <strong>in</strong> foster<strong>in</strong>g cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g medical education<br />
opportunities for their local medical community.<br />
In the summer of 2006, two members of the Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce medical leadership visited Oklahoma<br />
City. Their it<strong>in</strong>erary <strong>in</strong>cluded the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, St. Anthony<br />
Medical Center, Deaconess Medical Center, INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and Mercy<br />
Health Center. They were provided tours of various departments of the hospitals <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g radiology,<br />
surgery, ER, rehabilitation, <strong>in</strong>tensive care and general care areas. The visit<strong>in</strong>g leaders were<br />
very <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> the technology available for use with patients, and on their return to Gansu<br />
Prov<strong>in</strong>ce, they were <strong>in</strong>strumental <strong>in</strong> obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g fund<strong>in</strong>g from the Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce Department of<br />
Health and Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>cial People’s Government for fund<strong>in</strong>g an exchange program for physicians<br />
from the Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce to the Oklahoma City medical community.<br />
After fund<strong>in</strong>g was obta<strong>in</strong>ed, the program was designed to have six medical professionals<br />
visit Oklahoma City for six-month periods of educational observation. The first “class” of medical<br />
professionals arrived <strong>in</strong> April 2007 and participated <strong>in</strong> educational observation, “shadow<strong>in</strong>g,”<br />
through September 2007. S<strong>in</strong>ce that time, a total of 35 <strong>in</strong>dividuals have been <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> the program.<br />
The medical specialties <strong>in</strong>volved have <strong>in</strong>cluded anesthesiology, cardiology, endocr<strong>in</strong>ology,<br />
pediatrics, neonatology, radiology, ultrasonography, critical care medic<strong>in</strong>e, adm<strong>in</strong>istrative medic<strong>in</strong>e,<br />
pharmacology, ob-gyn, reproductive medic<strong>in</strong>e, gynecologic oncology, nephrology, urology,<br />
general surgery, orthopedic surgery, transplant surgery, head and neck surgery, oral surgery, thoracic<br />
surgery and orthopedic nurs<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
september 2011 | slice 77
Liv<strong>in</strong>g Well | M<strong>in</strong>d, Body, Spirit<br />
The program participants live<br />
<strong>in</strong> a pair of three-bedroom apartments<br />
<strong>in</strong> The L<strong>in</strong>coln at Central<br />
Park, and utilize the local community<br />
for shopp<strong>in</strong>g and enterta<strong>in</strong>ment.<br />
Transportation is provided<br />
<strong>in</strong> a m<strong>in</strong>ivan that was purchased<br />
<strong>by</strong> the Gansu Prov<strong>in</strong>ce Department<br />
of Health specifically to fulfill the<br />
needs of the exchange participants.<br />
And they don’t merely travel locally;<br />
each of the classes has taken the<br />
opportunity to tour various areas<br />
throughout the United <strong>State</strong>s.<br />
The current program is sponsored<br />
<strong>by</strong> the Oklahoma <strong>State</strong> Department<br />
of Health, under the<br />
guidance of Dr. Terry Cl<strong>in</strong>e, Commissioner,<br />
and Dr. Edd Rhodes,<br />
Director of Community Outreach,<br />
with adm<strong>in</strong>istration <strong>by</strong> the Oklahoma/Gansu<br />
Prov<strong>in</strong>ce Medical<br />
Professional Exchange Program.<br />
The success of the program relies<br />
totally on the generous donation<br />
of time <strong>by</strong> the members of the Oklahoma<br />
County Medical Society <strong>in</strong><br />
the various specialties noted above.<br />
The allied health personnel and<br />
staff members <strong>in</strong> the various offices<br />
and hospitals have been extremely<br />
supportive of the <strong>in</strong>dividuals from<br />
our sister state, not only at work but<br />
also socially. Without the <strong>in</strong>volvement<br />
of all the aforementioned <strong>in</strong>dividuals,<br />
the program would not be<br />
able to function. Many members of<br />
the local community have also become<br />
<strong>in</strong>volved with the exchange<br />
participants <strong>in</strong> order to enrich their<br />
experience while <strong>in</strong> Oklahoma<br />
City… all of which makes the Oklahoma/Gansu<br />
Prov<strong>in</strong>ce Medical<br />
Professional Exchange Program<br />
another testament to the Oklahoma<br />
spirit of <strong>in</strong>volvement and support <strong>in</strong><br />
the Heartland.<br />
A strong sense of family l<strong>in</strong>ks the participants <strong>in</strong> the exchange program<br />
– so much so that the Ch<strong>in</strong>ese professionals’ children refer<br />
to Dr. Clafl<strong>in</strong> as Ye Ye: grandfather.<br />
Dr. Zhang Xuehong, one of Ch<strong>in</strong>a’s lead<strong>in</strong>g experts <strong>in</strong> fertility treatments,<br />
is to open a newly expanded facility at the 1 st Hospital of<br />
Lanzhou University soon.<br />
Class 8, <strong>in</strong> Oklahoma City May-October 2011: Dr. Yuan Wenzhen,<br />
Dr. Li Yongshun, Wang Yan, Dr. Zhou Chenggung, Dr. Song Yid<strong>in</strong>g, Dr.<br />
Wang Hongxia, Dr. Feng Yanhu, Dr. Zhao Hongl<strong>in</strong><br />
78 slice | september 2011