Medical

According to the WHO, in the African Region, about 473 000 children die from pneumonia, 300 000 from diarrhea, and a further 443 000 from malaria every year. Mortality in hospitalized cases of severe pediatric malaria is 9%-10%. Many efforts to prevention infection and improve nutrition so as to modulate the impact of infection are in place but when critically ill children present, correctly prepa...

There is a shift happening in missions, what is God up to and what is my role? https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_charlievittitow_whatismyplace

In both domestic and international situations, dental needs often go unmet (for multiple reasons). Many people in poverty develop a "survivalist" mindset and only seek care when in pain. Untreated dental conditions, if neglected long enough, can turn into dental emergencies. When many patients do finally seek dental care, it is often in an emergency medical setting where dentistry is not...

We will learn how moral injury is inevitable in cross-cultural healthcare, and we will learn how to prevent and manage moral injury through proven, God-honoring methods. Presentation slides: https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_jimritchie_protectyourselffrom

As we see an increasing number of culturally diverse patients in our US-based practices or on the mission field, our understanding of cultural influences in healthcare and our own biases is essential. How can we develop an eye to see where a patient’s values and worldview may differ from our own? We will review an approach to cultural humility highlighted by medical missions case studies. Pr...

Like the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament, many times we as followers of Jesus who seek to make His name known, find ourselves crying out to God “I have had enough Lord”. Learning how to find God in our trials and to trust His loving faithfulness to refine us is a necessary part of our journey. Though sometimes difficult to share openly, the failures, disappointments, and hard times...

God painted His heart for the Nations throughout the pages of His Word, from Genesis to Revelation... If we live our lives, spend our money, eat/drink, exercise, pray, and practice medicine without catching this vision, we're missing out on the greatest masterpiece ever created! We create a false dichotomy of domestic healthcare and that which is international. God doesn't see it this way...

Providing healthcare in pioneer mission settings complements and demonstrates the Gospel in action, following the footsteps of Jesus. This results in both improving the healthcare of the local community—and beyond—and the planting and growth of the church. We will describe and illustrate this from experiences in Thailand, Cambodia and the Big Country in Asia. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_na...

This session will help prepare participants for teaching internationally and/or cross-culturally. It will discuss differences in education methods that exist between different countries and cultural reasons for them; how these differences may impact how you teach and introduce new methods; and provide examples of ways to overcome or adapt to these differences. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_sharifalkenhe...

This session is for those interested in leaving a lasting impact in one's overseas involvement. Often, the impact lasts only as long as the team is on the ground. If you would like to discover one way to have a lasting impact without creating dependency, this session is for you. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_jaimesaint_fiveprinciples

This lecture will describe complex humanitarian emergencies and the common diseases encountered and the persons affected. We will also discuss mental health issues encountered by victims and the humanitarian worker as well as describe how one can stay healthy in body, soul, and spirit dealing while dealing with the stress of living in working in such a context. https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_cathyh_compl...

We live in the most amazing days since Jesus walked the earth. The global church is sprinting toward the finish line of the 2000-year Great Commission race, and by God’s grace, our generation may be the one to finish it. In this session, Douglas Cobb of The Finishing Fund will explain the global effort to get the gospel for the first time to the world’s last few unengaged people groups...

The behavioral health literature on resilience identifies religious belief and practice as important factors contributing to psychological resilience. This literature frequently advocates Eastern religious methods of meditation and exercise as means of enhancing resilience in vulnerable individuals. Much smaller literature suggests that Christian spiritual routines might enhance resilience. This p...

Spirituality is an important component of health, and assessing a patient's spirituality is a cultural competence of healthcare professionals. This session will review the scientific evidence for links between spirituality, religious practice and health outcomes, consider what medical and nursing association guidelines say about incorporating spiritual assessments into medical practice, and de...

Breaking the Chains of Dependency: Impacting underserved communities through servant leadership Underserved communities, such as those in Africa, have been the long-time recipients of outside aid, yet there is little sustainable change. Dependency on outside resources and hierarchal, foreign leadership remains. Could following the example of Jesus’ use of servant leadership be a way to break...

The 5 most common neglected tropical diseases affect over 1.5 billion people, including more than 1 billion children. Medical missionaries working in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia will certainly come in contact with most of these diseases on a daily basis. It is time for us to do more than just treat them. Mass drug adminstration programs were developed to help control and eradicate these d...

This session will describe unique needs of Millennial missionaries in the current culture. We will discuss how building relationships with God, self and others will aid in longevity on the field, contentment, struggling well, lamenting suffering and balancing stresses with supports.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants can be a vital part of the mission team. We will use this session to discuss how APPs can be utilized on the field, how to prepare for missions, what to expect from your first trip, and so much more. Please join us!

A case-based, interactive review of how to diagnose and manage febrile patients in tropical settings https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_douglascollins_approachtofever https://bit.ly/gmhc2022_douglas_collins_approachtofever_handout_

The missional landscape has changed. The recent global events, the shifting distribution of Christians, and the realities of what God is allowing; are presenting a whole new missional landscape. What then are the new structures, approaches, and strategies that are proving effective for missions in our days? This will be shared with a special emphasis on the emerging role of medical missions and th...

For those in training and recently finished, we will learn how to maximize this season. We’ll spend the first half tackling topics like original motivation, long-haul stamina, pearls and pitfalls of living in community, debt, vision for one’s next step to the nations, and helping the needy now tensioned with investing in education to help others later. We pray this will infuse you with...

We are all called to live missionally. It is the Lord's plan for all peoples to know of His glory. As nurses, we may have access to those who have never heard the Gospel. We can get behind closed doors working within communities, establish trust, pray with patients, and provide wholistic care. Nurses care for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of people. We can use the discipline of...

Many mission healthcare programs have been started by expatriates with little or no input from national partners. These programs are often supported by external funds which is one of the reasons that control is still in the hands of expatriates. Transitioning from expatriate to national leadership is increasingly important as nationalism affects national policies. This may take the form of denying...

The missional landscape has changed. The recent global events, the shifting distribution of Christians, and the realities of what God is allowing; are presenting a whole new missional landscape. What then are the new structures, approaches, and strategies that are proving effective for missions in our days? This will be shared with a special emphasis on the emerging role of medical missions and th...

Our efforts to provide excellent, compassionate treatment for our patients can open huge doors to address their spiritual needs. This session will provide an introduction to the CMDA "Faith Prescriptions" video series, a collection of 25 episodes created to equip and inspire us to communicate the love of Christ to our patients with sensitivity and respect.