MOREHEAD, Ky. — St. Claire HealthCare (SCH) announces the retirement of Allen Lim, MD, oncologist/hematologist, who has cared for patients at St. Claire for more than 30 years.
Dr. Lim began his journey in medicine graduating from the University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center in the Philippines in 1978. He completed residencies in internal medicine at the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center in Manila (Philippines) and general pathology at Dalhousie University Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
“Thirty years ago, oncology was not a favorite field or specialty for people to go in,” he said. “Patients with cancer needed care, so that’s why I chose oncology.”
With a passion for healing and a commitment to improving lives, Dr. Lim continued his medical education, preparing for what would become a decades-long career in cancer care by completing a clinical fellowship in hematology and oncology at St. Louis University and Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
When asked how he found his way to St. Claire HealthCare, Dr. Lim reflected on his first visit to what he considered a very small town. He jokingly said, ‘I turned off the exit and got lost.’ The truth is, Sister Mary Jeannette Wess, SND, St. Claire HealthCare’s President/CEO from 1983-1995, recruited him to Morehead to develop a much-needed oncology program.
“I remember when I came for an interview in 1986, I asked Sister Jeanette, ‘Are you sure you need a medical oncologist in this town, in this community hospital?’ She was not too happy about that,” he said with a laugh. “She said, ‘This is a regional medical center.’ ”
That conversation, which Dr. Lim so fondly recalled, was life-changing, but not just for him and his family. Driven by Sr. Jeannette’s vision and his genuine desire to make a positive impact, the medical oncology program they created gave patients throughout the region access to the quality cancer care they so desperately needed, close to home.
“I think what I loved about St. Claire was the mission to serve the people of Eastern Kentucky,” he said. “I always made sure everybody knew that everybody gets the same care, the same treatment, whether they’re here in Eastern Kentucky or New York.”
