Plenary Speakers

Dr. James Anderson practiced medicine in Richmond, Virginia for 42 years. He graduated from
University of Virginia Medical School in 1978. He retired from clinical practice in 2021. He was Board
certified in Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. From 1996 to 2020, Dr. Anderson trained over
200 Family Doctors as an Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Family Practice, Medical College of
Virginia. Dr. Anderson joined the US Army Medical Reserves in 2002 until 2012. He was promoted to the
rank of Colonel. He was mobilized five times, three to the war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr.
Anderson saw patients of all ages throughout his whole career.
The strength and joy of Dr. Anderson’s medical career was knowing the truth that every patient he saw
was ‘made in God’s image’ and of invaluable worth and purpose.

Dr. Armistead trained at the Medical College of Virginia and Truman East Family Medicine
Residency in Kansas City, MO. He and his family lived at a mission hospital in northern Pakistan
where Dr. Armistead worked from 1999-2015. From 2015-2021 he worked in the Family Medicine
Department at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He presently serves as the Dean of
Faculty for the Institute for International Medicine (INMED), a graduate school which prepares health
care professionals to work among the underserved globally. Since returning from Pakistan he has
also been the Area Director of the VCU CMDA chapter. He loves teaching and has received
teaching awards in the Practice of Clinical Medicine program at VCU and from the Society of
Teachers of Family Medicine. He is very keen on the professional, moral, missional and spiritual
formation of students. He is active with the S. Asian refugee and immigrant population in Richmond,
Virginia. He is married to JoAnn and they have three grown, married sons.

Dr. Boatner is an Associate Dean for the School of Behavioral Sciences
at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is a member of the American Counselor
Association, including membership in various chapters and divisions. Dr. Boatner Received a
BA in Psychology from Christian Heritage College, an MA in Counseling Psychology from
Southern California Seminary, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Liberty
University. Dr. Boatner coauthored a chapter on Counselor Self-Care and has presented on this
topic at international, national, and regional professional conferences during the last 5 years.

Rev. Doug Christgau served as outreach pastor in three churches from 1985-2019. During this time these churches sent 40 long-term missionaries and doubled or tripled their missions giving. Doug has led 100+ short-term mission trips in 40+ countries. Doug is the Global Ambassador for MedSend, an agency that gets health care missionaries to the field by paying their educational debt and keeps them on the field through member care specific for health care professionals. Doug has presented health care missions in 50+ schools. He has spoken at various church mission events and the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville KY.

Nicholas  is President and Professor of INMED, the Institute for International Medicine. He is also part-time faculty at Research Medical Center Family Medicine Residency. Over a two-year period, Dr. Comninellis served inner-city citizens at Shanghai Charity Hospital. Over another two years, he led a healthcare ministry in the war-besieged nation of Angola in southern Africa. Dr. Comninellis next served for six years in the Kansas City public hospital before launching INMED in 2003. Dr. Comninellis is a classical guitarist and faculty advisor for Cru at University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Thomas is the Director of Global Health Strategies at International Mission Board, in Richmond, VA. His undergraduate studies were at Florida Southern College (BS in Biology), and he went on to obtain his MD from University of Alabama School of Medicine and his MPH (epidemiology) from UAB School of Public Health. His pediatric residency training was completed at Children’s Hospital of Alabama. He worked in a majority world context in the Far East for 26 years, and has now been overseeing global health strategies for a major mission sending organization where he helps oversee and coordinate the work of hundreds of healthcare missionaries working cross-culturally. He has unique insight into what it takes to prepare for effective service in this context. 

Scott Dooley, MD is the Associate Director, Center for Advancing Healthcare Missions (CAHM is a
division of CMDA). Scott is a family medicine physician. He served as a missionary for 16 years
in Papua New Guinea, serving 9 years as the CEO/Hospital Administrator. Since returning to the
USA in 2019, he has worked as a physician, medical director, and part time administrator. Scott
is also on CMDA’s Christian Healthcare Executive Collaborative leadership team. He and his wife,
Gail (RN, and Christian life coach) also love to do coaching, mentoring, and leadership
development. They are proud parents of 3 adult daughters.

Dr. Castillo is a dedicated doctor and public health expert with a degree in general medical
surgery from Venezuela and a master’s in public health from Florida International University.
She founded Tu Consultor de Salud, focusing on health education for the Hispanic population.
Dr. Castillo has extensive experience as a compliance officer, project manager, and case
manager, and has been an instructional mentor at Liberty University for over 13 years, currently
directing its online MPH program. She has led medical missions in Guatemala, Honduras,
Senegal, and Colombia, and is a sought-after speaker, passionate about global health and
community improvement.

Dr. Chris Jenkins received his MD degree from the University of Oklahoma and completed
residency requirements at In His Image Family Medicine Residency Training Program. He is a
faculty member at In His Image and active in clinical practice. He has a heart for exploring the
less overt, more subtle aspects of the spiritual warfare Christians are engaged in — those
unseen battles that impact our lives and affect our walk with God – and how to gain victory. Dr.
Jenkins is Conference Director for Family Medicine Education International and has taught in
more than 25 countries, mainly in the 10-40 Window. He is on CMDA’s MEI advisory committee
and several mission boards.

Lemmi is a registered nurse and Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) with a BSN and MSN from Liberty University. Her professional passion is helping students grow in knowledge, confidence, and character as they prepare for their future careers. She is married to her college sweetheart, Gian, and the couple has two children, Olivia and Luca. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, baking, and spending time with family and friends. Her Christian faith is central
to who she is and guides both jer teaching and daily life.

