The Young Caribbean Professional Network (YCPN) last week presented Dr Kingsley Chin, renown spinal surgeon, inventor and author, with the International Entrepreneur of the Year Award, at their National Fundraising Event, held on April 5, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr Chin, who is originally from Jamaica, attended Columbia University, Harvard Medical School, and subsequently went on to become the Chief of Spinal Surgery and a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

Proceeds from the event will assist more than 700 students from Jamaica and the Caribbean to participate at the Penn Relays. The 2018 edition of the annual relays, regarded as the “best track & field competition in the United States” will be held April 26-28 in Philadelphia, and will involve over 700 high school students from Jamaica.

Dr Chin, whose celebrated career spans over 28 years, is internationally renowned as an expert in minimally invasive spinal surgery and a pioneer in new medical techniques and devices. His extensive career as a published author, includes 45 articles in peer reviewed journals, 14 book chapters and 11 review chapters.

In addition to being a practising surgeon and physician, Dr Chin also serves as managing partner and CEO of KICVentures which he founded in 2005 and is the author of the book Prove Yourself.

On receiving the honour, Dr Chin stated that being granted the International Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the YCPN — among such figureheads as Ron McKay, Don Wehby and other Caribbean greats — was an honour and a blessing.

“As an avid presence in Jamaica and the Caribbean — I’ve witnessed this country’s beauty and strength since my time as a boy here. I have tied my Jamaican roots in every aspect of my successes — at present focusing on the importance of solid healthcare accessibility in the country and leveraging these options as opportunities to increase and foster tourism, the economy and the country as a whole,” he said.

“I have such wholehearted hope and a vision for my hometown of Kingston and Jamaica in its entirety — and will continue offering my entrepreneurial support, expertise and exposure in stimulating its betterment and growth,” he added.

Ron McKay — the immediate past President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica and a native of Philadelphia, presented Dr Chin with the International Entrepreneur of the Year Award — in his current role as Chairman of the Advisory Board for YCPN.

He stated it was a very special night for him to have the honour of presenting the award, which he had been privileged to receive in 2015.

He said that he admires and respects Dr Chin “beyond description” as a professional, but even more importantly as a true friend.

“Kingsley and I share a unique bond, in that we first met in 2005 at The University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where he gave me back my life and then we went on to to discover that we had something majorly in common: our passion for Jamaica and our ongoing commitment to making a difference for Jamaica and its beautiful people. We’ve been friends ever since,” McKay said.

“As I reflect upon one of our most successful events, I look forward to seeing the impact of his inspiration on YCPN, as a growing organisation and with our dedicated volunteers that are driving us as a group towards achieving the important goals of our mission statement,” he added.

Blane Stoddart, Founder and President of YCPN, explained that the network is dedicated to creating access to education and economic opportunities for our young people in the global marketplace.

“We do this by raising funds to help 700 young people from Jamaica and the Caribbean perform at the Penn Relays. By performing their best, they may win an academic or track scholarship at a University in the United States and thus improve their lives. The second way is that we give cash scholarships to minority, Afro-Caribbean and Latino students at local universities. Our success lies in the real stories of our scholarship recipients which is overwhelmingly compelling,” he said.

Jamaica’s Consul General to the United States, Trudy Deans, co-presented the award to Dr Chin with McKay.

She said that it was an honour to have been invited to the network’s 5th Annual International Leaders Awards and to meet not only Jamaicans in the Philadelphia community, but friends of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean community who continue to contribute to YPCN’s mission to create access to education and economic opportunities for students in the Philadelphia area.

“I was even more honoured to present the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award to our own son of the soil, Dr Kingsley Chin,” she added.

The Penn Relays is the largest annual track and field event in the United States and attracts over 115,000 people to Philadelphia each year. Over 50 per cent of attendees are of Jamaican or other Caribbean nationalities. Funds raised from the event will also go towards the YCPN Scholarship Fund.