MCCF Activities

Winter Missions Breakfast

2011-12-31T11:35:00.002-05:00

Please set aside the date and sign up now for our Winter Missions Breakfast coming up on Saturday, February 4th, from 9-11 am at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Focus On Missions

We're going to have a great panel of local speakers, including David & Hanna Hough, David Terp, Natalie Masco, Constantino Fernandez, and Christine Borghi-Cavallaro who will be talking about their missions experiences and associated opportunities in Kenya, Haiti, Zambia, and Nicaragua. We're also expecting a visit from Steve Noblett, Executive Director of the Christian Community Health Fellowship, so don't miss this one!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-18T16:43:00.001-05:00

Greetings from the Morehouses!

We deeply appreciate all your support and look forward to serving together with you in the coming year.

Click here to read our holiday letter.

Fall Physician Breakfast

2011-09-11T19:37:00.002-05:00

The MCCF Fall Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, October 8, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Topic: Building Lasting Relationships

We've invited Kathleen Elliott, MS, NCC, LMCH to share some of her relationship experience with us and respond to any questions you may have. Kathy is the Founding Executive Director of Agape Counseling Associates where she also serves as a counselor and therapist. As a wife, mother of three adult children, teacher in the Webster school system, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, she brings a wealth of insight to the topic. Feel free to invite any friends or colleagues who might be interested, too!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note the location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

BREAKFAST RESCHEDULED!

2011-04-24T07:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for responding to our appeal for feedback about our Spring MCCF Breakfast. Over 50 of you wrote back, and it became very clear that we had chosen a very busy time of year when over 90% of you had schedule conflicts and couldn’t come. Many expressed regret that you would be missing an interesting speaker and topic. A large majority liked the topic but several of you indicated that it was too focused on marriage to be of interest to you. As a result, we have decided to:

1. Reschedule the Breakfast from this coming Saturday, April 30th to Saturday, October 8th from 9-11 at the Academy of Medicine.
2. Broaden our subject material to be more inclusive. Kathy Elliott will be addressing the topic “Building Lasting Relationships.”

We’re sorry we won’t be seeing you this coming weekend but hope you can join us this Fall. Thanks again for your fellowship in the Gospel.

Happy Easter!
Bill and Susan Morehouse

Spring Physician Breakfast

2011-04-02T13:37:00.003-05:00

The MCCF Spring Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, April 30, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Topic: Maintaining a Healthy Marriage
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

We've invited Kathleen Elliott, MS, NCC, LMCH to share some of her marriage relationship experience with us and respond to any questions you may have. Kathy is the Founding Executive Director of Agape Counseling Associates where she also serves as a counselor and therapist. As a wife, mother of three adult children, teacher in the Webster school system, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, she brings a wealth of insight to the topic. Feel free to invite any friends or colleagues who might be interested, too!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note the location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Winter Missions Breakfast

2011-01-01T14:26:00.002-05:00

Please set aside the date and sign up now for our Winter Missions Breakfast coming up on Saturday, January 29th, from 9-11 am at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Focus On Missions

We're going to have a great panel of local speakers, including Christine Borghi-Cavallaro, Joel Thompson, Nick Venci Jr., Jeff Harp, and Jim Sutton who will be talking about their missions experiences and associated opportunities in Nicaragua, Haiti, and right here in Rochester, so don't miss this one!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T08:34:00.002-05:00

Greetings from the Morehouses!

We deeply appreciate all your support and look forward to serving together with you in the coming year.

Click here to read our holiday letter.

Global Missions Conference

2010-11-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

Annual Global Missions Health Conference

This is a reminder to make sure you and your fellowship know about this amazing opportunity! Online registration—$65—closes November 7, on-site registration is $75; register for housing here. There’s no deadline listed for that but get your reservations in ASAP as there may be no more space at this late date. If this is the first you’ve heard of this, my apologies, I sent it out to all members last month. If you are not a CMDA student member (a free gift), please join now!

Each fall the Global Missions Health Conference brings together more than 2,000 believers and nearly 200 medical missions organizations interested in global outreach—local, domestic, etc. There is nothing else like it. You'll spend three days meeting new people, discovering new places where God is at work in the world, and learning more about what works in global health outreach. No matter what field of the health professions you are in, the GMHC is a great place to load up on the information, the experience, and the organizations you need to know about to help you change the world. Please prayerfully consider journeying to the Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY to explore where (and to whom) God might be sending you!

Links:

GMHC Overview2010

Conference Snapshot

Equipping Healthcare Professionals

General Registration

Please register today to join hundreds of others in the healthcare profession in exploring God’s call on their lives! If you attending as a medical missionary, we encourage you to spend some time sharing your story of God’s leading with students in the student loft. Please let me know if you have any questions, but most answers can be found at www.medicalmissions.com.

In Him,

Scott

Scott P. Boyles, MDiv - Northeast Regional Director , CMDA

Fall Physician Breakfast

2010-08-19T20:29:00.002-05:00

The MCCF Fall Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, September 18, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Walking alongside:
Teaching Medicine in the Congo

Dr. Mark Shelly is an Infectious Disease specialist practicing at Highland Hospital who will be sharing from his personal experiences teaching medicine as a mission to the Congo. Feel free to invite any friends or colleagues who might be interested, too!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note the location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Spring Physician Breakfast

2010-04-10T16:46:00.005-05:00

The MCCF Spring Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, May 1, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Topic: Health Care Reform and You

We've invited Dr. William Dolan from the Monroe County Medical Society to bring us a factual presentation about the provisions of the Health Care Reform legislation that recently passed in Washington and respond to any questions you may have. Dr. Dolan has been a Member of the AMA Board of Trustees since June 2007 and is very acquainted with the topic. Feel free to invite any friends or colleagues who might be interested, too!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note the location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

John Seaman Haiti Report

2010-02-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

My apologies that the news feeds from Haiti may not have made it to you all. Communications were very difficult while there, and I think my forwarding mechanism to get info to you may have failed.

That being said, we really appreciate your prayers and support during the time in Haiti. Thanks to your gifts and prayers our 2 teams to Haiti were able to transport, use and distribute over ½ ton of medicines and other medical supplies. We saw hundreds of patients in 2 different locations: Carrefour, to the West of Port-au-Prince and at the Nehemiah Vision Site on the Northeast side of Port-au-Prince. The first team was involved in a mobile clinic based at the Nehemiah site and delivered first aid / medical care to people in outlying areas that had not yet received help. Our second team worked at an orphanage that was in the center of an IDP camp of approximately 17,000 people in Carrefour. 2 of our team members, Melissa and Jordan, were able to do a needs assessment of the camp and then connect with other aid agencies and the US military to help obtain food for those in camp while the rest of us were busy seeing patients. The second team then moved to the Nehemiah site where we continued with clinics and also helped organized a large shipment of medical supplies and equipment that will be used to establish a hospital at a nearby site where an IDP camp for 50-100,000 people is being built.

Your prayer made it possible for us to continue under very difficult conditions, maintain unity as a team, stay healthy (no one got sick except one team member who needed a boil drained that started before the trip and then passed a kidney stone as we were getting ready to depart on a 15 hour bus ride to start home. Again, God intervened and his stone passed very quickly!), and bring hope to individuals, teams and organizations.

As we prayed over the land, we felt that this terrible tragedy is also a tremendous opportunity for Haiti to break out of the cycle of poverty, despair, and spiritual darkness. Pray that aid organizations and the Haitian people/churches can break out of the “donor/receiver aid cycle” and that the Haitians can take responsibility for their future as they begin the task of rebuilding. The Haitians have a unique contribution to make to the rest of the world – this is their time to take hold of their future. Please pray for the gift of hope to be given to them.

At the present time, we do not have plans to send further teams to Haiti. Things are transitioning from the acute phase to recovery and re-building. There is still critical need for food and shelter. Many people will be moved out of Port-au-Prince to IDP camps as part of the plans for rebuilding. We encourage you to support organizations with ongoing presence in Haiti such as Roger and Margaret Clark of Elim Fellowship, Nehemiah Vision Ministries and Grace Children’s Hospital and Orphanage in Carrefour. Medical teams from International Medical Relief will continue for some months to come.

Thanks again to all of you who helped make our teams successful.
John and Karen

Drs. Ness - Roca Blanca

2010-01-30T18:40:00.002-05:00

Our Internet connection has been very spotty this year, and as we speak I am sitting in an Internet cafe in a nearby town. By preparing everything ahead of time, I was able to be fairly efficient in posting our latest blog. The site again is www.nessblog.com/roca. We hope you enjoy it and invite your comments and questions, either on the blog site, or to our e-mail address.

As mentioned the next week will be dental teaching for the students, while we will be doing clinic and trying to take in the classes when we can. We think of all of you often, and thank you for your prayers and support.

Que Dios te Bendiga! Mary Kay and Dave Ness

Dr. Paul Cross - Haiti

2010-01-28T20:32:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be traveling to Haiti tomorrow morning with a medical team (3 surgeons, 2 anesthesiologists, and 1 nurse). This was pretty last minute, and the details are still coming in. We will be flying into the Dominican Republic and then to Leogane (epicenter of the quake) by prop plane. There are very few medical supplies and fewer anesthesia supplies. This is not a Christian
mission team, so please pray that God's love would apparent in me, and my team will see that. Other prayer requests:

Salvation for the team/others I'm working with, the Haitian people I treat
Safe travel and return flight (no return plans have been set, tenative for Saturday the 6th)
Health (lots of disease, mosquitos, HIV/AIDS)
Medical wisdom and safe anesthetics
Jayana and the kids
Anything else you're led to pray for!

