Breakout #2

This session is intended to familiarize attendees with the electrical requirements of portable dental units and options for shipping. How to set up the units and chairs for use will be demonstrated. Common problems with the units will be conveyed and minor repairs will be shown. Sterilization techniques using a pressure pot will be covered.

Robert is the Executive Director of the Christian Dental Society. He is a Retired Army Colonel, a Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, Board Certified by the American Board of General Dentist, a Fellow in the Academy of Dentistry International, International College of Dentistry, and American College of Dentists. Dr. Meyer received his B.S. from West Point and his DMD from the University of Oregon Dental School. Dr. Meyer commanded the only airborne dental unit in the world deploying dental teams around the world and finished a 30-year Army career directing an AEGD-1 year residency program for six years before going into private practice. 

Drs. Bob and Diane Meyer desire to be humble servants and have used their experiences and leadership abilities to organize, teach, and provide dental care and encouragement to teams serving under-resourced people on over 100 trips to 45 countries around the world for the last 30 years.  They have authored numerous articles, lecture on portable dental missions, and have written books on dental volunteerism, including Truth, Teeth, and Travel: Volumes I and II, Dental Mission Manual, and Encouraging Missions: Transforming Lives, Especially Yours!

The barriers to quality healthcare in lower middle income countries are vast and varied. Well-equipped medical missionaries can provide excellent, compassionate care to help meet direct patient needs as well as improve healthcare infrastructure in these underserved nations. Unfortunately, the inverse can be true without proper preparation and support.  The Post Residency Program of World Medical Mission attempts to minimize barriers to care by equipping and supporting medical missionaries in their first two years on the field.

Joshua is the Missions Development Coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene Melanesian-South Pacific Field in Papua New Guinea. He is the Field Personnel Coordinator, Nazarene Compassionate Ministry Coordinator, Immigration Officer, Work & Witness Coordinator, and Secretary to the Nazarene Health Ministries Board. Mr. Stewardson received his B.S. Degree from LeTourneau University and will complete his M.A. Degree from Northwest Nazarene University (2026). Previously he worked as Senior Director of Product Management for Meredith Corporation. Mr. Stewardson has been serving as a missionary in Papua New Guinea since December 2022 and has guided six Post-Resident Physicians on immigration and orientation at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital.

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. Almost 90% of victims are seen in a clinic or hospital while in slavery. Human trafficking disproportionatly affects the underserved and vulnerable such as teenagers, 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.

Sharmayne is a physician who serves at COLM, a clinic staffed solely by volunteers on the Texas- Mexico border offering free health care in an underserved community.  She is the Chairman of the CMDA Human Trafficking Committee, serves as a medical liaison for the Rio Grande Valley Anti-Trafficking Taskforce, serves on the Amazing Grace Ministries anti-trafficking team, and founded an NGO that supports safe houses and trafficking awareness/ prevention efforts. Dr. Brooks received her MPH from John’s Hopkins in international public health, and also completed an Infectious Disease Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. She has taught on human trafficking awareness for nearly twenty years in multiple venues, including at a prior Remedy conference. 

Preparing future healthcare missionaries for assuming leadership roles is a wise and judicious investment in pre-field training. Most healthcare professionals, including physicians, have had minimal leadership training and/or experience prior to cross-cultural service. This talk will focus on the gaps as well as the expected and unexpected challenges that are common and must be navigated when facing the complexity of working in diverse cultural and resource-limited settings.

Mike is a US Board certified General surgeon who completed his BA degree at Taylor University in 1984, his MD degree at Indiana University in 1988 and then completed a five-year surgery residency at Methodist Hospital of Indiana in 1993. He then joined Southwestern Medical Clinic in Berrien County, Michigan where he remained a partner in the practice through 2016. In 1996 Mike and his wife Pam began a 20-year career as medical missionaries at Tenwek Hospital in southwest Kenya. There he practiced general and orthopedic surgery and served as the Medical Superintendent for many years. In September 2018 the Board of CMDA selected Mike as the CEO of CMDA.

Assistant Professor Liberty University School of Nursing