MedSend Pathway Retreat

Mike Chupp is a US Board certified general surgeon who completed his BA at Taylor University in 1984, his MD at Indiana University in 1988, and a general surgery residency at Methodist Hospital of Indiana in 1993. He worked at Southwestern Medical Clinic in Michigan until 2016. From 1996 to 2016, Mike and his wife Pam served as medical missionaries at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya. In 2016, they moved to Bristol, Tennessee, where Mike became Executive VP of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. In 2019, he was commissioned as CEO, a position he holds to the present.

Rick has served as President and CEO at MedSend since 2008. He is a leading expert on global healthcare delivery in low-resource environments and brings unique insights from his work across the tech industry, nonprofits, and churches. Rick convenes an annual gathering of organizations focused on faith-based delivery of global healthcare to accelerate the impact and scale of solutions to some of the most challenging global healthcare needs. As Chairman and cofounder of the Institute of Global Healthcare Missions (IGHM) he is focused on scaling physician and nurse training programs throughout Africa and Asia. With a degree in finance and marketing from Temple University, Rick spent 25 years as a corporate executive, where he was instrumental in the rapid growth and turn-around of several high-tech businesses. In addition, Rick served for eight years as Campus Pastor of a multi-site church in Stamford, Connecticut. He and his wife, Linda, have been married for over 40 years. They have four adult children and three grandchildren.

Spurred by a passion to use ‘all of her’ (her summary of Mark 12:30 ‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’), Dr. A studied medicine as a way to have access to those who have never heard the Gospel. She pursued surgery because she had heard that to do missions you have to either be a family medicine doctor or a surgeon, and she figured gaining formal training in surgery would serve as a better foundation for whatever self-study she would have to do on the field. While still in medical school Dr. A felt compelled by the calling of medically underserved and spiritually unreached, and so she took out two coloring maps of Africa and utilizing the WHO statistics for the most medically underserved and the Joshua Project statistics for the most spiritually unreached, she colored in and compared the two maps and found the country of *Camelot* come to the top. For seven years she prayed, asking God for open doors and an opportunity to serve in that country, until finally she had an opportunity to visit and gained an even greater burden to serve there. Two years later, after finishing residency and taking her surgical boards, she arrived in the country of Camelot to begin studying two languages and find a way to practice medicine there. (Thanks to Project MedSend she was able to go directly there after finishing her studies!)

Now, 13 years later, Dr. A is still actively serving in missions. She now directs two hospitals in the country of Camelot, has developed a training program for family medicine and nursing. She was the first Christian to be licensed to practice medicine in the country, and has received great favor in the government, having received the highest presidential medal of honor, and regularly gets to meet with heads of State, and at the same time serves the poorest of the poor through medicine and surgery. Dr. A enjoys getting to practice medicine with excellence, helps to grow and develop national leaders, and shares the Gospel through any and every opportunity available.

This past year she took on a new director role of an emerging Christian NGO, with the objective to multiply the ministry to other unreached areas as well. She regularly travels and speaks with Christian Arabs to encourage them to reach out to those around them and those in the North Africa Middle East Region. Dr. A’s favorite place to be is in Camelot, and yet knows that the work in Camelot is in God’s hands and her role is to continue to fix her eyes on Jesus and open-handedly ask how she can continue to use ‘all of her’ to love and serve Him.

Thank you for praying and supporting Dr. A in serving the unreached!

Tony is the founder and chief strategist of Select Portfolio Management, Inc. and published author of the handbook for charitable giving – Faithful with Much. When not directing the efforts of his Wealth Management Firm, Tony devotes his time to helping numerous ministries, churches, and nonprofit organizations become more effective financial stewards. Tony’s driving passion has become empowering others in faithful living and giving. He is nationally known and is a sought-after speaker for events all over the country. In Southern California, he is especially well known for hosting his own financial talk radio show “Market Talk” that aired daily for more than twenty years.

Southern California has been home to Tony and his wife Carin since 1987. They are blessed with three daughters and eight adorable grandchildren.

Select Consulting Group

Bob Bancroft’s 42-year business career includes serving as President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of start-up, emerging growth, family owned, and private companies in the healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, and e-commerce segments. A committed Christian and former Naval Officer, Bob is now serving as an advisor and problem solver helping organizations and investors advance the kingdom through giving.  

Tim moved to Cambodia with his wife Marjie and their four children, as missionaries in 2002. After language studies, Tim served as the Country Director for their mission agency for five years, while also serving through a small Christian clinic in Phnom Penh. In 2008, he took on leadership of the clinic and founded the new ministry, Mercy Medical Center Cambodia (MMCC).