Jeff Leathersich - Update

2010-01-28T20:09:00.003-05:00

Tuesday evening after returning form the IDP camp, I heard from our hospital/clinic team that they had seen a baby that was profoundly dehydrated and malnourished to the point that his skin was sloughing off. They had spent hours resuscitating him and when our team had to leave they hoped he would survive the night, that evening we attempted to make contact with a pediatric hospital or the USS Comfort but all of our efforts failed as we could not get through to anybody. It had occurred to me that a dear friend of mine had just arrived in the country with Helimission, an international organization that flies helicopters to rescue people; they fly in food and do med-a-vacs in developing countries. I sent him an e-mail, and within a few hours we heard back that they would fly out first thing in the morning to pick up our baby. The team arrived shortly before the helicopter only to discover that the baby had died during the night. The helicopter had flown in for no reason… so they thought. You see every day when the staff (our team) arrives there are about 50 people there in the waiting room. As the staff walked through the waiting area they quickly identified a very ill 2-month old baby girl. The baby was taken in immediately and it was determined that she was so dehydrated that she was on the verge of death and you know where this is going… there was a helicopter waiting for her. Our base leader here accompanied the baby on the helicopter to the University Of Miami Mobile Hospital at the Port-Au-Prince airport where a trauma team converged on her and stabilized her. He said that there where 20 photographers and news agencies there filming the whole thing. So if you were watching the world news on Wednesday evening and saw a baby being rushed into the UM mobile emergency room from Haiti is was probably our little girl.

I was at an IDP camp today with my friend Nate who is also a PA at Unity Hospital when the word arrived that the baby had died… it was like a knife going through my heart when I heard it… I never even saw the baby, I just spent a few hours searching the web and trying to make phone calls on his behalf. But I think it was just the weight of one more thing, surrounded by thousands of hurting people with needs too great to meet.

Thursday, Helimisson will do two more med-a-vacs for us, the first is a lady I saw yesterday who arm was completely broken above and below the elbow. When I first saw her she walked into our bus carrying her baby in the other arm with other flopping in two places. The second is a one year old boy who has a very loud hear murmur and is in heart failure who is decompensating. He has never been seen by a doctor. Thanks to Ben and the Helimission crew whose US administrative office is located in Lima NY.

Today, I feel like we were better prepared emotionally for what we saw at the IDP camp. I think knowing what to expect helped… don’t get me wrong I was fighting back the tears about 4 times watching children, adults and elders limp into our bus… wondering if anything was really making a difference as you were sending them back out into the fabricated houses with little or no food and were the filth is just beginning as there are no latrines. We saw a lot of sick kids with pneumonia and today that makes me feel better when you know you are making a difference in their lives with a shot of antibiotics and some to go… at least this time.

The tears for me is not from seeing them in physical pain, it is not from the gapping wounds crawling with flies, or one more kid with diarrhea and we only can give each one 2 days worth of oral dehydration because it is all we have. It is about the profound emotional trauma that these people have experienced, as I said in a prior e-mail it is watching them scream and break down sobbing when we do something that should only hurt a little, knowing they are really screaming because of the trauma of the past two weeks. It is about meeting the parents who loss 5 kids, the wives who have not seen their husbands since the quake and kids who show up at the mobile clinic alone… because they are.

There is in Haiti what I call a “Great Disconnect”, it is the gap between the hundred of millions of dollars of aid that has been brought to Haiti that I hear is sitting at the airport and big distribution center and the people who need it. We have gone to two IDP camps this week and we were the first to show up with any aid or support at either one. From both of these camps you can see the US Embassy so it is hard to imagine what is happening at camps that are further out. I say further out as have left the center of the city which was the epicenter of the quake, it is in ruins and will take years to rebuild it.

It is also the disconnect between large aid agencies and the front line worker like us who are doing a good portion of the work, we don’t even have a way to contact them….

It still amazes me that two PAs (myself and Nate) from Rochester NY, a family med doc from Warsaw (Dan Zerbee) , a former missionary nurse from Brazil (Ken, who starts work next week at my hospital) and my 17 year old son (Tim) were able to connect with a team of 7 nurses from Indiana and make a difference, albeit a drop in the bucket in people's lives. With our best efforts some have and will continue to die but many will live. So even though it is painful in so many ways, we are all glad we are here and all hope to return in the months to come.

Jeff Leathersich - Update

2010-01-27T17:00:00.008-05:00

Days before we departed to Haiti I saw a national news report of a medical team that flew down just after the earthquake, while they originally intended to stay longer they were melting down emotionally after 5 days. One of them was sobbing while being interviewed she said they could not take it anymore, the need was too great, the devastation was too widespread and the supplies were too few. I did not judge them for leaving but said to myself that they must not have been prepared physically or emotionally. Having traveled to Africa, Indian, Brazil, Fiji, Mexico and Belize on medical and other forms of humanitarian missionary efforts... having designed and directed a International Community Health Program for five years training people to do health care in developing nations, I was certain that I would be prepared... I was wrong.

Today I spent the day at a camp for IDPs or Internally Displaced People. It was without a doubt the most challenging and difficult day of my professional life. One of our team members said it was like a war zone and I have to agree, we had hundreds of people run to the our bus as it pulled into the camp. We were the first medical team to show up to this community of 700. We saw so many gapping wounds that have not been treated and broken bones and other injuries that I loss count. Some flesh wounds infected... some just rotting away. My first patient was a lady who had literally been scalped in the collapse of a building and her right arm she had fractured all the bones in her arm so her upper and lower arm were both flopping. It had a make-shift splint on it. Her scalp wound was healing so I left it alone and splinted her arm. Fortunately we have an orthopedic surgeon coming next week.

The next patient of note was a 3 month old baby that was minimally responsive to painful stimuli, we tried to convince the family that she needed to go to a hospital but they did not want to take her, we offered to find one and take her but they still refused… don’t ask me to explain it they just would not do it after long conversations and I don’t understand it. We knew what the consequence of their decision was but I don’t know if they did even though we tried to explain it or maybe they did… but their decision reflected the degree of hopelessness these people have.

The last patient I will tell you about today was a 9 year old boy who came to our bus without a parent, his mother died in the quake and while his father was found at my request and came, he did not want to stay with his son. The boy was burning up with fever; he was severely dehydrated and vomiting. I tried to orally re-hydrate him but he just could not keep liquids down and they ended up mostly on me very early in the day. He collapsed sobbing when he threw up, it was not hard to tell that he was not just crying about being sick... this sobbing was more than that... it was about the fresh and unprocessed death of his loved ones, the trauma of all he had seen and the hopelessness. While these survivors are alive, it seems like they are crying as they know their life as they knew it just died a terrible death. We gave him 3 liters of IV fluids, antibiotics and Tylenol and benadryl which is all we had to calm his stomach, he looked better when he left, I hope it was turning point for him. Without his mother and having met his father I doubt anyone would have been by his side forcing him to drink.

So what made this day so difficult? The numbers of sick people is overwhelming, you just can’t get ahead, when the people from the next town or camp you are at hear we are there and they walk 10-20 miles to find us. Our supplies while well stocked for adults we are short on medicines for kids as the is the country and the apparently the relief effort suppliers we are working with, by noon we had to apologize and say that we just don’t have pediatric pain medicine. Caring for people who are ALL in such emotional pain is draining. They are hopeless and it is an understandable hopelessness they have and you look around and say, yes, this is a hopeless situation, it is overwhelming. At the end of our day, we have to leave to home by dark, the crowd that is still waiting erupts some in anger others in anguish. I don’t know if I have been able to put it into words for you, this is just the worse thing I have ever experienced in my life, and tomorrow is another day.

Jeff Leathersich - Update

2010-01-26T08:54:00.001-05:00

It is 4:30 in the morning here in Haiti and we leave soon for our days work. Our team of 12, 5 from Rochester and 7 from Indiana are splitting up today. I will take 4 of us to a refugee camp that has been set up but yet has medical care. The others will go to our clinic/hospital were we saw between 250-300 patients yesterday.

Antibiotics and wound care are most of what will do at the refugee camp. If we find people too sick for the camp, like they need IV fluids or IV antibiotics for a while, we will take them back to our hospital unless they need surgery well will take them to a surgical hospital. We have 2 surgeons arriving at our hospital next week. When we start doing overnight care we will need to leave a nurse and a provider there.

At one point yesterday I said to myself most of these people have stomach ulcers and they have developed their symptoms in the last 7-10 days I wondered why, then it clicked that it was a stress response. Another very common secondary complaint was “I can’t catch my breath at times”. Yet they had no wheezing on exam… again it took about 20 of them saying that before I realized it was anxiety. There is no one here who has not been affected by this disaster, everyone lost family and friends. Sadly, because the numbers are so profound and bodies crushed many beyond recognition many will have closure.

The most impacting thing when seeing the patients who were trapped and saw others die is that they are like walking zombies, the trauma is so profound they are emotionless at this point and when you do something that is painful, like clean a wound or something, it should hurt but not as much as it does. There pain response is exponentially magnified, also from the extreme trauma state they are living in.