Tim is a richly blessed child of God, husband, and father who rejoices in God and His grace. Trained as a physician scientist, he has a spectrum of academic and medical service experiences both domestically and internationally in areas of medical and biomedical education and program development; medical laboratory development; advising and training for vocational living; and health care enhancement within rural, underserved populations. The unifying focus and aim in all of this is for a meaningful work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in the One who is worthy of all praise and devotion.

Dena Ferguson in a general surgeon who recently completed her Post Residency term. Her journey in missions has taken her to Mali, Burkina Faso, Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Rwanda, Togo and Burundi, spending a total time of over three years abroad. Although most of her life has been preparing for long term missions, her experience in college, medical school, residency, global surgery fellowship and the post residency program have given her significant life lessons she is excited to share with those beginning their journey into medical missions. She joyfully serves with her husband, Sam, and young daughter, Lyla.

Hudson trained as a physician at Johns Hopkins and as an epidemiologist at the CDC. He has over 30 years of experience with SIM in Ethiopia, Nepal, and Thailand, focusing on clinical medicine, community health, and HIV/AIDS. He has been in healthcare leadership with SIM for over a decade and authored “Healthcare and the Mission of God: Finding Joy in the Crucible of Ministry.” See https://pauljhudson.com.

Imhoff earned his Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Ohio University, where his dissertation focused on grief counseling. He currently serves as the Program Director of the MA in Addiction Counseling program and is an Associate Professor of Counseling at Liberty University. His clinical work has focused largely on addiction treatment and also working with adolescents with severe behavioral concerns. Dr. Imhoff’s scholarly interests currently include the understanding and treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder, substance and behavioral addictions, and counselor well-being and self-care.

David is a former Professor of Ophthalmology and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine. HE is a member of the North American Neuro- Ophthalmology Society. He received his B.S. Degree from the Pennsylvania State University and his DO from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He trained in Ophthalmology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD and did fellowships in Neuro-Ophthalmology, and Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. He is a retired Navy Captain, having served as a medical officer for 28 years, finishing his career as the Chair of Ophthalmology at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA. He served on several international mission trips, including Kenya, Lesotho, and Guatemala.

Linda is Professor and Chair of Behavioral Sciences at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology from Old Dominion University, a master’s degree in social work and a BA in both Psychology and Communications from Western Michigan University. A national speaker, host of Faith Radio’s Dr. Linda Mintle podcast, a BeliefNet national blogger, bestselling author of 20 books, she has 27 years of clinical experience in eating disorders, obesity, and psychiatric treatment. Her current focus includes research in pain management, anxiety, addiction, and student wellness.

Potter and her family have lived in Lynchburg, VA for 25 years where she practices Emergency Medine. She has taught medicine at LU College of Osteopathic Medicine for the last 10 years. She has participated in international medical missions for over 20 years. She is the president of Emmaus Road Medical Direction, a 501 (c)(3) organization that offers
free emergency direction for global workers all over the world and vice president of CMDA’s EM section. She has a passion for the Gospel delivered through missions medicine and inspiring the next generation of emergency medicine care givers.

Dr. Walker is currently a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with experience in outpatient and inpatient behavioral health management across the lifespan. I also completed my PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. My nursing background includes Pediatric Intensive Care and Case Management. Currently, I serve in the role of Program Director for the PMHNP / DNP Program at Liberty University. My passions include holistic health, provider and care-giver self-care, and anxiety/panic disorders. My treatment philosophy incorporates a whole person approach to health and wellness (biopsychosociospiritual) to provide maximum impact for God’s Kingdom.

Odedina is a professor at Liberty University School of Nursing and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). She obtained her Doctorate and Post Masters Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at the University of Virginia. Dr. Odedina also received a Master of Science in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at D’Youville University (Formerly Known as D’Youville College, Buffalo, New York).
She is nationally certified as a PMHNP by the American Credentialing Center and a FNP by the American
Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She has been in the psychiatric mental health field since 1997, following her graduation with a first degree in Health Sciences, Psychology, and Health and Human Services from the University at Buffalo, New York, with a focus on Community Mental Health and Psychology.
Dr. Odedina has participated in projects, research, and presentations focused on mental health, quality improvement, health promotion, higher education, and infertility. She is a subject matter expert in psychiatric mental health, a curriculum developer, educator, editor, and a question developer for a major publisher.

Echo Nomsa VanderWal and her husband, Harry, lead The Luke Commission (TLC)—a faith-
based health and development institution that has, since 2005, delivered comprehensive care
to Eswatini’s most underserved communities. TLC’s 450-member local team has scaled to serve
more than 300,000 patients annually. Since 2024, Echo has also served as VP of Strategic
Engagement for Luvelo, an integrated digital ecosystem with 40+ interoperable apps.
Combining compassion, leadership, and business acumen, she champions equitable healthcare
access at the highest levels globally.

Bruce and Dale Woodall met as pre-med students at Abilene Christian University, sharing a commitment to medical missions from before their marriage in 1985. After completing their residency training in Family Medicine, they served in Central America and in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee. In 2008 their attention turned to war-torn Burma/Myanmar in Southeast Asia when they met David and Karen Eubank, founders of Free Burma Rangers, a
Christian rescue and relief effort which began among the hill tribe people of Burma and now also extends to several places globally.
Beginning in 2020, they have devoted six months annually as staff physicians for the Jungle School of Medicine in Karen State, Burma where they direct patient care and train ethnic medics for frontline conflict zone rescue and relief.
When stateside, the Woodalls live in Athens, TX where Bruce serves as faculty of International Medicine at the UT Athens Family Medicine Residency program.