When Joshua Lee first volunteered at The Neighborhood Christian Clinic as a first-year medical student, he didn’t realize how much the experience would shape his future.
He’d heard about the Clinic from classmates who described it as a place unlike any other—where faith and medicine walk hand in hand. “I started out helping on the nursing side and in the medication room,” he recalled. “Even back then, I could tell there was something different here.”
Now, years later, Joshua has returned for a month-long rotation as a fourth-year medical student. “When Dr. Paul told me about the elective for senior students, I knew I wanted to come back,” he said. “This place was where I first saw what Christ-centered care could look like.”
That perspective has changed everything about how he sees his calling.
“In medical school, there’s so much pressure to perform—to impress attendings, get good evaluations, get letters. You start to lose the relationship side of medicine,” Joshua admitted. “But here, with Dr. Paul and Dr. Morley, it’s different. They’re always teaching—not just medicine, but the spiritual side of caring for people. It’s been refreshing to see them treat every patient genuinely and holistically.”
He’s witnessed that difference firsthand. One patient in particular stands out—a man who came in overflowing with gratitude. “He didn’t even know me—I was just there for a month—but he kept saying how thankful he was for the Clinic,” Joshua said. “He wanted to pray with us. His joy reminded me that what’s happening here is special. Patients aren’t just treated; they’re loved.”
Joshua says that working at the Clinic rekindled the purpose that first drew him to medicine. “Before med school, I worked in a clinic and loved getting to know patients,” he shared. “Somewhere along the way, I got caught up in the grind. Being here reminded me why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place—to point people back to God, whether they’re in good times or hard times.”
He’s now pursuing a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency (Med-Peds)—the same specialty as Dr. Paul and Dr. Morley. “I like the idea of caring for people at every stage of life,” he said. “To see them grow and walk with them through the years—it feels like ministry.”
When asked what he would tell donors who make the Clinic possible, Joshua didn’t hesitate.
“This is such a good use of God’s money,” he said. “Throughout Scripture, God goes out of His way to care for the poor, the overlooked, the lowly. That’s exactly who this Clinic serves. Supporting it isn’t just charity—it’s participating in God’s heart for people.”
For Joshua, the Clinic is more than a training site; it’s a reminder that healing the body can also reach the soul.
And for the donors whose generosity keeps the mission alive, his words carry both gratitude and conviction: you’re not only shaping doctors—you’re helping shape disciples.