Breakout 4, Saturday, April 15 2:15pm

What is the legal framework surrounding rights of conscience held by healthcare providers?

And how does that legal framework play out in the real world? This session will try to answer these questions, gaming out scenarios where the conscience rights of healthcare providers seem to intersect with standards or expectations of the medical community and culture at large. We will talk through the safeguards and provisions in the law, looking for the intersection between what the law permits and what the Lord might desire of the individual healthcare provider.

Natalie is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Liberty University School of Law, focusing her teaching and scholarship in the areas of First Amendment law and family law. Natalie got an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Liberty University undergrad, then earning a Juris Doctorate from Liberty University School of Law. Drawn to the study of law to address violations of human rights that occur across the globe, Natalie developed a working knowledge of how the United States Constitution safeguards individual liberty against tyranny. She clerked post-graduation on the Virginia Court of Appeals, handling criminal appeals and matters of domestic relations. Now, as a professor, she is developing her own research on how the law protects freedom of thought, human dignity, and inalienable rights.

Any disciple of Jesus who chooses medicine or dentistry or other healthcare discipline and who believes that God is calling/leading them to serve long term in cross-cultural missions (whether domestic or international ministry) can experience ministry "disability" in the process by at least five major "life-mines" that I call the "Five F's". In this talk, we will discuss these "life-mines" and how students, residents and grads planning on medical ministry/missions can stay on track and be obedient to God's call and the advancement of God's Kingdom purposes through their lives.

During his fourth year of medical school, he volunteered for two months at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya where he met CEO Dr. Ernie Steury and Medical Director Dr. David Stevens. During his third year of surgical residency, God brought Mike’s high school sweetheart Pam back into his life, and they married in August 1991. A few months later, they traveled to Kenya and Tenwek Hospital in 1992 for two months where both enjoyed getting to know the Tenwek community while Mike was immersed in surgical care in a busy surgery referral center in rural Africa.

Mike completed a general surgery residency at Methodist Hospital in 1993 and then joined Southwestern Medical Clinic, a group in Southwest Michigan dedicated to global healthcare missions. Former CMDA and ICMDA president Dr. Bob Schindler and his wife Marian mentored Mike and Pam until their departure for Tenwek in 1996. Mike was board certified in general surgery in 1995 while working with Southwestern.

Mike was drawn to the orthopedic surgery service as Tenwek had no long-term bone surgeon. He was also named Medical Director in mid-1997. Tenwek grew remarkably during Mike’s tenure as surgeon and medical director to a clinical staff of over 80 physicians and clinical officers and more than 700 total staff. Training programs for interns, family medicine, general surgery and orthopedics were also developed and launched during those years.

Mike and Pam left for Kenya in August 1996 with two small children and added two more while at Tenwek Hospital: Steven, Melody, Kayla and Ashley.

In 2015, Dr. David Stevens invited Mike to consider returning to the U.S. to assume the role of CMDA Executive Vice President. After seven months of prayer and seeking counsel from mission leaders, mentors and close friends, Pam and Mike decided to leave their Kenya home and mission life of 20 years and moved to Bristol, Tennessee in July 2016. Mike has counted it an amazing privilege to serve alongside David Stevens and Gene Rudd and all the national CMDA staff for nearly four years. In September 2018, after an eight-month CEO search process, the Board of Trustees asked Mike to becEmail Mikeome the next CEO of CMDA and he began September 1, 2019, when Dr. Stevens stepped down. Mike’s life verses are from 2 Timothy 1:6-7: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (ESV). To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Email Mike

In every country, on every continent there are men, women and children trapped in jobs into which they were coerced or deceived and cannot leave. Around the world, it is estimated that there are 25 million people subjected to human trafficking or forced labor. Not only is this an ethical and moral issue but trafficking erodes the safety and health of our communities and security of our borders. Human trafficking disproportionately affects the underserved and vulnerable such as runaways, refugees and those living in poverty. lt is important to learn the indicators and signs of human trafficking and then take action to fight against this horrible crime. Learn what you can do to help prevent, rescue and restore victims of human trafficking in your own backyard and around the globe.

