HIV/AIDS

In this session we will look at several clinical tropical diseases seen in nationals and expatriate travelers. Real clinical cases and research studies will be described as unknowns. The challenge will be to recognize various travel related illnesses and making a diagnosis. We will explore cases of fever, skin rash, abdominal complaints, and some emerging tropical diseases around the world.

Can short-term health care teams play a key role in indigenous Gospel movements? Come hear the incredible story of God’s indigenous-led movement in a corner of Asia and the important role that short-term teams played in its advancement. Join in a discussion of the dynamics of an effective short-term partnership that bolsters indigenous work. Understand the key aspects of an “opening do...

The COVID 19 pandemic has many similarities to the early days of HIV/AIDS in Uganda when I worked with the National Control Program for AIDS while advising the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau. Communication resource, scientific advances, technology, and knowledge have all advanced. This session will compare the two pandemics and present some observations and lessons learned, both professionally a...

Christian healthcare professionals working in cross-cultural settings need to understand medical anthropology from a perspective that goes beyond the classical "knowledge-attitudes-practices" model. This session will cover essential questions about how people of different backgrounds can understand the body, illness, health and healing as well as highlight some of the challenges in walki...

Strategic indigenous medical training to impact the Church Planting Movement and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Learn about GMH (Global Mental Health) and resources for integrating this into your general medical and global health practices - through clinical vignettes from our practice in LMICs.

God's timeline is different for each of us. This session will look at the particular challenges and blessings of entering medical missions in "Round Two."

Ethical Medicine in Short Term Trips

Suturing

Clear communication is essential in any effective healthcare environment. Working in another language adds a whole new layer of complexity to the communication process. Learning another language can seem like a daunting task, especially if you had a negative past experience with a foreign language, or it can be viewed as an exciting adventure. This session will focus on practical tips that engage...

“Service is the sign of true love. Those who love know how to serve others. We learn this especially in the family, where we become servants out of love for one another. In the heart of the family, no one is rejected; all have the same value.” – Pope Francis   The money spent for missionary work to cover their costs of a mission trip to fly to Central America to repaint...

About 25 years ago, while sharing an early morning cup of coffee with my dear friend and practice partner, family physician John Hartman, MD, he asked, “Walt, how come we don’t bring our faith to work with us more often?” It was a question the Lord used to convict me of the fact that although my personal relationship with God was the primary and most important relationship in my...

A Partnership with long term missionaries, Indigenous evangelists and a short term medical training team in one of the most persecuted areas in the world brings light to the darkness.

Through sharing personal experience and case studies, current demographics, trends, treatment and challenges of HIV care will be discussed

Spotlight on fifteen of the world's most un-evangelized people groups.

Family physicians, nurses and primary care providers regularly encounter “extracurricular” situations when practicing in developing countries especially in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and clinical needs, a “golden platter of opportunities” sort-of-speak. New estimates for 2014 show staggering gaps in SRH and basic clinical services fall far short in developing nati...

Objective of the session is to inform other Medical Missionaries, other doctors and other Missionaries about Evangelism through caring for people living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.

Sourcing Safe Medicines for Missions

How can urban health care missions be done in urban settings, especially in government owned facilities? This breakout session seeks to address this questions. Ministry can be done in and through government hospitals and institutions by connecting with healthcare personnel, sharing the gospel and discipling them and bringing them into healthy churches. This breakout session will give some insights...

Be missional! How do you keep up with the demands of ministry while balancing the needs of family, not to mention your own needs? How do you keep doing more with less? How do you protect yourself from burnout while advocating for the least of these? How do you establish boundaries without neglecting the needs of your community? These are some of the questions Dr. Thomas hopes to explore as he shar...

Health professionals in all settings should take a history from their patient(s). National guidelines in the U.S. recommend a spiritual assessment be included with most or all patients. Yet, surveys show that over 95% of patients say that no health professional has ever inquired of their spiritual or religious beliefs. Furthermore, most health professionals indicate that they never been taught how...

In recent years there has been a tsunami of healthcare volunteers going into the developing world; both faith-based and humanitarian. Recent estimates tell us that 29% of students enrolled in medical schools participate in some type of short-term global health project prior to graduation. Dental, nursing, and allied health schools are also beginning to follow suit. This workshop will review some o...

This presentation will reflect on Selling Out for God, Growing Spiritually, Growing Relationally, and Giving God our Best – thoughts on my 30 years as a missionary nurse in Uganda, Mississippi and as NCF/USA Missions Director.

"Holistic Health" is a frequently used term in medical missions, but what does it mean? And how do we accomplish it? Drawing on the speaker's experience, case studies will illustrate lessons learned to make holistic health practical and to emulate Jesus, the Great Physician.