A not-so-retiring physician. Interview by Jim Montague.

One of the most important things Jack B. McConnell, M.D., learned in his 28 years as a researcher for Johnson & Johnson Co., New Brunswick, NJ, was that failure and disappointment are expected parts of research. McConnell, 68, says nothing can be created if disappointment is allowed to stop research. So after retiring to Hilton Head, SC, four years ago, McConnell organized the island's free, retiree-staffed Volunteers in Medicine Clinic. Formidable obstacles had to be overcome, including initial opposition from the state's board of medical examiners. McConnell talked recently with Hospitals & Health Networks Staff Editor Jim Montague.