We are headed out the door soon. Thanks to all of those who have expressed that they are praying for us and the people of Haiti, we all need it.

I have taken Tim my 17 year old son on this trip, he is working hard with the rest of us and not complaining a bit. I am very proud of him and I know this trip will change his world view, his appreciation of what he has… and his very life.

I will try to send more but technology is very unreliable here.

Dr. Mark Brown - Haiti

2010-01-24T18:33:00.002-05:00

Local doctor talks about time spent in Haiti after earthquake

WHEC-TV – A local doctor told News 10 how he was able to help the relief effort in Haiti. Doctor Mark Brown spent several days treating patients in Port-au-Prince, and he says Haiti now looks like a war zone.
Doctor Brown went to the Dominican Republic, for a ceremony at a health clinic that he opened years ago. But when he saw how great the need was in Haiti, he and several other doctors knew they had to help. So they hopped in a small pick up truck and drove five hours to Port au Prince, bringing medical supplies with them.

Doctor Brown says he couldn't believe, the closer he got the number of buildings that were just flattened. People are still sleeping on the streets. And although the bodies had been removed, he said knew where people died because of the smell. He said it was awful.

He described the entire city as looking "occupied." There was a UN worker, U.S. troops or Haitian Police on every block. He went treated 60 to 70 people on the first day. It was a lot for infections, and smaller wounds. He says it was emotionally draining.

"It was very devastating to see people who already have lost so much and are so greatly in need to lose even more to have their lives devastated."

Doctor Brown said, during the day, if it weren’t for the damage, you wouldn't know anything happened. People are going about their business the best they can. He said even after all they've been through, the Haitian people refuse to give up.

Jeff Leathersich - Update

2010-01-23T19:27:00.007-05:00

We arrived in Port-au-Prince at the US Embassy at 9:00 AM Saturday after a 10-hour bus ride from Santo Domingo. We went right to work setting up a field hospital at a school, I say hospital because we are prepared run 24/7 with inpatient beds. We have 8 emergency beds, can do about 10 inpatient, and there are two surgeons coming next week.

The house we are staying at experienced minor damage, you can see cracks in the walls; other houses around us were destroyed. The house we are staying at and the ministry we are working with is called Nehemiah's Vision an arm of Campus Crusade for Chris. Traveling through the city today was long, hot and dry with many soldiers from the UN and US everywhere. We have more work to do on set up tomorrow, and Monday we will open the hospital. We will also be splitting up and rotating though 4 refugee camps in our area.

I will keep you apprised as time and technology allow. We are only getting rare cell phone reception and Internet access. Please keep us all in prayer.

Breakfast Energizes Members

2010-01-23T15:55:00.005-05:00

Dr. Jeff Harp has been traveling with with an international medical team to Haiti every 18 months for the past 2 decades, doing community building through a church and orphanage in Port-au-Prince. After speaking to the 45 MCCF members who attended this morning's annual Missions Breakfast about their experiences, the current crisis in Haiti, and relief efforts underway, several of our members are becoming energized to become personally involved.

Dr. Harp and his wife Ellen will be flying with Lynx Air into Cape Haitian on the north coast later this week (1/29 or 30) and then traveling overland 3-4 hours with at team of 12 on a special mission of relief where they will be serving victims who have taken refuge on the church/orphanage grounds. Please pray for supplies, wisdom, flexibility, and discernment about details.

Dr. Mike McMullen will be leaving with Medical Missions International for Haiti by way of the Dominican Republic on February 13 and working with a team at a hospital on the border that is offering earthquake refugee relief.

And, in response to a flyer circulated at the breakfast, Dr. Bruce Thompson is applying to become part of a Global Health Outreach team to Haiti, sponsored by the Christian Medical and Dental Association, that will be leaving in mid-March.

If you know of other members who have become involved in Haiti relief, please let us know so that we can be communicating about their needs and activities.

Haiti contributions deductible

2010-01-22T16:30:00.007-05:00

Haiti contributions deductible for 2009 taxes

NEW YORK (CNN) – The Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday that will allow taxpayers to deduct cash donations to Haiti earthquake relief on their 2009 tax returns instead of having to wait to file the claims next year.

Leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee from both parties introduced a bill Tuesday that makes contributions made between Jan. 12 and Feb. 28 count toward an individual's or family's 2009 taxes. The House unanimously approved the measure Wednesday. The legislation also allows contributions made through text messages to be deducted if cell phone bills are provided as proof of donation.

Ways and Means Committee chairman Charles Rangel, D-NY, said in a statement that the committee “developed this legislation to make it easier, and encourage people, to donate to the relief efforts in Haiti.”
Leaders from the Senate Finance Committee introduced an identical version of the bill Wednesday afternoon. The Senate passed the bill late Thursday.

“Last week, Haiti and the world was reminded Mother Nature knows no deadlines,” said Finance Committee Max Baucus, D-Mont., in a prepared statement.

Similar legislation was passed in 2005 to boost contributions in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred in late 2004.

Jeff Leathersich - Elim Fellowship

2010-01-21T08:22:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow I will be leaving on a medical team to Haiti organized by Dr. John Seaman and others. We have $5,000 in medical supplies that we are taking down with us so I am asking you to stand with me and Elim Fellowship in this work. We will be working at a clinic as there are still thousands without access to medical care and disease is setting in now. The Lord has also spoken to me this last Sunday that he wants me to go to Haiti so I can prophesy to the nation. I am asking you my friends to stand with me and please be prepared to bring a special offering to church this Sunday marked for Elim Fellowship Medical Supplies for Haiti. I am also asking that you ask your friends to come prepared for the special offering. Our team oversight has also asked that each team member would have 20 people interceding for them everyday for the week we are there as we all know that Haiti is a spiritually dark nation. They also ask that the families of the team members be held up in prayer.

We are moving forward in faith that our expenses will be covered for this trip which will be about $2,000- $2,500 and want you to know that Pastor Josh has told me that if people want to contribute to Tim and my expenses they can a donation to Elim Gospel Church and indicate that you want it help cover our expenses. Contributions for medical supplies should still be to Elim Fellowship as indicated. Thank you for your financial and prayerful support!

Dr. Seaman - Hope Extended

2010-01-20T20:14:00.020-05:00

We have our first team of four – 1 MD, 2 PA’s and 1 RN – leaving for Haiti this Friday, first going to Santo Domingo where they will join another group and share a van to Haiti.

We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of encouragement, prayer and gifts. You are such a blessing to us and will help us bring some hope to one of the darkest places on earth.

Our second team will leave sometime next week. I expect to go on this team. One of my goals is to try and discover a reliable route in and out of Haiti that subsequent teams can take. Please continue to pray for:

No missed connections for our first team.
No luggage or supplies lost.
Safety and security!!
Divine opportunities.
Strength and clear thinking in chaos.

Dr. John Seaman

Winter Missions Breakfast

2010-01-03T14:44:00.003-05:00

Please set aside the date and sign up now for our Winter Missions Breakfast coming up on Saturday, January 23rd, from 9-11 am at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue. We're going to have a smorgasbord of local speakers, including Drs. Christine Birnie, Norm Wetterau, and Larry Gage who will be talking about their missions experiences and associated opportunities in India, Africa, and Nicaragua, so don't miss this one!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T12:04:00.001-05:00

“Like other observers,” noted the prominent health care economist Henry Aaron, of the Brookings Institution, “I look at the U.S. health care program and see an administrative monstrosity, a truly bizarre mélange of thousands of payers with payments systems that differ for no socially beneficial reason, as well as staggeringly complex public systems with mind-boggling administered prices and other rules expressing distinctions that can only be regarded as weird.” The administrative monstrosity we have built costs us a lot of money – by far the highest administrative costs of any health care system on earth. The U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded that if the country could get the administrative costs of its medical system down to the Canadian level, the money saved would be enough to pay for health care for all the Americans who are uninsured.

T. R. Reid: The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care (2009, Penguin)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T15:11:00.007-05:00

Greetings from the Morehouses!

We deeply appreciate all your support and look forward
to serving together with you in the coming year.

Click here to read our holiday letter.
Click here to read the December edition of the His Branches Grapevine.

CMDA Winter Conference

2009-11-03T17:39:00.008-05:00

Are you feeling the "burn" of busy, tiring days in the office/hospital? Do your professional and personal lives seem "off-center" for some reason? Wouldn't you like to get off that hamster wheel for a while?

Well, here’s your chance!!

Join us at the CMDA Northeast Winter Conference on January 15-17, 2010, at the beautiful Sandy Cove Conference Center on the lovely, peaceful shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Experience God's rest as you pray, meditate, experience timely speakers and workshops, and fellowship with fellow colleagues in an atmosphere built to expose you to the awesome beauty and love of God.

We’re excited about this year’s conference because CMDA’s CEO, Dr. David Stevens, will be our plenary speaker. For four sessions he will share from scripture and his own life about being a follower of Christ as a healthcare professional. Whether you are a physician or dentist, we will explore principles that will help you get where God is leading you to go, even amidst an environment that is often hostile to folks seeking to live out their lives for Christ. Small group sessions will help us dig deeper into what following Christ looks like for us personally and help us get ready to return to our personal mission fields. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to get away from the busyness of life to revisit who you are in Christ and how God is leading you.

