Siloam's New Medical Director

Originally published in the Fall 2006 edition of Healing Waters

Dr. James P. Henderson has joined Siloam as Staff Medical Director, succeeding Dr. David Gregory, founder and Volunteer Medical Director. Dr. Henderson has been at Siloam part time since July 1, transitioning from serving as a medical missionary in India . He will be full time beginning September l.

Dr. Jim Henderson pictured with his family,

(left to right) Lynn, Ben, Katie, Dr. Henderson and Anne

"Jim and his family have been sharing the love of Christ with those in need through healthcare in northern India for the last eight years,” said Dr. Brevard Haynes, Siloam Board Chair. “Jane and I had the privilege of visiting Jim there in 1998 to see his ministry first hand. Jim has an incredible heart for the underserved and is the ideal medical director for Siloam."

Dr. Gregory said, “The arrival of Dr. Henderson is an important milestone in the history of Siloam. Our first full-time Medical Director will not only increase our clinical capacity, but will bring more effective oversight to the entire ministry. His years of experience in seeing both adults and children in a resource-poor setting will strengthen Siloam’s commitment to serve those in need.”

Born in Houston , Texas , Dr. Henderson has undergraduate and medical degrees from Texas A&M. He joined Old Harding Pediatric Associates in 1986, after finishing a pediatric residency at Vanderbilt.

With his new wife, the former Lynn Puryear, he moved to Bellevue , joined Christ Community Church, and they began to raise their young family. He describes events that followed:

“My life changed forever in 1988 when Dr. Dewey Dunn (then a VA Medical Center physician and now a Siloam volunteer) met me and asked me if my wife and I would come to Venezuela on a short-term medical mission trip. I laughed at first and said, ‘No way!’, but after praying it over with my wife we ended up going and spending 10 of the most difficult yet awesome days of my life.

“My initial response to it all was, ‘This is crazy, how in the world would God expect me to do this and do it well?’ My wife’s response was a polar opposite one. She said. ‘How could we turn our backs on these precious patients and not want to join in on what God wants to do among them!’ I was definitely not pleased at the prospect of giving up a wonderful life to enter a different world of unending stress and demands, but after praying about it together and then returning one year later for a similar outreach, I knew we were in fact being called to do just that; to step out in faith into a pretty messy world and learn to obey the Lord one step at a time.

“Over the years we were led first to take a sabbatical and do street evangelism in a poor suburb of southwest London (where I also took off 3 ½ months to get a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene), and then to second ourselves to a wonderful Christian indigenous medical mission organization in North India under which I worked in a small hospital in a mountain town for eight fantastic years.”

Dr. Henderson’s role was to teach and train young Indian doctors, especially in HIV prevention and various clinical protocols. Although trained as a pediatrician, his work in India was with patients of all ages.

“None of that time was without pressures, stresses, and to be frank, impossibilities at every step, but we as a family are profoundly grateful to the Lord for leading us so gently and teaching us so many lessons of faith along the way. We saw enough to fill volumes if I were to try to tell it all, but suffice it to say we worked with some of the brightest minds and most generous hearts imaginable to serve one of the most precious people groups in the world.”

The Henderson children had been ages 4, 7 and 9 when the family left Nashville .

“We decided that our time in India was drawing to a close when we saw that we could now begin to contribute more by stepping back from direct involvement in patient care (the young Indian staff are fast learners!), and also that our children (happy as they were!) would need us to be home in the USA to help them transition through the last years of high school and on into college.

“The offer to look at Siloam Family Health Clinic initially came through a conversation with Dr. Brevard Haynes, who had come with his wife to visit and encourage us while in India , and who thought that some of what I had seen and learned while abroad might make me a good fit for Siloam.

“After initially laughing at the idea, I began to pray about it, and was very surprised to find deep joy at the thought of working here. Probably what drew me the most in practical terms was the thought of working to help another precious but needy group of patients alongside such an incredibly gifted and dedicated staff. Outreaches into the apartment complexes, chances to encourage and perhaps mentor younger students and physicians; or at least to share some of the many stories where I have seen God working, etc. also really drew me to want to be here.

“I look forward to getting to know the staff at Siloam, and to meet the host of volunteers and peripheral network providers who make Siloam what it is today, but that will take time. Please feel free to write me with any comments or suggestions or to find a time to meet if you are so inclined.”

Dr. Henderson notes two notable changes in Nashville today compared to when they left. “First is the cost of living! Second is the number of foreign born here now. It seems as if the whole world has come to Nashville since we left.”

But he adds, “In most ways, there has been little change in the attractiveness, the livability and the generosity of the people. These make Nashville one of the best places to live I could imagine.”

With Dr. Henderson’s arrival, Dr. Gregory continues as a volunteer physician and board member. “I do not intend to reduce my own commitment to Siloam,” he said. “It has been part of my life since 1989.”

Dr. Morgan Wills continues in his role as staff physician. “I am thrilled to have Jim Henderson join our team as medical director,” Dr. Wills said. “It is a personal answer to prayer! Having known Jim since my medical student days at Vanderbilt, I have the utmost respect for him as both a physician and an older brother in Christ. Especially in this season of significant expansion at Siloam, he brings a much needed set of gifts and skills that will complement those of our existing staff. After helping him “learn the ropes” at Siloam I am personally looking forward to having more time to focus on the educational dimensions of Siloam’s ministry, for which I have always had a strong sense of calling but a limited capacity. For this and many other reasons, having Jim at the helm is a big relief!”

At a glance --

James Henderson, MD

Siloam Medical Director

Born: Houston , Texas , September 14, 1957.

Education: Texas A&M University, B.S in Medicine/Biology, 1978; Texas A&M University College of Medicine, M.D. 1982; Vanderbilt University Medical Center, residency in pediatrics, 1982-85, chief residency, 1985-86; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 1997.

Experience: Private practice in pediatrics, Old Haring Pediatric Associates, Nashville , 1986-95; Missionary, World Harvest Mission, London, England, 1995-97; Medical Missionary, Emmanuel Hospital Association of North India, 1998-2006.

Wife: Lynn Puryear Henderson.

Children: Kathryn Lynn, 20, junior at Rhodes College, Memphis; Anne Duggan, 18, freshman at Gordon College, Wenham, Mass.; Benjamin Whitefield, 15, sophomore at Christ Presbyterian Academy, Nashville.