How did you become an expert in tropical diseases?

I grew up with a strong international perspective on life because my father was an ambassador to the United Nations. At one point I worked in refugee camps in Europe. But after college, I didn't know what to do until an administrator at Case Western Reserve University suggested I might make an interesting doctor. I went to medical school there, and found my passion was working with tropical diseases. Working in China, Egypt and the Philippines, I was among the first generation of physicians to go beyond basic public-health strategies and also apply modern medical science to diseases in developing countries.

How do you plan to shape the new Riverside programme?

I've always been an innovator. I'm dyslexic, so I tackle problems differently. I prefer to look outside the box to find innovative ways to distinguish my programmes from others. At Riverside, I want to use those skills to develop a programme that can anticipate where the field is going, for example finding new ways to diagnose and manage diseases such as diabetes, so that I can effectively educate the doctors of the future.

How might you train doctors of the future differently?

Historically, medical-school students are taught through lectures. Although cost effective, this is the worst way to communicate information. The most effective way to learn material is to teach it yourself. I want to create a teaching culture — where everybody teaches and everybody learns. In that environment, physicians will also learn how to educate patients better about disease management, which will be crucial in the future.

Will the ongoing health-care debate, and possible reform, affect how your programme develops?

It should. We have a tremendous opportunity to build this school to reflect any changes that occur as this country addresses health-care reform. Other medical schools will have to overcome the fact that they are organized on the basis of traditional views of how health care is delivered.

Will your international background prove useful in this endeavour?

Yes. This ethnically diverse region of California has some of the worst health-care statistics in the country and a serious physician shortage. To retain physicians here, we need to find ways to encourage members of this diverse community to go to medical school. My international experiences taught me how to reach out to communities and build strong partnerships with public-health officials and health-care providers — skills that will be needed to create the community-based programmes that are necessary to improve health.