Xiaodong Cai,Medical Doctor, Johns Hopkins University
Dear Professor, I am glad to recommend Mr. Xiaodong Cai, to study International Health in your esteemed department. Being the supervisor of his rotations in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital and the mentor of his research training in molecular biology, I have a very good chance to observe his performance and communicate with him personally for about two years.
As a teacher, I found Mr. Cai a talented student. He was very inquisitive in the class and oftcn brought up stimulating questions that made right feedback to teachers, which kept lectures in an interactive style. Therefore teaching students like him is a great pleasure. It turned out very naturally that he not only excelled in the exams, but always gave perfect case presentations.
As a physician, I see in this young man patience, sympathy and responsibility, which are more important to a doctor than merely high academic scores are. He cared about patients, chatted with them, cheered them up, and relieved their anxiety. He regards them as a group in the society, not only disturbed individuals. He has a broader view towards community and society. During our conversations, he often raised such questions as "Why does this disease happen so often? .... Why are there still so many people unable to pay the medical bills?", "How to wisely allocatc health resources in China?" etc. He never stopped searching for answers to questions like that, with his keen observation, broad reading and meditation.
As a researcher, I regard Mr. Cai as a qualified candidate and assistant for scientific researches. Although he entered my laboratory only 2 months ago, he is already very familiar with the project and facilities. Moreover, he melted into our research group so readily that it seems as if he had been a member of the team for a long time. Energetic, swift and accurate, he is always the best assistant when help is needed. But he is an independent trainee here in the first place. He read reviews and exchanged his opinions on the project with other members and me frequently. These reciprocal communications go far beyond only the research project. He told me that he chose to have this training in molecular biology research because he wanted to get more rounded medical education and become a multidisciplinary scholar. It is public health that is his major area of intended study. I am glad that he made this right decision. I believe the systemic education of public health in your renowned school will surely answer his questions. I hereby present my full recommendation of this prospective young scholar and look forward to working with a well-prepared medical scientist in the future.
Reference Letter #2
Dear Professor,I take great pleasure in recommending Mr. Xiaodong Cai, one of my favorite students, for acceptance into your distinguished International Health Ph.D. program.
As Dean of the School of Public Health, Peking Union Medical College, I first knew Mr. Cai when I gave the class lectures on epidemiology two years ago. He distinguished himself by asking penetrating questions and leading heated discussions during and after classes. As a result of his dedicated efforts, he compiled an outstanding record in the very challenging final exam.
My in-depth communication with Mr. Cai began six months ago when he volunteered as a part-time participator in my "Burden of Disease Evaluation" research. Well articulated, he expressed his intent to get more training in public health and described to me his goal of becoming a public health scientist. He was readily accepted because of his excellent academic performance and the ardor to help the diseased in a macroscopic approach. He understood quickly when I explained the project and amazed me by asking about several key points like "disability weight" and "Decision Tree". But what surprised me most was his self-study capability. He produced a well-referred review on the topic after reading the literature with both depth and breadth in only two weeks time. Although not a math major in his undergraduate years, he made up for his inadequacies readily by reviewing introductory textbooks on the subject. I was also impressed by his computer skills in Windows, Internet and FORTRAN programming. Moreover, he learned to use the SAS software swiftly and became a good teaching assistant in the online practice session for our master students. As a result, he conducted his research with high efficiency and accuracy.
Industrious, intelligent, inspirited, and that is not all of him. Adding to his merits are teamwork, good sense of humor and good organization, which surely qualify him as a good researcher. I trust that he will become an excellent student and assistant when admitted to your program. I also have this strong belief that he will become an outstanding public health scientist in the future. Hence my unreserved recommendation. Your favorable consideration will be highly appreciated.
