BY :Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office
UPDATED :2024-10-21
In 1998, a young American doctor stepped onto Chinese soil for the first time, not knowing that this land would soon capture his heart. Over the next 26 years, he would cross the Pacific more than 80 times, dedicating himself to transforming the lives of over 500 underprivileged, disabled children in China through his surgical skills.
That doctor is David Roye, a respected professor at Columbia University and the founding Chief of Pediatric Orthopaedics at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, as well as the chief medical officer of JuniperMD. He was also honored with the inaugural "Guangdong Friendship Award." But to him, these titles mean little compared to the affection he feels for his Chinese name — Luo Dewei.
Since 2020, Dr. David Roye has made Guangzhou his home, and when he looks back at his journey, his voice softens with emotion: "I've witnessed over two decades of extraordinary change in China, especially in healthcare." He recalls the early days, working in operating rooms where power cuts were common, to now, standing in state-of-the-art hospitals with world-class talent. "China's transformation can only be described as incredible," he says.
And it all began with a simple photograph taken 23 years ago, capturing the start of a journey that would span decades and transform countless lives.