Tim graduated from Denison University in 1980 and graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine with honors, in 1984. After his residency in family medicine, he worked in private practice for four years and emergency medicine for eleven years before moving to the field. During these years he received theological and leadership training. Tim is passionate about reading, training and discipling young Cambodian doctors, and spending precious time with their seven grandchildren.

Marjie holds a degree in Art Education from Ohio State. She taught high school art at their children’s international school in Phnom Penh for their first five years on the field, while studying language. Marjie has a passion for storytelling as an educational and awareness tool. She has authored a novel, set in Cambodia and based on a true story. Written under a pen name, Nell Corbly, Fall Like Rain is currently being re-published as an enhanced edition including a journal for reflection and a deeper understanding of cross-cultural ministry. Marjorie loves to read, paint, write and spend time with her grandchildren.

Matt Berry has faithfully served as a worship pastor in the Twin Cities, MN for the past 25
years—21 of those on staff and the last 4 as a dedicated lay leader. Alongside his wife Heather,
Matt lives in White Bear Lake, MN, where they raise their four children—Isaiah, Mark, Levi, and
Evelyn—along with their beloved dog, 7. Known for his heart for worship and discipleship, Matt
is passionate about encouraging others to follow Jesus and embrace the call to be His hands
and feet in the world, joining God in the ongoing renewal of His creation.

Dr. Suja Brane is a family medicine physician serving in West Africa since 2012, with experience in Burkina Faso, Mali, and now Senegal to some of the world’s most underserved communities. As a MedSend grant recipient and Longevity Project participant, she serves in predominantly Muslim communities, providing compassionate care to patients suffering from chronic and debilitating illnesses, individuals who are often marginalized and overlooked by society. Dr. Suja sees medicine as a powerful avenue for sharing Christ’s love and bringing holistic healing. She is married with three children and serves alongside her husband, who works in agricultural development through Farming God’s Way.

Scott Dooley, MD served as a missionary for 16 years – 9 years as a missionary hospital administrator. He has served on multiple governance boards, management groups, and administrative teams in the USA and abroad, served as an administrative consultant and medical director.  Dr. Dooley is on CMDA’s Christian Healthcare Executive Collaboration’s leadership team and spoken at workshops for CMDA National Convention, CMDE conferences, and GMHC.

David Floge is the Clinical Director at VALEO— which as an organization provides
secure online counseling and psychiatry for fielded global workers. David has been
working as a counselor with children, families and adults for over 20 years. He is
married to Inger, and they have three young adult children. David and his family spent
about 12 years living internationally. For ten of the years, they lived in Thailand, where
David worked at and became the director of The Well Member Care Center in Chiang
Mai. David is an LCMHC with a Certificate in Play Therapy (UNCC) in the state of North
Carolina. He is EMDR certified.

Dr. Lori Housworth is a physician who has lived in Cambodia for 17 years. After graduating from University of Louisville Medical School, she became board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and later received her Masters in Public Health from Harvard University with a focus in International Health. Driven by her Christian faith, she co-founded Chenla Children’s Healthcare, a public-private partnership that works alongside the Cambodian government to provide desperately needed pediatric health care to regions of the country that need it most. Through partnership and hard work, Chenla now sees more than 35,000 patients a year in four rural provinces, with plans to further expand in the coming year.

Tom graduated from West Point in the top 3% of his class and subsequently from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. As a retired Army Colonel, highlights from his distinguished 24-year career include being awarded Flight Surgeon of the Year for his service in combat, Outstanding Faculty of the Year for his medical teaching, and board selection as Department Chair for a family medicine residency department. As a result of his appointment by the Army Surgeon General to be the “face of military medicine” to recruit and share the Army Medicine story, Tom recognized a need and developed a passion for teaching physicians across the country to be effective, engaged leaders. In his final appointment in the military, Tom was the commander/CEO of a NATO military medical facility at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium. Most recently, Tom served as the CMO for the Medical Group at Baptist Health Hardin in Elizabethtown, KY where he still resides. With an emphasis on servant leadership, Tom’s core conviction is that effective leadership is never about him but is focused in creating a culture where the ones he leads can thrive and succeed. Tom and his wife Cheri of 30 years live in Kentucky and have three children.

Raised in Georgia as the son of a Methodist preacher, Stan Key encountered Christ at Asbury College, where he also met his wife, Katy. Stan holds a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has served as a missionary in France, pastored a church in New York, and led the Francis Asbury Society. Now with OneWay Ministries, Stan regularly shares God’s Word at churches, camps and conferences. He is the author of nine books and serves on several ministry boards.