Everything, including details about our speaker and theme, schedule, free time options, accommodations, etc., as well as online registration can be found at our conference page (www.cmda.org/wc2010).

Please take a few moments to register online. Early bird deadline is December 15th! Questions? Contact CMDA at wc2010@cmda.org.

Scott Boyles, CMDA Northeast Regional Director

Fall MD Breakfast

2009-09-10T09:58:00.005-05:00

Our next Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, October 17th, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue. Dr. Hank Paszko will be sharing on the topic "Serving in Uncertain Times - Maintaining personal balance in a time when social and economic factors are pressing in on medical practice from all directions."

Hank is the Medical Director of Churchville-Chili Family Medicine. He did his undergraduate work as an English major at Columbia University and attended medical school at the University of Rochester where he received a Reader's Digest international fellowship to do medical work in Zambia, Africa during his last year. After graduation he did an additional year of post doctorate training in Orthopedic Surgery before completing his residency in Family Medicine. He recently received a Master of Arts in Theology from Northeastern Seminary and serves as Pastor of Faith Community Church in LeRoy. Hank has been married for over twenty years and has four children.

Please set the date aside, mark your calendars, and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Importance of Being There

2009-09-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

When an MCCF student meeting is scheduled it is almost never convenient to drop what you’re doing and attend. It is especially difficult when you find yourself wondering if the students really care or if the time you take away from your work can be justified.

Don’t underestimate the power of your presence...
Don’t forget the power of your influence...
Don’t forget the power of your witness...
Don’t forget the power of friendship and hospitality...
Don’t forget the power of your story...

So when you look at the clock or the calendar and notice another MCCF student meeting approaching, remember the importance of being there. In a disconnected, postmodern world, your commitment to humbly walk with students in their journey through medical or dental school may have a profound but an entirely unknown impact. Be encouraged, Jesus invested Himself in twelve students and they changed the world.

Click here to read the full essay, slightly modified from one written by Allan Harmer, ThM, CMDA Midwest Regional Director, and visit MCCF Now for updates about when URMC student activities are taking place.

Summer reading idea

2009-07-19T12:58:00.002-05:00

The MCCF student group chose to study the theological insights in Wm. Paul Young's book "The Shack" last year in their weekly Bible study, but it took Susan and I until this summer to catch up with them. It seems that we're latecomers to this New York Times bestseller, which now has over 7 million copies in print. If you haven't already, pick up a copy and read it this summer, sort through the issues and feelings it raises, then consider passing it on to someone else who might appreciate it. You'll find the time well-spent.

Summer Medical Institute

2009-05-07T07:12:00.005-05:00

The vision of the Summer Medical Institute (SMI) is to raise up healthcare providers who use their professions to honor God and grow in love for Him. The SMI is organized by the Valley Baptist Family Practice Residency in Harlingen, TX. This will be the ninth year for the South Texas SMI. Being located on the TX/MX border, we have ample opportunity to provide care to medically underserved neighborhoods called colonias.

The SMI medical outreach serves as the practical vehicle for mentoring the next generation of health care workers. Each year we accept applications from qualified physicians and nurses to serve as mentors to SMI students. Mentors come alongside students to encourage and inform them about the role of the healthcare worker in reaching the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Most faculty serve for a week during the month-long project. If you would be interested in coming alongside students this summer, feel free to contact Steve Johnson, SMI Coordinator, by phone at 956-389-2492.

Please take a few moments to pray about playing a role in what has proven to be a significant experience in medical students’ lives.

Spring Physician Breakfast

2009-04-05T10:36:00.003-05:00

The MCCF Spring Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, May 2, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Topic: Panel on Medical Marriage

Dr. Tom and Vicki Ball, Dr. Cathy and Alan Goodfellow, and Drs. David and Mary Kay Ness will be sharing with us and responding to questions about how they've been have been able to mix medicine and marriage in their households. Please come and bring your spouse or significant other. Feel free to invite any friends or colleagues who might be interested, too!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note the location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Primary Care Shortage

2009-03-10T14:11:00.005-05:00

When Dr. Waseem Ghazoly died unexpectedly at age 45, his three physician colleagues in Pittsford expected to cover his 1,800 patients only temporarily.

But the office hasn't been able to recruit a replacement because of an ongoing shortage of primary care physicians. Seventeen months after Ghazoly's fatal heart attack, his office and exam rooms remain empty at Elmwood Medical Associates.

The full practice still hopes to fill the position but has no solution in sight, said Dr. Stephen Meloni.

Click here to read the full article in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

Rafiki Missions Opportunity

2009-02-19T07:26:00.000-05:00

The Rafiki Foundation is looking for help with their ministry to needy children in Africa and is seeking Christian physicians to serve short term during one of their quarterly Community Medical Clinics.

Rafiki, a Swahili word for friend, is a Christian missions organization with Villages in 10 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Their Villages are located in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the AIDS pandemic has deprived many children of their fathers and mothers. Even with one surviving parent, the needs of a child cannot be met in most of these countries. School enrollment and literacy rates in Africa are among the lowest in the world. An estimated 42 million children in sub-Saharan Africa alone are not enrolled in school. Many cannot afford to go or stay in primary school and in some countries, 70% of the girls do not continue to secondary school. In response to this need, Rafiki Villages are designed to care for children from infancy to age eighteen.

The goal of Rafiki is to nurture orphaned African children into godly contributors in their countries. They do not place their children for adoption. If you would like further information, please click here to read the letter we received, here to visit the Rafiki Foundation's website, or contact Joe Baucom, Rafiki Area Representative, at 574-370-2699.

Prayer for Bongolo Hospital

2009-02-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

From Deb Walker, head of Pediatrics

PLEASE PRAY FOR BONGOLO HOSPITAL

We are getting hit very hard because of the government hospital worker's strike that is already a month old (since Jan.12). It is just now getting to the unbearable stage at our hospital. Maternity is up 2.5 times the normal volume and outpatients have doubled. Almost all hospital beds are full. If this rate continues very long, we will run out of certain medications and tests like HIV tests before our next order can arrive. People are getting angry at having to wait because of consultation and lab overload or when we don't have enough tests and supplies to meet the demand. This is especially critical in the area of HIV tests to test the pregnant women and the antiretroviral (ARV) medication to prevent the transmission of the virus to the baby. Women who were planning on doing their prenatals in other cities, including Libreville, are flocking to our hospital. The government HIV program was not able to grant us any HIV tests or ARV medication for pregnant women and their babies at our last request so we are running out. In addition, our X-ray machine is broken and our lab chemistry machines were all fried in a storm last week. Half our missionary medical staff is away on trips. We are doing the best we can but we can 't keep this rate up for very long.

Several of our members have served at Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, and Dr. Keir Thelander is there as a full-time missionary with his wife and family now. Thanks for praying.

Laugh, love, lift

2009-02-01T13:32:00.003-05:00

I would be true, for there are those who trust me.
I would be pure, for there are those who care.
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer.
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

I would be friend of all, the foe, the friendless.
I would be giving and forget the gift.
I would be humble, for I know my weakness.
I would look up and laugh, and love and lift.

I would be prayerful through each busy moment.
I would be constantly in touch with God.
I would be tuned to hear His slightest whisper.
I would have faith to keep the path Christ trod.

A hymn, written by missionary Howard Walter

On the lighter side

2009-01-28T06:50:00.004-05:00

Doctor’s Opinions on Financial Bail Out Package

The Allergists voted to scratch it.

The Dermatologists advised not
to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort
of a gut feeling about it.

The Neurologists thought the
administration had a lot of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were
laboring under a misconception.

The Ophthalmologists considered
the idea short sighted.

The Pathologists yelled,
"Over my dead body!"

The Pediatricians said,
"Oh, grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole
idea was madness.

The Radiologists could see
right through it.

The Surgeons decided to wash their
hands of the whole thing.

The Internists thought it was a
bitter pill to swallow.

The Plastic Surgeons said,
"This puts a whole new face
on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was
a step forward, but the

Urologists felt the scheme wouldn’t
hold water.

The Anesthesiologists thought the
whole idea was a gas, and

the Cardiologists didn’t have the
heart to say no.

In the end the Proctologists
decided the idea was full of holes.

Winter Missions Breakfast

2009-01-03T09:10:00.003-05:00

Please set aside the date and sign up now for our Winter Missions Breakfast coming up on Saturday, January 24th, from 9-11 am at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue. We're going to have a smorgasbord of local speakers (including 3 URMC residents, a nurse, and a faculty pharmacologist) who'll be talking about missions experiences and opportunities from El Salvador to Honduras, by way of Jordan and India, so don't miss this one!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Glory to God in the Highest!

2008-12-23T21:05:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Morehouses!

We deeply appreciate all your support and look forward to serving together with you in the coming year.

Click here to read our holiday letter.

CMDA Winter Conference

2008-12-17T15:32:00.004-05:00

Greetings from CMDA’s Northeast Office! I hope this note finds you well!

