In honor of Veterans Day, we are sharing stories of our amazing doctors who have served as members of the U.S. military. These veterans now dedicate their time to treating our patients at Columbia Skin Clinic. We thank them for their service and appreciate everything they do for our patients every day.
Dr. Jim Chow has a passion for serving his community in many ways. As a son of two physicians who worked as medical missionaries in northern Africa and southeast Asia, Chow was drawn to the military through the opportunity of service to our great nation. During his 30+ years of military service, he learned the importance of perseverance and to always treat everyone equally. Dr. Chow has now been with Columbia Skin Clinic for 28 years and states, “It is the best job anyone could ask for.”
Serving as Brigadier General in the Air Force and Major General in the Air National Guard, Dr. Chow says that his favorite aspect of the military was the comradery and discipline. Deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, England, Denmark and Japan, Dr. Chow treated many interesting cases. He practiced tropical medicine in war zones and during humanitarian missions.
While stateside, Dr. Chow made it his mission to help service men and women recover from their time in the war. He has successfully recruited medical professionals to ensure military members and their families receive the help and assistance they need. He even succeeded in getting large universities across the country to allow military members to return to their course work without penalties when active duty disrupts their education. Dr. Chow was recently recognized for his military support by becoming a Jefferson Award Honoree.
Although Dr. Chow found the long hours, being away from home and the fear of not seeing your family to be challenging during his time in the military, he strongly believes in “service before self.” When giving advice to doctors who are considering joining the military, he says, “The desire to serve your country is the priority. The rest falls into place.” Dr. Chow practices in the Columbia office. Contact us today to make an appointment with Dr. Chow.
