One of the first challenges I faced in the US as a foreign doctor from an urban background practising in a small town was finding the right way to explain medical issues to my male patients.

These were largely farmers and fishermen with little experience of illness, medications or medical procedures. Most came to see me reluctantly — at their wives’ insistence.

Gradually, I found my voice and a style that has served me well over the years.

As a former Boy Scout and the grandson of a farmer with an interest in automobiles, I have found enough analogies from my own experience to be able to cross the cultural barriers I have encountered in my new homeland.