I am writing to remind you about the 2009 Winter Conference sponsored by CMDA’s Northeast Region and Medical Campus Outreach of Philadelphia. This annual conference brings together followers of Christ in healthcare from across the northeast to explore what it means for a person to re-integrate who they are as a person of faith and a healthcare professional. This is a great opportunity to hear good teaching from a respected colleague who will present stories from his own life and practice experiences, sharing how one can integrate being a Christ-follower and a physician or dentist. Each year we seek to encourage more attendings and community physicians and dentists to participate and connect with each other through graduate-focused small groups. Our winter conference also provides you an opportunity to share your life with students and residents in a casual environment, encouraging them with your own stories of God’s work in your life as a physician or dentist. Add the beautiful environment of the Sandy Cove conference center, free time for family activities, and child care for young children during conference sessions and you have a great way to spend your MLK Jr weekend!

Here are some links to help you learn more and register:

CMDA/MCO Winter Conference 2009:

Webpage
Schedule
Online Registration
Registration Deadline: December 29^th, 2008

Please let me know if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Scott Boyles

View from Stanford

2008-11-27T21:13:00.004-05:00

A young medical student at Stanford University stood before the table of RZIM [Ravi Zacharias International Ministries] books and resources beaming. “We don’t see these things very often,” he said, clarifying, “Not books; there’s no shortage of books. I mean Christianity without the hostility.” He proceeded to describe students and friends who deride the possibility of possessing both faith and intellect, medical professors who actually apologize when the language of design inadvertently slips into lectures on the body, and the isolation that comes from trying to stand in the shadows of this increasingly antagonistic majority. When I inquired as to the availability of support from campus ministries or local churches, his response was equally dismal. “There are groups that speak to the emotionality of faith, but academically, there is no one.”

- from Jill Carattini's recent RZIM report from Stanford and Berkeley. How different are things here in Rochester, and what can we do to foster a more open forum in our own academic town square?

A thought experiment

2008-11-27T12:20:00.005-05:00

Our perfectly designed US healthcare system

The interregnum between a presidential election and the inauguration is a time of feverish activity, in which the president elect and his staff decide who will help them govern and what they will try to do first. The press and pundits speculate breathlessly on who will be appointed and what they will do first. As I write this, for example, we have just learnt that the new administration’s secretary of health and human services is likely to be a respected former US senator, Tom Daschle. He has written a book about healthcare reform, which is likely to be his assignment when he starts in January.

I’ve been musing about the United States and how perfectly designed our current healthcare system is. Perfectly designed, of course, as every system is, to achieve exactly the results it gets, as quality improvement guru Don Berwick famously said. In its own way, it is really rather remarkable. Here’s a thought experiment to illustrate what I mean.

Click here to read Doug (graduate of Rochester's Family Medicine Program) Kamerow's thought-provoking article about health care disparities in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal.

Be present

2008-11-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

Practice presence
Breathe in the squeaky cry of a too-thin infant
dirt blowing off the road in your eyes
the pain of having too little to give

Breathe out flaming bougainvillea
the sun fading behind the hill
magic of medicine on an infected hand

Breathe in poverty and pain and confusion
the ache of tip-toeing on another’s suffering
Breathe out fresh watermelon
Honduran coffee in the morning
a game of duck-duck-goose.

Breathe in the guilt of problems unanswered,
wasted time, a broken world
Breathe out a new friendship and a fresh coat of paint.

Practice presence –
learn to sit still, listen longer, absorb more than you
thought you could - or even wanted to.

Remember your gifts –
be the first one to smile when passing another
expand a few vitamins into hope for a village
try to turn chaos into a dance.
Learn to let go.

Be still. Be present.

Shoulder to Shoulder, Santa Lucia, Honduras

Martha C. Carlough, MD, MPH
U of Rochester Family Medicine (Class of ’92)

In Memory of Bill Kamell

2008-10-25T21:38:00.001-05:00

A ‘Compassionate, devoted’ man

Canandaigua, NY — Compassionate caregiver, doting grandfather, man of deep and profound faith. These are just some of the ways family and friends will remember Dr. William M. Kamell, a longtime area orthopedic surgeon who died Oct. 16 at the age of 63.

Dr. Kamell had such a deep and abiding passion for life, they said, that he still found reasons to celebrate even as a rare auto-immune condition robbed him of the things he loved to do.

“He affirmed that life is good and worth living,” said Dr. Kamell’s oldest daughter, Lisa Hough, of Canandaigua. “In the end, it was not always easy, but he chose not to live in bitterness.”

Click here to read Bill's entire obituary. We're going to miss you!

Trip to Honduras

2008-09-29T06:51:00.002-05:00

URMC to provide help in Honduras

by Justina Wang. Democrat & Chronicle Staff writer

Next month, about a dozen University of Rochester Medical Center doctors, nurses and students will travel to Honduras to repair water filters, build cook stoves, hand out school supplies and talk with impoverished families. It's not pure medical work, but they believe their helping hands could do more for the health of people in developing countries than any stethoscope or needle.

"It's so easy to see there that if you don't have clean water and your child gets diarrhea three times a year, then the intervention is clean water, not medicines," said Dr. Douglas Stockman, director of the university's global and refugee health program. "Prevention is probably more important than curative care." Since 2003, Stockman and residency program director Dr. Steven Schultz have taken a medical brigade down to the village of San Jose, where there's no running water, electricity, hospitals or clinics.

The project is part of the national Shoulder to Shoulder effort to help the poor in Honduras, and URMC has committed to helping the village for at least 10 years. In the last two years, the First Unitarian Church of Rochester has also joined the project, raising more than $70,000 for the San Jose area and sending one or two parishioners with the URMC team.

During the twice-yearly, two-week trips, the group has installed 140 ventilated stoves, built 4,500 gallon water tanks, supplied 578 pieces of PVC pipe to bring water to 30 homes, put water filters in 20 homes, helped construct latrines, trained midwives, and handed out fluoride rinse for schoolchildren. In between the community work, half the doctors and residents also see patients and write prescriptions in a makeshift warehouse clinic, where students learn that medical issues aren't isolated from daily problems.

Children who drink infected water come in with worm and parasite infections. Poverty takes the form of malnutrition and stunted growth. Open fires in homes without stoves lead to serious burns, bronchitis and asthma. Adults who have had no medical attention in their lives come in with advanced cancers, untreated diabetes and high blood pressure, schizophrenia and psychoses that have never been diagnosed.

"It's sometimes very difficult to see the causalities and linkages," said Schultz. "Violence is a huge concern in Rochester, but is it a medical problem? Maybe violence is having an issue on the health of many members of the community, and maybe as a physician I should be looking at that, and not just concentrating on what I'm doing in the exam room."

First-year resident Donald McLaren, a 26-year-old from New York City and a son of Haitian immigrants, said this is exactly why he went to medical school. He wants to work with diverse populations and is preparing for his first trip to Honduras on Oct.18 — brushing up on his Spanish and picking out a tent and sleeping bag to keep out mosquitoes and scorpions when he sleeps on the floor of an open cinderblock school. "This is going to be a very interesting experience," he said. "I expect to be shocked, and I expect to do a lot for the community in Honduras."

Fall MD Breakfast

2008-09-13T10:41:00.002-05:00

Our next Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, October 18th, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue. Christian counselor Charlie Coté will be speaking about “Coping with the Impact of Grief.” In addition to insights from his professional practice, Charlie has a deeply moving personal testimony to share. Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Ravi and the Sheik

2008-07-20T20:40:00.003-05:00

Ravi Zacharias was the 2008 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer. He told the following story, excerpted from his keynote address at The Cannon House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2008:

Please forgive me if this illustration is a bit sensitive. I don’t say it with any ill intent. Three years ago, I was with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He’d taken five of us to the Middle East to talk to the leaders of all factions to bring together some kind of semblance of peace, some discussion. There were many of those appointments I chose not to go to because of our nation’s caution on whom to see and not to see.

But the last day, I saw one of the leaders of Hamas, one of the four founders. I went there for one reason; I had one question for him. He gave us a great meal, told us of eighteen years he’d served in prison, some of his children had been lost in suicide bombings, and this and that. And I had a question. I said, “Sheik, I may never see you again and forgive me if I’m asking you the wrong question. Please tell me, what do you think of suicide bombing and sending your children out like that?” I didn’t like his answer. I couldn’t say much. The room was full of smoke.

After he finished his answer, I said, “Sheik, you and I may never see each other again, so I want you to hear me. A little distance from here is a mountain upon which Abraham went 5,000 years ago to offer his son. You may say the son was one; I may say it’s another. Let’s not argue about that. He took his son up there. And as the axe was about to fall, God said, ‘Stop.’” I said, “Do you know what God said after that?” He shook his head. I said, “God said, ‘I myself will provide.’” He nodded his head. I said, “Very close to where you and I are sitting, Sheik, is a hill. Two thousand years ago, God kept that promise and brought his own Son and the axe did not stop this time. He sacrificed his own Son.”

I said, “Sheik, I just want you to hear this. Until you and I receive the Son God has provided, we’ll be offering our own sons and daughters on the battlefields of this world for many of the wrong reasons.”

It was quiet. We walked out and the Archbishop just put his arm around me. As I was about to get into the SUV, the Sheik came over and he just patted me on my face. He kissed me on both sides. He was a strong man; he pulled me to him. He said, “You’re a good man. I hope I will see you again someday.” That’s all he said.

Click here to read Ravi's entire address, which is well worth your time.

