Some people enter our lives as colleagues. Others become mentors, supporters, and trusted friends. Dr. Rodney J. Dean was all of these to me.
My relationship with Dr. Dean began in 2004 when I started practicing medicine in Sioux City. He was already a highly respected psychiatrist, community leader, and founder of Dean and Associates. From the very beginning, he was warm, approachable, encouraging, and genuinely interested in the success of others. He had a cheerful spirit and a gift for making people feel valued.
Whenever I spoke about Ghana, healthcare, education, or my dreams for the future, Dr. Dean listened carefully. He believed in people. He believed in possibility. Most importantly, he believed in supporting worthwhile causes long before they became popular or fully realized.
In 2011, when I shared my vision of establishing the Global Infectious Disease Institute (GIDI), building a medical school, and creating an infectious disease center of excellence in Africa, Dr. Dean immediately understood the significance of the mission. He agreed to serve on the Board of Directors of GIDI and remained one of its strongest supporters throughout the years.
Dr. Dean was never simply a board member in title. He actively participated, provided counsel, encouraged our efforts, and generously supported the organization financially. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he contributed to emergency support efforts that assisted Ghanaian students studying in China. Through GIDI and in collaboration with the Ghanaian Embassy, those resources helped students facing significant challenges during a difficult time. He also supported healthcare initiatives in Ghana, including contributions to the Sickle Cell Disease Clinic at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Education was especially important to him. During GIDI’s Africa-wide student essay competition involving approximately 134 students, Dr. Dean personally reviewed submissions, participated in judging, and helped recognize outstanding young scholars. He believed deeply that education has the power to transform lives, families, and nations.
His generosity extended well beyond healthcare and education. He consistently supported the Siouxland African Community and numerous charitable causes throughout the region. Many people affectionately compared him to Santa Claus—not simply because of his appearance, but because of his generous heart. He gave quietly, consistently, and without seeking recognition.
One story captures this spirit perfectly.
Albert Okine, who joined Dean and Associates around 2007, often described Dr. Dean as much more than an employer. Over the years, Dr. Dean became a mentor, supporter, and father figure. He followed the educational progress of Albert’s children with genuine interest and celebrated their achievements as if they were his own.
Just weeks before his passing, Albert’s son, Christopher Okine, graduated from medical school. Dr. Dean insisted on commemorating the achievement with a special gift. He suggested a University of Michigan class ring and quietly arranged for it. Christopher later learned that the gift was worth several thousand dollars. Such acts of kindness were typical of Dr. Dean. He found joy in helping others succeed and in celebrating their accomplishments.
Perhaps what I will remember most is his unwavering belief in the future.
Long before there were architectural drawings, construction plans, fundraising campaigns, or buildings, Dr. Dean believed in the vision of creating a medical school and infectious disease center in Africa. He understood that meaningful change often begins with a dream and requires people willing to support that dream before its success is guaranteed.
As I reflect on his life and legacy, I have often thought about how future generations might remember him. One possibility that is deeply meaningful to me is the future naming of the proposed Dr. Rodney J. Dean School of Health Sciences.
Should this vision come to fruition, it will stand as a lasting tribute to a man who believed in healthcare education, who invested in people he might never meet, and who understood that changing lives begins with expanding opportunity.
Students who walk through its classrooms in future generations may never have the privilege of meeting Dr. Dean personally. Yet they will benefit from the vision he encouraged, the mission he supported, and the future he helped make possible.
Dr. Dean did not live to see the groundbreaking of the medical school and infectious disease center he believed in so strongly. Yet his encouragement, generosity, wisdom, and faith in the vision have already become part of its foundation.
His legacy lives on in every patient he cared for, every life he touched, every student he encouraged, every community he strengthened, and every dream he helped nurture.
The greatest way we can honor Dr. Rodney J. Dean is to continue the work he believed in so deeply.
May he rest in peace, and may his legacy continue to inspire generations to come.
Dr. Bertha Adwoa Serwa Ayi, MD, FACP, FIDSA, MBA
Founder & President
Global Infectious Disease Institute (GIDI)