Huizenga Business School Lecture features Physican, Inventor, and Entrepreneur, Kingsley R. Chin, M.D.

Kingsley R. Chin, M.D.

Opening with, “Recognize your true situation,” guest speaker Kingsley Chin, M.D., reiterated the importance of this statement several times throughout his lecture. As he assessed his situation, including his physical environment, he knew he had to leave the island of Jamaica and explore. Chin noted, “I didn’t have a Dad, that’s what it was, but I had a great Mom.” Chin was the featured guest speaker of the Huizenga Business School’s Distinguished Lecture Series on November 6, held in the Huizenga Sales Institute’s Executive Conference Center. Chin is the Chairman, President, CEO, and Chief Technology Officer of SpineFrontier, Inc. SpineFrontier is a medical device and instrument company for spinal surgery with distribution throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. He is the only black founder of a medical device company operating in spine surgery. The company released its first FDA-cleared device in 2008, generating nearly $7 million in revenues, making it profitable in its first year.

His education was supported through sports. Chin was given the same advice from both his soccer coach and his professor, “Get the paper.” He knew he needed to graduate but took the nontraditional engineering route to gain business experience as a management consultant for Andersen Consulting (Accenture) in New York City before attending Columbia University, Columbia School of Engineering, and Harvard Medical School (with honors).

Chin started many of his journeys, “At ground zero,” whether it was his time on Wall Street or ventures as a real estate investor. Key points from his lecture:

Start with a desire
Satisfy a need
Value your time
Build a working team
Be among your team
Be humble and be open

In 2009, he was named as one of Becker Orthopaedic & Spine’s “10 Best Known Orthopaedic Inventors,” and again in 2011 as one of the “20 Best Known Orthopaedic Inventors.” Along with two textbooks, he has published 52 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 9 review articles, and 16 book chapters. He holds 16 issued patents and has given more than 156 lectures worldwide. Chin admits he does not have an office, but an open door policy. Adding that his perspective with employees is “There are no jobs with me, people work with me to get things done, to succeed.” He concluded with advice to all, “Choose to succeed.”

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