A Garden Bouquet

2008-06-29T00:36:00.006-05:00

Susan Morehouse Releases New CD

At an Open House for family and supporters today, Susan will be introducing her new harp CD Harpsongs II - A Bouquet from My Mother's Garden.

The album is a 65-minute "bouquet" of 22 classical, Celtic, and spiritual pieces, several of which feature Nicole Ferguson on the flute.

If you would be interested in obtaining a copy, please visit Susan's website or contact her directly.

Dr. Huang in Iraq

2008-06-01T13:45:00.006-05:00

URMC neurosurgeon saves lives in Iraq

Before Dr. Jason Huang became a major in the U.S. Army, he faced tanks at Tiananmen Square, served three years of house arrest, signed daily confessions to the Chinese police, was blacklisted by the government, had himself declared mentally ill, used a fake passport to enter the United States and became a political refugee, an American student, an American citizen and eventually a neurosurgeon at Strong Memorial Hospital.

To understand the story is to know that - behind his calm words and steady hands - there are pieces that can only be lived, not told.

"But here," says the 37-year-old, hands folded neatly Friday morning at the desk in his University of Rochester Medical Center office, "are the highlights.”

Click here to read the entire article by Justina Wang, Democrat & Chronicle staff writer.

Update: Dr. Guzick, Dean, School of Medicine & Dentistry, has recently written an even more extensive account of Dr. Huang's life in his July Newsletter.

News from the Seamans

2008-05-19T07:47:00.006-05:00

I imagine all of you are aware of the double tragedies unfolding in Asia – the Myanmar typhoon and the Western China earthquake. We had considered going to Myanmar – but the way seems blocked at the moment for Americans (and most everyone else, for that matter). Pray for a breakthrough in the spiritual strongholds that keep help from arriving. Then there was the earthquake in China almost 1 week ago. We received a call from friends in China who live and work in that area. They have been contacted by many national believers who want to help but have no training or experience. They have asked for our help. After praying, we knew that we should respond to this request.

This is a strategic opportunity to help the Christians in China reach out and demonstrate the love of Christ in a very practical way. Therefore we will be leaving this Friday, May 23rd, for Chengdu, China which is about 60 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. Karen and I will be accompanied by our good friends and frequent companions in these efforts, Gerard and Maureen Haberstro and their son, Matthew. Our Singaporean “daughter”, Jolene, will also be joining us. We will be training local believers in disaster response and perhaps helping them get started with deployment, doing assessments, etc. As you might expect, we really have no idea what we may be getting into. We will be stopping in Singapore on the way over and back to make contact with our friends there who also want to be involved.

I know that many of you may want to be involved in this in some way. First we need prayer support. I’ll be updating you with items as often as possible. The first things we need you to pray for:

Visas. China is being very restrictive about granting visas right now, due to the Olympics. hey are also being very restrictive about people helping in the disaster response effort. Our visa applications and passports will be taken to the Chinese embassy tomorrow morning (Monday) for processing. Please pray for FAVOR with embassy officials.
Contacts. We need to meet and connect with the right people here, in Singapore and in China.
Wisdom to know what to teach and how to teach it as we prepare our materials. Wisdom for our hosts as they prepare for our arrival.
Flexibility as plans, schedules and circumstances change.
Grace and strength. We are already quite tired from the preparation of the last few days (with a wedding thrown in the mix). We have much to accomplish in the last few days before departure. The weather in Chengdu is hot and humid – quite oppressive – we will need extra grace to adjust to the climate.
Health and safety. With the stress and climate change, we need your prayer that we would stay healthy. Also that we would know when to rest and when to press on.

Our second need is for finances. Travel costs alone will be about $15,000 for the 6 of us. Not sure yet what we’ll need for supplies, etc. We’re thankful that a number of you have already started to offer support. We appreciate your help. If you would like to participate with us financially, you can send donations to Hope Extended, 1355 Paul Road, Churchville, NY 14428.

Some of you may want to actually participate directly in the relief effort. We’ll know a lot more after this trip about ongoing needs and opportunities. I will be keeping you informed about this after we have had a chance to be there and assess the situation. There certainly will be need for a prolonged time. It remains to be seen what the role of outsiders will be. So, stay tuned and be prepared. If there are opportunities for you to participate, we’ll let you know and probably design some training to help you get ready.

Blessings to you all,
Dr. John Seaman

A loss to our community

2008-05-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

Our dear colleague and friend Dr. Eric Cederstrom died on May 3 after a difficult battle with cancer.

After completing his Family Practice residency and serving in the Army Medical Corps for several years, Eric started working at Hilton Health Care in 1990 and proved himself as a kind and compassionate physician and a trustworthy and loyal friend. Although he was diagnosed with cancer over a year ago, he continued to see patients until the beginning of March. He was an inspiration to all with his compassion and concern for his patients, colleagues, and family. The medical community has suffered the loss of a physician of the highest caliber. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Eric is survived by his wife, Lin, and his two children Nathan and Lauren.

In lieu of flowers, Eric has asked that donations be made in his name to: Hope Lutheran Church in Greece ; St. Jerome ’s Church in East Rochester; Crisis Pregnancy Centers , CompassCare; Foodlink; Creation Research Society; or Medical Ministry International, POB 1339, Allen , Texas 75013

Click here for more information about Eric's clinical career.

Spring MD Breakfast

2008-04-04T09:38:00.006-05:00

The MCCF Spring MD Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, April 26, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue.

Drs. Dave and Mary Kay Ness will be back from Oaxaca Mexico to share with us about their commitment and recent missions experiences serving in Roca Blanca. For more background information about the ministry they've become involved in, check out their website and then come to hear an up-to-date report!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note our new location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

The Jungles of Gabon

2008-04-01T17:20:00.004-05:00

Don’t miss great stories of God’s work in the jungles of Gabon!

Including photos of termites, bats, snakes and Bongolo Hospital!

Tuesday, May 6 at 7:15 pm
Browncroft Community Church - Fellowship Hall
2530 Browncroft Blvd., Rochester, NY 14625
Questions? Contact Diann Conquest - 585-381-5605

Winter Missions Breakfast

2008-01-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

Please set aside the date and sign up now for our Winter Missions Breakfast coming up on Saturday, January 19th, from 9-11 am at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue. We're going to have a smorgasbord of local speakers (including 2 URMC residents and one faculty member) who'll be talking about missions experiences and opportunities from Honduras to Iraq, by way of Uganda and Tenwek Hospital in Kenya, so don't miss this one!

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note change of location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas
from the Morehouses!

As time goes by we are more and more grateful for our family and friends, our health, the Life we have in Christ, and our spiritual family at Joy Community Church. We’d love to hear from you and spend more time together! In the meantime, click here to read our annual letter to friends and family and check out some of our candid pictures.

Nesses in Roca Blanca

2007-12-12T08:17:00.000-05:00

We've just received a holiday newsletter from Dave and Mary Kay Ness about their mission work in Mexico:

We are quickly moving toward early January 2008 when we plan to return to the mission base Roca Blanca in Oaxaca, Mexico. Many of you have been faithful supporters and prayer partners in this mission activity over the past 5 years. Earlier this year we went for 2 months and this year we actually intend to go for 3 and a half months... Please do let us know if you will stand with us in your prayers day by day.

Click here to read their entire newsletter and here to visit their ministry on the Web.

URMC's Vega and Fugate

2007-11-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

Med students want to help minority communities

Joshua Vega, 23, sees a medical career as one way to break down cultural barriers that affect the Hispanic community. Thomas Fugate, 22, has always been concerned about the high incidence of hypertension and heart disease in the African-American community. As a doctor, he thinks, he'll be able to help solve the problem.

Vega, a St. John Fisher College graduate from Rochester, and Fugate, who's from Fairport and graduated from Xavier University in New Orleans, are first-year medical students at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Fugate is one of six African-American males in this year's class of 103. Vega is the only student of Puerto Rican descent. Last year's freshman class of 101 had no African-American males (but seven females) and no students of Puerto Rican heritage (but four other Hispanic people). The UR, like other medical schools, is eager to increase the number of minority students, including African-American and Hispanic students. Medical schools in the United States accepted 18,858 applicants this year; 1,334 were black and 1,343 were Hispanic or Latino.

Vega and Fugate told me that some students don't identify their race when they apply because they don't want anyone to think they got in because of their race instead of their ability. But both students believe that their ethnicity will help them connect with disadvantaged populations and that better health care will open other doors. "A medical school isn't just the buildings or the faculty," Vega says. "It's the students, too." Doctors need to appreciate cultural differences in order to practice "patient-centered" medicine, and the students can teach each other about the cultures they come from.

It may well be that doctors from minority communities will spend much of their careers in underserved communities, says John Hansen, the medical school's associate dean for admissions and professor of neurobiology and anatomy. But the real advantage is just what Vega describes. The students, he says, "study together, work together, have lots of opportunities to interact" — and the different perspectives they share will enrich them as doctors.

Fugate was at Xavier when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast two summers ago. He fled with a pair of jeans, a couple of workout suits and the friends he could squeeze into his car. When he got back to school in January, he was stunned by the devastation. "The health care system collapsed," he says, "and that just shouldn't happen. I never want to see people die because they can't get their meds, or be left in hospitals because they cannot be evacuated."

