The session outlines resources of the biblical worldview and how they transformed the culture of Europe and the Near East in the first centuries after Christ, the culture of Great Britain in the 18th Century, and of South Korea in the 20th Century. The session describes what we, as Christian healthcare providers, must do to bring transformation to the peoples and cultures of Africa, Haiti, Latin America, and other non-developing areas of the world.
Research provides a means of helping many people in many places over many years. And, it is possible to do useful research “on the field” in the midst of a busy clinical practice. This session will review possibilities and principles that lead to science-advancing, patient- helping, resource-affordable clinical research.
Many creative access countries are among the poorest and most needy in the world, yet Christian witness is limited. Effective primary care is an essential component of all health systems. Locally trained Family Medicine specialists can provide excellent primary care in limited resource settings. With some constraints doctors from “the West” are welcome in creative access countries to develop residency training in Family Medicine. The lessons learned from eight years of Family Medicine training in Afghanistan will be discussed with particular attention
to those lessons that are applicable to other creative access countries.
The practice of pediatrics
in much of the developing world involves the care of children with malaria, often presenting in critical condition where prompt diagnosis and treatment can be life-saving and minimize morbidity. This session will discuss malaria in terms of presentation, diagnosis, treatment, complications, and prevention, in the context of the often less-than-optimal medical setting of the developing world. Recent changes and controversies will be included in the discussion. Although all species of Plasmodium will be mentioned, the emphasis will be on falciparum malaria.
Only a small minority of healthcare students who aspire to be missionaries actually serve long-term. One in five medical missionaries don’t stick with it for more than four years. There are daunting obstacles to going and to staying. Using both research data and the presenter’s experiences, this session will identify the best strategies for preparation that lead to long-term success.