Laurie graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1998, followed by two years of short-term missions in Vietnam, and then graduated from Old Dominion University in 2005 with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.   Laurie worked in both inpatient and outpatient physical therapy before returning to Southeast Asia in 2009, this time to Cambodia as a Project MedSend recipient.  She spent several years serving in remote, rural areas through church planting and health education and now more recently at Mercy Medical Center Cambodia as a physical therapist and teacher/trainer/discipler to the medical staff.  

Rev. Justus Musila Mutuku currently serves as the University Provost at Kabarak University in Kenya. He is married to Pastor Lilian Musila, who leads a local church in Nakuru County, Kenya. Together, they are blessed with three children: Caleb, Joy, and Joshua.

With extensive experience as a conference speaker, Rev. Justus has spoken at various academic institutions, churches, and corporate events. He has also been actively involved in media, previously serving as a radio and TV presenter.

His academic background includes a Diploma in Bible and Theology, a Bachelor of Theology, a Master of Arts in Bioethics, and a Master of Divinity in Theological Studies. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Africa International University in Kenya.

Guided by his ministry philosophy from John 3:30—”He must become greater; I must become less“—Rev. Justus Mutuku is deeply passionate about equipping believers with a strong foundation in God’s Word and mentoring them for impactful Christian living and service.

Greg Neal, DHA is a thirty-four year veteran of healthcare executive leadership, and currently serves as CEO of Appalachian Orthopedics & Neurosurgery, a $28 million multi-specialty practice in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia.  He earned a doctorate in healthcare administration from the Medical University of South Carolina and MSHA and MBA degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the nation’s number one ranked graduate program in healthcare administration.  He previously served as the CEO of Kanad Hospital, a 135-bed Christian mission hospital in the United Arab Emirates.  He has extensive executive-level experience within an integrated health system in the U.S., including roles as market president and CEO, small/rural community hospitals division president, chief operating officer roles at tertiary medical centers, a VP of corporate support services, and system leadership in strategic planning, business development, supply chain, post-acute care, and ambulatory services.  Greg’s professional passions include leadership development, nurturing culture, physician collaboration, strategic growth and accelerating positive change that creates value.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and is a Co-Founder of the Christian Healthcare Executive Collaborative.  Beyond his professional pursuits, Greg is committed to leading community initiatives aimed to improve the quality of life locally and around the world.  Among these include promoting primary prevention of chronic disease and wellness, enhancing opportunities for persons with special needs and disabilities to live to their full potential, global health, and teaching/mentoring the next generation of leaders.  He and his wife Beth of 37 years have two adult daughters, Katie and Lauren.

Dr. Chris Place serves as the Associate Program Director at the In His Image Family Medicine Residency and as a medical director at Ascension St. John Riverside Clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

After earning his medical degree from Louisiana State University in 1995, Dr. Place completed his residency and a Global Health fellowship at In His Image. He later helped launch and direct the first faith-based Family Medicine training program in Macau, China, where he and his family served as medical missionaries for a decade. They returned to the U.S. to care for two of their children with special medical needs.

Dr. Place has practiced and taught medicine in both urban and rural settings across the U.S. and internationally. His experience includes directing emergency departments in Oklahoma, teaching at Baylor College of Medicine, and serving with the University of Oklahoma’s Department of Community Medicine. He is also the Network Director for a growing number of faith-based Family Medicine training programs across Asia and the Middle East through In His Image International.

He and his wife Annette have six children—three biological and three internationally adopted—all of whom she homeschooled. They now live in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, with an assortment of animals including honeybees, mini-donkeys, goats, a mini-pig, and more.

Dr. Peter Saunders trained as a general surgeon at Auckland Medical School, New Zealand, before serving as a missionary doctor in Kenya. He served with the Christian Medical Fellowship UK for 27 years and in 2019 became Chief Executive of the International Christian Medical & Dental Association (ICMDA).

His current work involves leadership training, teaching evangelism and ethics, medical mission, writing, editing and media work. He is a council member of the Evangelical Alliance. He and his wife Kirsty live in St Albans, UK and they have three sons and two grandchildren.

Chad Robichaux is a former Force Recon Marine and DoD Contractor who served on eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force. After overcoming his personal battles with PTSD and nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic, Chad founded Mighty Oaks, a leading non-profit serving the military and first responder communities with highly successful faith-based resiliency and recovery programs.  

