Peter Hotez, MD, PhD – Neglected Tropical Diseases: The Ancient Afflictions of the Poor
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are the most common diseases of people living in extreme poverty. More than one billion people are affected globally, including the impoverished Christian-majority countries of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Through programs of mass drug administration we have made a big dent in terms of reducing their global prevalence, in some cases up to 50 percent or more, but there is still an enormous amount of work that remains. Moreover, we have seen the rise of several new vector-borne NTDs such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, leishmaniasis and schistosomaisis. The rise of these diseases has been especially acute in Latin America, Southern Europe and in the conflict zones of the Middle East. However, we have also seen an uptick in the Southern United States.
In this session at the 2017 M3 Conference, Dr. Peter Hotez discusses NTDs and the efforts that are underway to develop new vaccines for these conditions, many of which are under development at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where Dr. Hotez serves as Dean.
Click here to learn more about the programs and projects of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
Click here to learn more about the work of the Sabin Vaccine Institute.
Hope Smiles is Committed to Developing and Providing a Sustainable, Community-Based Dental Delivery Model
The M3 Conference Team is eternally grateful to its partners and supporters that have come alongside us to bring attention to the pressing global health needs. One of those generous partners is Hope Smiles. We were honored to have Hope Smiles’ Founder, Phillip Kemp, DDS, AAACD, join us as a speaker at the 2017 M3 Conference.
Originally named Project Smiles, Hope Smiles was founded in 2005 to meet the unmet dental needs in Middle Tennessee by providing dental students unparalleled mentorship and experience while serving the under-served. Partnering with the dental school at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Phillip Kemp and a nine-member board invited dental students to take up their mission for real action through a unique advanced education opportunity. This mentoring program has provided dental care to many who would otherwise not receive treatment.
Now, just twelve years later, Hope Smiles is not only growing and continuing its work in the U.S., but is also developing sustainable dental care in Haiti and Uganda. As pioneers utilizing excellent, innovative, sustainable, and compassionate dental care, Hope Smiles’ mission is to bring physical, spiritual, economic, and social transformation to people and their communities in the name of Jesus Christ.
Hope Smiles seeks to inspire, equip, and mobilize a movement of believers to impact the world through dentistry through their talent, their love, and their faith.
Hope Smiles is committed to developing and providing a sustainable, community-based dental delivery model that serves populations with more than a one-time or irregular episode of care. Hope Smiles’ approach is to develop clinics, both mobile and fixed, where people can receive not only dental care, but also education, training and discipleship in Kingdom work that will go on to transform their personal lives and communities. The Hope Smiles clinics provide not only local services, but also engage communities in need through outreach events, and community development initiatives.
Hope Smiles dental clinics serve as the nexus for education and development opportunities for dental professionals and students through practical on-the-ground mentorship from dental professionals committed to giving their lives away, not only in service to others but also in raising up the next generation of professionals to continue the legacy of serving others.
This interweaving of providing excellent care, mentorship, continuing education, and discipleship while serving the marginalized or underserved is the unique and defining characteristic of the work of Hope Smiles.
Click here for more information about the programs and projects of Hope Smiles and find out how you too can make a difference in dental missions both locally and abroad.
Arianna Shirk, MD – Quiet Whispers: Journey from a Call to the Far Side of the Sea
In this session at the 2017 M3 Conference, Dr. Arianna Shirk, a pediatrician at AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kenya, will discuss her journey from a call early in life, through the long and unpredictable training process, and how God gently and insistently led her family to work and live at this mission hospital in Kijabe, Kenya.
Click here to follow the adventures of Dr. Arianna Shirk and her family and/or to support the work they are doing.
Click here to learn more about the work of AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kenya.
Stand Up. Speak Up. Save Lives.
In this video, Kimberly Williams-Paisley shares stories from one of her recent trips to Haiti. She also shares that the United States spends less than 1% of its budget on foreign aid, and encourages us to stay informed on where that money is going and how it is being used. Thus, the importance of advocacy. Advocacy means calling or writing your member of Congress, and letting them know that you support them to protect funding for global health initiatives, such as healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies like you hear about in this video. Initiatives like this dramatically improve maternal and child health in developing countries like Haiti. Advocacy also lets our members of Congress know that we care about and are staying educated on matters that affect our nation’s budget and priorities.
Hope Through Healing Hands (HTHH) is on the front lines helping to improve the quality of life for citizens and communities around the world using health as a currency for peace. Through the prism of health diplomacy, HTHH envisions a world where all individuals and families can obtain access to health care information, services, and support for the opportunity at a fuller life. Specifically, they seek sustainability through health care service and training. This includes efforts to promote awareness and advocacy for maternal, newborn & child health; healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies; nutrition; clean water; extreme poverty; emergency relief; and global disease such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Strategically, HTHH encourages global health partnerships by working hand-in-hand with leading organizations that best address these issues in developing nations.
One of Hope Through Healing Hands’ current projects to raise awareness and advocacy for maternal, newborn, and child health is The Mother & Child Project. In the book, The Mother & Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope, influential leaders such as Melinda Gates, Kay Warren, Senator William H. Frist, M.D., Christine Caine, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant, Jennifer Nettles, Jennie Allen, Amy Grant, and many other inspirational leaders, cultural icons, political experts, academics, and service providers tackle the important topic of maternal and child health in developing countries. Through personal narrative and compelling research, this book educates and inspires people of faith to join in to empower mothers and children worldwide. This book also includes personal stories from women in places like Kenya, India, Uganda and Burundi. They describe how their lives and those of their children are impacted by the ability to plan the timing and spacing of their pregnancies, and by access to pre-natal and post-natal medical care.
We are so honored to partner with Hope Through Healing Hands through the Mobilizing Medical Missions (M3) Conference. Click here for more information about the work Hope Through Healing Hands is doing around the world.