Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE, ASE President
“A few decades ago, I was offered a training position in another country. I was delighted to accept this offer, but there was one small problem. I couldn’t afford the cost of travel and accommodation for my family and I didn’t want to go alone. On learning about my predicament, an elderly gentleman, whom I vaguely knew, offered to help out. He provided me with the funds that enabled my family to travel with me. I was obviously concerned about the terms of this ‘loan’. While he didn’t ask for it to be returned, it did come with one condition – that one day when I am able to do so, I should pay it forward to another deserving trainee. In his words, he was making a worthwhile investment in the education of a deserving candidate, and hoped that its dividend would to be realized by a future trainee. He had no way of ensuring or guaranteeing that his transaction would reach its desired outcome, but relied on the goodwill and positive impact his act of kindness had created.” Read more here.