"Medical school is not rocket science," Vega says."If you get in, you are capable of doing the work," Fugate adds."What's hard," Vega says, "is the amount of study every night if you're going to stay on top of it."

Vega's other passion is playing jazz trumpet. "I couldn't learn it on my own," he says. "I only got better by playing with and interacting with other musicians." As he sees it, med school works the same way. As he played jazz at various venues, Vega says, he'd notice that "so many Hispanics, especially from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, barely speak a word of English. ... I can help bridge the language barrier" to the medical community.

And that's why med schools ought to be aggressive about recruiting minority students: Those doctors might bridge not just the language barrier but the health barrier, and in so doing they could help people who are poor and isolated find their way to success.

Mark Hare, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle

Dean Guzick's Newsletters

2007-11-12T11:01:00.000-05:00

Dr. David Guzick, who has been Dean of the U of R School of Medicine and Dentistry for the past several years, writes a very informative bimonthly newsletter that goes out to the faculty. His most recent one is a fascinating essay about the life and career of Dr. Arthur Kornberg who died earlier this year and for whom the Kornberg Medical Research Building is named.

For those of you who may be interested, Dr. Guzick's newsletters are archived here.

Waseem Ghazoly 1962-2007

2007-10-29T17:26:00.000-05:00

In Memorium
Waseem N. Ghazoly, MD

August 4, 1962 (Cairo, Egypt) - October 25, 2007 Survived by his loving wife Sonia Ghazoly; children Mariah and Damian Ghazoly; sisters Nagua (Edward) Ibrahim and Nashua (Nashaat) ; father-in-law and mother-in-law Selim and Samia Serry; sister-in-law Sylvia Serry; brother-in-law Steve Serry; many friends and colleagues.

Visitation was held on October 28 from 2 pm until 6 pm. A celebration of Waseem’s life was held at 11 am on October 29 at Greece Assembly of God Church, 750 Long Pond Road. Interment Riverside Cemetery.

Donations may be sent to the Mary Cariola Center, 1000 Elmwood Ave, Rochester NY 14620.

Polly Lowry 1930-2007

2007-10-29T16:36:00.000-05:00

In Memorium
Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Lowry

October 18, 2007 at the age of 77. Predeceased by her sister, Sarah Zimmermann and brother, Will Robison. Mrs. Lowry is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Harold; children, Hal Jr. (Carol), Susan (Bill) Morehouse, Tom (JoAnn); grandchildren, Malcolm, Melissa, Dillon, Delaney, Sarah, Nathan (Kari), Johanna, Joel, Meghan and Julia; great-granddaughter, Zoya; brother, Charles D. (Betty) Robison; many nieces, nephews and friends.

Polly was an excellent tennis player and at the age of 17 she won the Nebraska State Title for Womens Tennis. She loved to swim and more importantly teach children to swim. Polly taught at the YMCA Backyard program for over 16 years. Polly had a love of gardening and was a strong supporter of the RPO. She was a member of the Rochester Yacht Club for 27 years, where she ran the duplicate bridge game. She enthusiastically shared her interests with family and friends.

Family received friends on October 26 from 7-9 pm at the Paul W. Harris Funeral Home in Irondequoit, where her memorial service was held on October 27 at 1:00 pm. In accordance to Polly's wishes her body will be donated to the University of Rochester Medical Center. Memorials may be directed to Lipson Cancer Center, 1425 Portland Ave., Rochester, NY 14621.

Medical Career Fair

2007-10-05T06:56:00.000-05:00

In Buffalo on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 6:00 pm

Following a free dinner there will be a formal presentation where over 20 physicians will have the opportunity to answer the question: “Why did you decide to go into your specialty?”

Throughout the evening, ample time will be provided for students to speak with the physicians and ask them about their specialty. Medical specialties represented:

Psychiatry, Infectious Disease, Ophthalmology, Ob/Gyn, Otolaryngology, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Urology, Nephrology, Geriatrics, Cardiology, Vascular Surgery, Pediatrics, Pathology, Anesthesia, General Surgery, Physical Med & Rehab, Radiology, Endocrinology

Location: Christian Fellowship Church, 765 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, NY (0.4 miles south of Sheridan Drive)

Click here for a PDF flyer. For further information, contact Lianne Reinhardt, Area Director CMDA of Western NY, (716) 636-1117.

David Whyte Lecture

2007-10-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

The Ben Sischy, M.D. Visiting Scholar in Humane Medicine Lecture, presents:

David Whyte - Life on the Frontier: Courageous Conversations in the New Healthcare.

Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - Time 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Lecture: Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Avenue, Rochester, New York
Reception: 7:00 pm. Please call the Highland Foundation at 585-275-0806 to RSVP.

Click here to read the full Invitation.

HOME Ministry Abroad

2007-09-17T18:07:00.000-05:00

Our friend Aubrey Beauchamp, USA Coordinator of Hospital Christian Fellowship, has recently written a report on the ministry of Health Outreach to the Middle East (HOME) for the ASSIST News Service. She concludes:

"As a nurse and HCF Coordinator, I feel privileged to know some of the dedicated members of this outstanding and unique ministry. I am also honored to see the interaction between Hospital Christian Fellowship members and those of the HOME ministries. It confirms the Scripture in Ephesians 2:21-22: "In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple of the Lord. And in Him, you too, are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit."

Click here to read Aubrey's whole report.

Corner Society Meetings

2007-09-11T19:27:00.000-05:00

The George Washington Corner Society for the History of Medicine, named after University of Rochester's first professor of anatomy, is a group of physicians, students, and other participants interested in the history of medicine. This year there will be five evening presentations on medical historical topics at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave. We will meet at the Academy between 5:30 - 6:30 pm for drinks and light fare; the presentation will follow from 6:30 - 7:45 pm.

The Corner Society is an important part of the tradition of medicine in Rochester, requiring ongoing support. Membership dues are $65 per year (waived for students but not for residents; couples pay $65 for a joint membership). Your dues allow us to invite out-of-town scholars as well as defray costs for medical students. In so doing, we hope to encourage their participation in the Society. If you would like to join, please send your check along with a completed membership form. Payment is by cash or by check payable to The Corner Society. If you know someone who is not a member, ask him/her to join with you. And, if your situation permits, please consider an additional contribution to the Society.

Click here for the lecture schedule and registration form. Please contact Andrea Ehmann or Dr. Stephanie Brown Clark in the Division of Medical Humanities at URMC (275-5800) with any questions about membership or about the meetings.

Dr. Fountain Workshops

2007-09-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

Dr. Daniel Fountain will be returning to the area to conduct 2 workshops on Whole Person Medicine this month.

The first is a five-hour workshop on Whole Person Medicine in Syracuse on Saturday September 15 organized by Dr. Tom Masten. Dr. Dan Fountain and his wife Miriam will be flying in to do the teaching. Over 36 have already registered, many of whom are pastors and church leaders. Dr. Fountain says, "I'm delighted to have pastors and church leaders come and will include considerable stuff relevant to the role of the church in healing." The event will take place at Grace Evangelical Covenant church in Clay NY (northwest Syracuse) from 8 AM through until 3 PM - five hours of CME approved sessions. If you missed Dr. Fountain when he was Rochester last year, this is your chance! Invite your pastor, register, and take the trek to Syracuse. For more info, contact Dr. Masten.

The second will be Dr. Fountain's full workshop at Elim Bible Institute spread out over five days from Monday-Friday September 24-28. This is designed for students in Elim's medical missions track, but might be able to accomodate a few partipants from the community. Click here to review the proposed schedule If you're interested, please contact me.

Fall MD Breakfast

2007-08-25T09:18:00.000-05:00

Our next Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, September 29th, from 9-11 am at the Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue. Dr. David Holmes, President of the Western NY chapter of CMDA, will be coming with a team from Buffalo to address the topic "To the Least of These." David has been instrumental in advocating for improved medical care for the underserved in his community, most recently through the establishment of the Good Neighbors Health Care center.

Please mark your calendars and RSVP using our Response page. Be sure to note change of location (click here for Directions to the Academy of Medicine).

Dr. Holmes Honored

2007-08-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

Buffalo physician, David M. Holmes, MD, has been named New York State Family Physician of the Year by the State Academy of Family Physicians. He received the award during the Academy's annual awards luncheon on June 9 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany during the Academy's Congress of Delegates.

Dr. Holmes was selected by the Education Commission of the Academy from among several family physicians nominated by patients and colleagues. Dr. Holmes' biographical sketch included his personal mission statement: "The purpose of my life is to love and honor God and my family and make a positive and significant difference in the lives of others."

"The Family Physician of the Year award is the highest honor bestowed by the New York State Academy of Family Physicians," explained Vito Grasso, executive vice president of the Academy. "It is presented to a physician who, in the judgment of the Academy, has exemplified the highest standards of patient care and advocacy. We are very pleased to recognize Dr. Holmes and are honored to have a physician of his obvious commitment to medicine and outstanding patient care among our membership."

Links:
Full Press Release from the NY State Academy of Family Physicians.
Press Release from SUNY at Buffalo.
Recent article in The Buffalo News about Dr. Holmes and his work and witness.

I Ask

2007-08-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

A blood pressure check,
I put my hand on her wrist
to take a pulse,
a small, hard rectangle
protrudes from her skin
I ask. She says, A bullet.

