Canadian Nurses in China

Patrice Dutil talks to Sonya Grypma about her book Nursing Shifts in Sichuan: Canadian Missions and Wartime China, 1937-1951 (UBC Press). In this podcast, they discuss the impact of the Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) when it sought refuge in the West China Union University’s (WCUU) nursing school in Sichuan, which was managed by Canadians. China was in the middle of its war with Japan at the time and the nursing school at the PUMC desperately needed a new home. The podcast examines the Canadian presence on the Chinese nursing scene, the impact of key people such as Dr. Omar Kilborn, who helped establish the WCUU and Nie Yuchan, the intrepid dean of the PUMC nursing school. Dutil and Grypma also explore what nursing education reveals about the intercontinental transfer of ideas, the impact of American institutions such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Canada’s contributon to the professionalization of the profession. This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.