After a college mission trip to Mexico, Sharmayne felt called to dedicate her life to full time missions. She went to medical school while continuing to serve on the mission field, specializing in Infectious Disease at American University, Managua. At Johns Hopkins University, Sharmayne completed a master’s degree in international public health, and did an Infectious Disease fellowship, focusing on Tropical Medicine in Lima, Peru. Sharmayne is involved in anti-human trafficking efforts in several developing countries and founded an NGO that supports safe houses and awareness/ prevention efforts. She serves as a medical liaison for the Rio Grande Valley Anti-Trafficking Taskforce, is chair of the CMDA Human Trafficking Commission and serves on the Amazing Grace Ministries anti trafficking team. Besides her work in combatting human trafficking, currently Sharmayne is serving at COLM, a clinic staffed solely by volunteers on the Texas- Mexico border offering free health care in an underserved community. Each year she leads and participates in medical mission teams around the world including Latin America, Jamaica, Samoa, Nigeria and Sudan.

Medical professionals are paid well. You’ve earned it, right? You worked (or are working!) long and hard to earn your credentials and work long hours at a stressful and challenging job. But should your income determine your lifestyle? Do you have trouble staying on a budget? Do you give as much as you'd like to?

Do you think you can't afford to go into medical missions because you have student loan debt or a family to support? Maybe the math isn't the problem. Let’s examine how our culture might be subconsciously shaping our attitudes and assumptions about “the good life.” We’ll expose the danger of lifestyle creep to those who want to be servants of Christ. Then we’lll search the scriptures for insight into how God might want us to start to think differently about our relationship with money and possessions.

Katie has a passion to see American believers gain the knowledge and confidence to manage finances well and the humility to use the money under their control to build God's Kingdom instead of their own. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor.

In addition to speaking, she also provides one-on-one and couples financial counseling and coaching and teaches personal finance classes to teens and adults. She is married to Theron Stinar, D.O., C.E.O. of the Fredericksburg Christian Health Center. They live in the Fredericksburg, VA area with two of their three children.

Building a Sturdy 3-Legged Stool of Resilience Based on, and quickly reviewing for first-timers, the three foundational faith questions we asked ourselves in Session 1, we will start to construct a sturdy personal "three-legged stool of faith" to help us become more resilient in our faith, less burnt out and cynical in our pursuit of God's calling, and maintain that personal sturdiness and wellness for the long haul. Again, personal and ministry examples will help illustrate this in practice.

Dr David Kim is a physician, co-founder and currently CEO of Beacon Christian Community Health Center (“Beacon”), which missionally serves an underserved, diverse population in Staten Island, New York City. He has a heart for "bringing Jesus into the exam room" and has spent many years hosting, teaching, training and mentoring students, residents and fellow medical colleagues in hopes of raising a new generation of health professionals who will practically live out their faith in their work and life. Beacon has lived out its Jeremiah 29:7 commitment to "shalom" for its community by taking the lead locally and regionally in addressing such crises as Superstorm Sandy, COVID-19, and most recently, the migrant refugee/asylee crisis.

Dr. Kim graduated from State University of NY Health Sciences Center of Brooklyn, College of Medicine (“Downstate”), and completed his Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at Staten Island University Hospital and Kings County/Downstate Hospital. He went on later to receive his Healthcare MBA from George Washington University School of Business, Washington, D.C. He is the blessed husband of Dr. Janet Kim, and a fortunate father to four incredible children.

Beacon offers, in the backdrop of the unique international and socioeconomic mission field of New York City, targeted student and resident rotations which combine comprehensive clinical and community experiences with teaching sessions which offer a didactic, Scripture-centric approach to healthcare.

More info can be found at www.beaconcchc.com, its teaching ministry, www.beacon360.org, or by contacting Dr. Kim at davidk@beaconcchc.com, or Dr. Jeeji Mathunny, Student Ministry Coordinator, at jeejim@beaconcchc.com.

