UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Cardiologist Dr. Meechai Tessalee
Debbie Michel
June 12, 2025In the affluent village of Hinsdale, Illinois, where the median household income tops $250,000 and the public schools boast blue-ribbon credentials and presidential accolades, choosing a small, tuition-based Christian school might seem like swimming upstream. But for cardiologist Dr. Meechai Tessalee, sending his children to Hinsdale Adventist Academy (HAA) wasn’t just a decision, it was a conviction.
“You can either go for free with more options at an excellent academic environment,” he said, “or send your kid to a private Christian school that costs money and has limited options. But what I gave my kids at HAA was Christ—and that’s embedded. You can’t place a value on that.”
Though his children have since graduated—his daughter now 25, his middle daughter, 23 (both Andrews University alums), and his son is now attending Andrews University—Tessalee’s commitment to HAA hasn’t wavered. Although a busy cardiologist, he makes time to serve as chair of the school board, teach high school Sabbath school at church, and most recently, helped launch a new initiative: the Young Scholars Program, part of the Illinois chapter of the American College of Cardiology.
The vision was clear: expose high school students, especially those from underrepresented communities, to the real world of cardiology through mentorship, shadowing and research. More than 50 students applied, but only 18 were selected based on essays, motivation, need, and academic promise. Three came from HAA.
“These students went through a rigorous selection process,” Tessalee said. “Our HAA students rose to the top.”
One of those students was 18-year-old Margrett “Maggie” Lin, a senior who had always dreamed of becoming a doctor, a path shaped by more than ambition. It was personal.
“I've always just wanted to be a doctor ever since I was little,” she said. “But in my teenage years, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which is a curvature of the spine. And so for the past five years, I've been dealing with a lot of ups and downs in my health. Just seeing how and what the doctors are doing and how comfortable they make me feel, [makes me] want to help other people too.”
Through the Young Scholars Program, she was matched with Dr. Tessalee, who noticed her enthusiasm immediately.
“She’s very passionate,” said Tessalee. “She said, ‘I want to go into medicine.’ And you could tell—it wasn’t just talk. She had the drive, the curiosity and the humility to learn from individuals who were much further along in their careers.”
In addition to shadowing Tessalee, as well as emergency room doctors, Maggie was invited to create a poster presentation on a cardiac ER protocol that would be implemented in the emergency department. It would be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Fellows-in-Training Poster Session, a forum typically reserved for post-medical school trainees.
A ‘Poster Child’
“I got a random message from Dr. Tessalee one day asking me if I knew anything about graphic designing a poster,” she said. “And I was like, yeah, it depends on the topic… and then he responded, ‘Oh, well there’s this ER protocol that is going to be implemented in the ER… and I wanted to see if you wanted to do it.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, of course I’ll do it!’”
She prepared, revised, and rehearsed—then walked into a banquet room in downtown Chicago on May 13 to present her work to cardiologists, fellows and leaders of the American College of Cardiology.
Maggie was the only high school student in the room.
“[The audience] was just shocked,” Maggie recalls. “And the fact that they knew that this was actually going to be implemented in the ER— they were just shocked that someone my age is doing this. It was amazing.”
This kind of achievement is significant in any context—but especially at a school like HAA, which operates in the shadow of some of the state’s most resourced and celebrated public institutions. What sets it apart, according to Tessalee, is not just the academic training but the spiritual grounding.
“These kids aren’t just sitting in science class,” he said. “They’re leading worship. They’re learning how to pray in front of their peers. That gives them confidence. And that translates into leadership in any setting.”
Former principal Judie Rosa agrees. “We are constantly looking for meaningful ways to set our school apart,” she said. “One of those ways is by offering our high school students real-world learning opportunities. We are grateful to partner with UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, and other local healthcare professionals to create impactful mentorship experiences that prepare our students for future success.”
With plans to pursue pre-med at Loyola University Chicago and more than 70 shadowing hours already behind her, Maggie is moving toward her calling with clarity and purpose.
And Tessalee is cheering her on, still dreaming of a generation of Daniels: “Daniel didn’t get into the king’s court because he was mediocre. He was the best. And he had strong faith. That’s what I want for our kids—to be excellent in their field and unshakable in their faith.”
He sees the impact already—not just in Maggie’s poster or the dozens of shadowing hours students logged at hospitals such as UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale and Northwestern Medicine—but in the way they ask questions, walk through the world and consider their calling.
“It’s not about making doctors,” he said. “It’s about preparing young people to change the world—with their minds and with their hearts.”
Debbie Michel is editor of the Lake Union Herald.
