Samuel Cochran

Samuel Cochran (May 9, 1871 – December 26, 1952) was an American medical missionary and philanthropist who worked for over twenty years in Eastern China. One of the "first half-dozen physicians in China," Cochran was the Station Chairman for the Huaiyuan Mission ("Hwai-Yuen" was the romanization of Huaiyuan in use at the time). Under his leadership, two hospitals were erected in Huaiyuan, with one specifically dedicated to local women. Cochran served as president of the Medical Association of China for two terms. Later, Cochran transitioned to academia, working for Cheeloo University (now part of Shandong University). and inspiring the merger between the university's medical program with Peking Women's Medical School to develop a teaching hospital. Cochran's long-term research, started at the mission and continued at the university, focused on treating visceral leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease endemic to China. Cochran would retire to the United States, continuing medical and academic work there until 1951.