Faith, Medicine, and the Forgotten: Dr. Nicholas Comninellis on Service, Courage, and Global Health

Dr. Nicholas Comninellis (see his bio below) has lived a life most of us only read about. From treating patients in Shanghai’s charity hospital to serving in war-torn Angola, where soldiers once knocked on his door in the middle of the night, Nicholas has devoted his career to providing care where it’s needed most.

Founder and President of the Institute for International Medicine (INMED), he has trained thousands of healthcare professionals to serve vulnerable populations around the world. But his story begins long before global health leadership shaped by summers spent on a tiny Greek island, a father who survived wartime hunger, and a childhood in Parkville, Missouri.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How his multicultural upbringing set the stage for a life of service.

• What he learned practicing medicine in poverty-stricken communities in China and Angola.

• The moment a commander told him, “We’ve been watching you,” and how it reshaped his understanding of unseen impact.

• Why he founded INMED and how it has grown into a graduate-level institution preparing clinicians to serve the forgotten.

• His newest book, Five Bags of Gold, explores the deeper meaning behind investing time, talent, and resources in others.

• How classical guitar became his unlikely creative outlet.

Dr. Comninellis brings humility, courage, and conviction to every part of his story. This episode is a powerful reminder that compassion in action, not comfort, is what changes the world.

 

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About Nicholas:

Nicholas Comninellis, MD, MPH, is President and Professor at INMED, the Institute for International Medicine, and practices emergency medicine. He founded INMED in 2003 to advance global health education and service. Dr. Comninellis previously served for two years at Shanghai Charity Hospital, providing care to inner-city communities, and led a healthcare ministry in war-torn Angola for two years. He also taught family medicine and public health for six years at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine while caring for patients at Kansas City’s public hospital.

He graduated from the UMKC School of Medicine and Saint Louis University School of Public Health and was a family medicine resident at John Peter Smith Hospital. Dr. Comninellis also earned a diploma in tropical medicine from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and became board-certified in both public health and family medicine. Among his authored books is Five Bags of Gold – a Modern Parable of Wealth, Responsibility, and Eternal Investment. Dr. Comninellis is a classical guitarist and faculty co-advisor for UMKC Cru. He was honored as the 2009 United Nations Association of the United States World Citizen and the 2015 University of Missouri-Kansas City Alumni of the Year.