I ask. She says, My husband shot me.
She is a small woman, quiet, calm.
Five times in the stomach. This bullet
somehow wayward, wandered to her wrist.

In the 50s, when I lived in Virginia, she says,
I had to have part of my stomach taken out.
They weren't sure if I'd live. But I did.

The poet, Mona Arif, recently graduated from the U of R School of Medicine and is currently a pediatrics resident at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Welcoming New Students

2007-08-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

On August 16th from 12:45 to 2:00 pm MCCF will have a booth at the Activities Fair in Flaun Atrium at the Medical School with more information about our group and plans for regular meetings.

Our first student get-together will be on Sunday, August 19th at 4 pm in PBL #1 (Room 1-8405). We'll have Subway sandwiches, drinks, and cookies. Come and bring a friend!

Dr. Brooks Wins Contest

2007-07-26T08:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Democrat & Chronicle ran a story about our very own Dr. Walter Brooks that began:

Walter S. Brooks has photographed the pyramids at Giza. He has captured tufts of low-hanging clouds sweeping across a snowcapped Mount McKinley and images from dozens, if not hundreds, of other exotic locations. But it was a picture of Rochester's skyline that earned the dermatologist, with residence in Penfield and practice in Greece, first place in the hometown photo contest of Shutterfly, an online photo service...

Click here to read the entire article.

2007 CCHF Conference

2007-05-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

Providing Distinctively Christian Care

May 31 – June 3, 2007
North Park University, Chicago, IL

Download Conference Logistics

Download Conference Brochure

Download Conference Registration Form

Spring MD Breakfast

2007-04-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

Our Spring MCCF MD Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, May 5th, from 9-11 am at the Meliora Faculty Club on the River Campus. Dr. Chet Fox, a faculty member at UB with years of experience as a family physician, will share with us about "Praying with Patients: Tips, Tricks, and Traps." Please mark your calendars and sign up now.

Thelanders of Gabon

2007-04-09T12:30:00.000-05:00

On April 29 and 30, Dr. Keir and Joanna Thelander will share about what God is doing at Bongolo Hospital in Gabon, Africa, with a report about their experiences with medicine in the jungle, heat and humidity, electrical storms, their missionary family, God’s many provisions for Luke and Sarah, the new AIDS clinic, the road to Libreville, and the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons. Click here for more information about times, locations, and how you can RSVP.

Winter MD Breakfast

2007-01-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

The annual MCCF Missions Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, February 10th, from 9-11 am at the Meliora Faculty Club on the River Campus. Speakers will include:

Dr. Jeff Harp - Haiti mission
Drs. Nick Venci and Chuck Culbertson - Senegal mission
Jared Tomlinson - Ghana mission
Dave & Diann Conquest - Dr. Keir Thelander's work at Bongolo Evangelical Hospital in Gabon, Africa
Dr. John Seaman - Disaster Preparedness

Information about the upcoming CMDA Global Health Outreach trip to Nicaragua in 4/07 will also be presented. Mark your calendars and sign up now!

Regular Meetings

2007-01-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

Weekly meetings:
If you are interested, there is a small group from the Medical Center meeting for Bible study, fellowship, and evangelism this semester.

Time: Thursday evenings, 7:30 pm
Place: alternating between houses (we e-mail address/directions every week)
What to bring: Decided the week before, so if you come this week, nothing! Just yourself, and a friend if you like.
Subject: This is more of a Bible discussion group, but we do try to stick to Scripture. The passage (1-2 chapters) is picked out each week by one of us. We all try to read & think on the passage during the week, and come with our thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and questions for each other. There have been times in the past when we have deliberately/systematically studied books of the Bible or topics, but this is where we are right now.

Every other week, we meet to discuss a Scripture passage. We don't have an official teacher or leader but try to "sharpen" each other by sharing our thoughts and perspectives on the passage of the week.

On the intervening Thursdays, we host a dinner at one of our houses and invite others to come, specifically those who may not be comfortable with a "Bible study" per se, but who may be interested in church/Christianity. On these days, we do not necessarily study the Scriptures, although we have a passage picked out in case people are interested in discussing it.

We come from various churches in the community and would love to have you join us, whether it is twice a month for dinner, or on a more regular basis. Our group is relatively heterogeneous, with a few seminary students, one or two people who are young, single, and working, a missionary (yup! right here in Rochester - and we need it, too, if you haven't noticed), and med students.

If you need a ride, please let us know.

Questions? Contact Celeste or Falan, or call 512-743-8141. Also, if the timing is bad for you, we welcome input on better times.

Completing Your Call

2006-10-22T15:25:00.000-05:00

Dear CMDA Leaders,
As leaders within your communities or campuses, you, more than most, have felt God’s tug on your lives. CMDA is also holding a special distance learning course through the Paul Tournier Institute for a few doctors who want to explore much more deeply God’s call into ministry. This is an 18 month course that we are offering only to leaders. It will require time of reading, projects, conference calls, and three residency weekends. The course will begin on January 1, 2007 with the book, The Question of God, by Dr. Armand Nicholi, followed by a telephone discussion with him, followed by a weekend exploring truth with Dr. John Patrick in Bristol in February. We anticipate accepting about twenty participants every two years. Click here for a full course outline.
If God is leading you in this direction, please reply to me with your contact phone numbers and times to call. I will call you and we can move you in the direction God is leading.
In Christ alone,
Al Weir , MD, Director of Campus and Community Ministries, CMDA

Whole Person Medicine Workshop

2006-09-28T15:32:00.000-05:00

On September 25-27, 2006, Dr. Dan Fountain conducted a 3-day workshop on "Caring for the Whole Person" at Roberts Wesleyan College. Dr. Morehouse assisted him again this year. The course was open to pastors, counselors, students, and health professionals in our region and offered up to 21 hours of Category I CME credit for physicians who attended.
Dr. Fountain is the author of numerous books in English and French on community health, primary health care, and care for the whole person and served as a missionary physician in Kenya for 35 years before returning to the States where he currently serves as the Director of the Center for Global Health at King College.
Click here to view a PDF Brochure for the Workshop. PowerPoint presentations of many of the sessions are accessible through the schedule posted online here.

Upstate MCCF Retreat

2006-09-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

On Saturday morning, September 23, 2006, students and community physicians converged on Rochester from as far as Connecticut to attend our Upstate MCCF Retreat - a stimulating day of feasting, fellowship, and education. The day started with our Fall Christian Physicians Breakfast where Dr. Daniel Fountain, MD, MPH, began the first in a series of 5 informative and discussion-provoking sessions on the subject: "What's wrong with US health care and how can we fix it?"

Schedule

Click links below for PowerPoint presentations:
8:00 Registration and Breakfast
9:00 Problems with the biomedical model and the US health care system
10:00 Restoring wholeness to medicine from both scientific and biblical perspectives
11:00 Wholistic approaches to common psychosocial problems
Noon Lunch and Discussion
1:30 How to do a personal and spiritual assessment
2:30 The logistics of forming a care giving team
3:30 Retreat ended

Dr. Sherry O'Donnell, one of Dr. Fountain's close colleagues in whole person medicine while he was in Michigan, joined us and shared in the teaching.

The Retreat was hosted at The Meliora Faculty Club on the U of R River Campus. Physicians received up to 5 hours of Category I CME credit for their participation. The event was a wonderful time of spiritual nurture and growth for all who attended.

2006 CCHF Conference

2006-04-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

Health Care for the Underserved

This year's conference, May 18-21 at Eastern College in Philadelphia, will address the theme of Spiritual Inheritance for the Next Generation. Convinced that investing in equipping the next generation is capacity building at its best, the theme will be reciprocally important for veteran, new, and emerging Christian health care professionals. Plenary Speakers will include:

Christine Sines, M.D. Physician, professor and author who faithfully assists churches and Christian organizations to engage the challenges of the 21st century.
David Hilfiker, M.D. Physician, activist and author who has committed his life to social justice in the practice of his professions and living among the poor.
Kenneth Robinson, M.D. Pastor, physician, and Commissioner for the Tennessee Dept. of Health whose passion is holistic and comprehensive approaches to public health and individual well-being.
Ruth Naomi Floyd, Christian jazz recording artist, will serenade the group in a special evening of coffee house jazz on Friday evening.

Click here to download a conference brochure. We're planning to have at least one carload from Rochester and another one from Buffalo attend this year. Contact us if you're interested in participating.

Spring MD Breakfast

2006-04-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

The MCCF Spring MD Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, April 29, from 9-11 am at the Meliora on the U of R River Campus and will feature Dr. Len Marotta and his wife Jayne sharing on the topic "God in Gynecology? Being a Bond-Servant Wherever You Are." Len has an active Ob/Gyn practice in Syracuse where he is a popular teacher at SUNY Upstate. We've posted one of Len's handouts on "Sexuality and the Scriptures" online here. Please mark your calendars and sign up now!

Winter MD Breakfast

2006-01-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

Our annual MCCF Missions Breakfast will be held on Saturday morning, January 28th from 9-11 am at the Meliora faculty club on the U of R River Campus. Speakers will include:

The Cannon Family (trip to Honduras this summer)
Alexi Matousek and Sarah Bliss (trip to Haiti)
Drs. John Seaman and David Ragonesi (trip to Tibet)
Dr. David Holmes (Buffalo outreach)

Mark your calendars and sign up now!