SPENDING his early years exploring all the nooks and crannies of the hospital where his mother worked, Zhou Chen had already developed a passion for helping sick people when he was still in kindergarten.

Zhou followed his mother, a gynecologic nurse, everywhere when she was working, spending nights in her duty room and using a stethoscope whenever an opportunity arose.

In 2011, Zhou decided to pursue a career in pediatrics and was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, where he will complete his graduate pediatric studies when he returns in September.