This breakout will examine what Scripture teaches about how God speaks and how we can discern the Will of the Lord in our own lives. This session will be Biblically based and very practical. If you are searching for God’s will in your life, join us for this session!

Pastor Bert Jones serves CMDA as the Vice President of Missions and Member Care. In this position he oversees all of CMDA's mission ministries and the Center for Well-Being. Pastor Bert has written two books on Leadership with Dr. David Stevens. His most recent book is called "A Leadership Journal from a Leaders' Journey". Bert travels nationally and internationally preaching and teaching.

Did you know that according to new census data, the United States is diversifying more rapidly than was predicted? Did you know that all 50 states have refugee settlement programs? What does this mean to healthcare providers navigating the tension of a checklist healthcare environment? Health care of the refugee or immigrant is receiving increased attention.

In this session we will look at the merging of art and science to provide culturally adapted holistic care from a strength-based approach. We will look at evidence-based core cross-cultural issues and tools that will help you adapt to the evolving needs of patients in the increasingly diverse and global context.

Professor Lisa Gazan joined the Liberty School of Nursing in the Fall of 2020 bringing with her a varied background in nursing education, home care, hospice case management, training, and leading. She is experienced in the development, implementation, and growth of new programs including a health careers academy, the spearheading of foundational work for accreditation approval of a new BSN program, and the development of a newly expanded hospice. At Liberty she has developed the Cross-Cultural Nursing class and taught a variety of other courses. She has also led nursing abroad trips and is currently working on her PhD in nursing education with an emphasis on Cross-Cultural Nursing.

She was born and raised until the age of 12 years old in Guatemala, Central America where her parents served as missionaries, and she attended school in Spanish and German. She and her husband served as missionaries in Kenya, East Africa, and in the U.S. preparing and training new missionaries.

A favorite verse is Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.” She loves joining others in their professional journey and helping them fulfill God’s unique purpose and plan for them.

As a healthcare professional in training, there are multiple hidden opportunities that you can take advantage of as you develop the skills in cross-cultural medical care. One of the first steps is to look for opportunities to work with people of other cultures within your current community. Globalization and travel have made cross-cultural experiences more accessible than ever before. While the international missions experience will provide a deep immersion in your culture of interest, there are ‘mini-immersion’ experiences available where you are right now.

Seeking opportunities within the community, both within and outside the health facility walls, including restaurants, farmers’ markets, dance classes, churches, other religious gatherings, community health fairs, language classes, create unique cross-cultural exposures and learning opportunities for trainees.

The common thread in all the interactions, regardless of the setting, is approaching other people’s culture with a sense of respect, a genuine desire to learn, and a humble attitude that acknowledges your limited knowledge of any culture regardless of the depth of your internet research. Cultural humility requires that I acknowledge that I do not know everything about the culture(s) that I feel called to serve and that my own culture is not superior to theirs.

In this session, we will focus on applying the Arthur Kleinman’s eight questions on cultural health while integrating Biblical principles of cross-cultural care, using case scenarios. At the end of the session, each participant will be able to identify the skills essential to be an effective cross-cultural healthcare provider. The goal is to develop your skills as a Christian and an effective multicultural healthcare provider.

Olubukola (Bukky) Ojuola is a pediatrician and educator who is passionate about promoting child health and preventive medicine interventions for children and women in resource-poor communities.

Dr. Ojuola earned her medical degree from University of Ilorin, Nigeria, obtained her MPH from Harvard University, and completed her Pediatrics residency at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York. In her role as Child Survival Specialist at World Relief, she provided technical support for USAID-funded programs designed to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality in Asian and African nations. She currently serves as Chair of the Pediatrics Department at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Ojuola is a Christian professional with a strong desire to serve God with excellence through her service to others. She serves in her local church in Lynchburg, alongside her husband. She enjoys cooking, singing, and traveling to discover new places.