Chad is a highly sought-after public speaker, speaking to millions worldwide and over 500,000 active-duty troops on military bases. Having led life-saving programs for approximately 7,000 warriors at Mighty Oaks Ranches around the nation, Chad has become a go-to resource and is considered a subject matter expert on PTSD, veterans care, and national security, having advised Presidential Administrations, Congress, Senate, the VA, the DoD, and was appointed to serve as the Chairman of a White House Veterans Coalition.   

Chad serves as a board member for the Center for Security Policy and is the Co-Founder of two non-profits focused on the rescue of Americans and vulnerable people groups trapped or captured in conflict zones around the world. In 2021, Chad led the largest civilian evacuation in American history, rescuing over 17,000 people who were trapped during the Afghanistan withdrawal, including his long-time interpreter and friend, Aziz, and is now leading operations in Ukraine and other high-risk areas around the world.  

Chad is regularly featured on a wide range of national media and is a Fox News Contributor. Chad’s life story was notably shared in a short film by I Am Second, along with a sequel, and is the focus of the documentaries Never Fight Alone, Send Me, and Escape from Afghanistan. Currently, a motion picture movie is being produced based on Chad’s award-winning Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Saving Aziz. Chad is also the USA Today best-selling author of A Mission Without Borders, highlighting rescue efforts and humanitarian aid missions he led on ten trips to Ukraine since 2022.  

Chad is also a former Special Agent, having served with the US Federal Air Marshal Service and the US State Department Surveillance Detection Program. He holds an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), is a board-certified pastoral counselor with the AACC, and is completing a graduate nonprofit management program at Harvard University. 

Chad is a lifelong martial artist, Professional World Mixed Martial Arts Champion, and 4th-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. Chad is a devoted Christian and resides in Texas. He and Kathy have two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren. Through his resilience, passion, and selfless heart to serve others, Chad remains an inspiring figure to many worldwide as the host of The Resilient Show.

Dr. Vinod Kumar M Shah is a senior medical leader, educator, and surgeon with over 50 years of experience in transforming healthcare delivery and training across India and the global South. His career spans key leadership roles, including CEO of the Emmanuel Hospital Association in New Delhi, where he oversaw 21 hospitals and 29 community health projects serving rural populations.

A pioneer in medical education, Dr. Shah led the Distance Education and E-learning department at Christian Medical College, Vellore, where he helped train over 2,000 family physicians through innovative blended learning models. He later served as CEO of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association, working to equip healthcare leaders in more than 80 countries.

Currently focused on developing affordable, home-based healthcare models in partnership with local physicians and hospitals, Dr. Shah continues to advance his lifelong vision: to raise up Christ-centered medical leadership, strengthen ethical practice in healthcare, and improve general practice through technology-enabled education.

Todd Sprinkel recently served as the Director of Leadership Development for Medical Missions at the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), where he focuses on equipping and mentoring healthcare professionals for effective service in global missions. He and his wife, Molly, have lived and served overseas for the past 22 years, following a call to missions that began at the Urbana Conference in 1984. Their journey has taken them to Thailand, Tanzania, the Middle East, and many ports of call.

Todd’s background is in healthcare operations and finance. Along the way, he has served as CFO for two mission hospitals, Senior Director of Health Care Services with Mercy Ships, Senior Financial Analyst for Johns Hopkins, and Director of Clinical Services at American Mission Hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

His extensive experience in Healthcare leadership and cross-cultural ministry informs his desire to develop resilient, Christ centered leaders. Todd’s heart is to use the simple skills God has given him to point others to Christ and encourage faithful service—for His glory.

Laura Story is a wife, mother, songwriter, worship leader, author, artist, and Bible teacher. Her songs—which have won Grammys, Billboard Music Awards, and Dove Awards—include “Blessings,” and Chris Tomlin’s “Indescribable.” She is the author of several bestselling books and Bible studies including When God Doesn’t Fix It and So Long Normal.

Laura has a master of theological studies and a doctorate in worship studies and has served as a worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta since 2005. Her greatest joy is being a wife to Martin and mother to Josie, Ben, Griffin, and Timothy.

Keir Thelander was born in a suburb of Chicago and grew up in Indianapolis, IN. He attended Indiana University School of Medicine and subsequently completed his general surgery residency at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH, in 2004. After a short time working as a General Surgeon in Cleveland, Keir and his family were called to train and disciple African doctors to become surgeons. Fulfilling such a call, Keir’s young family of 4 journeyed to Bongolo Hospital in the southern part of Gabon, transiting through France for 7 months of language training. For 8 years Keir served as the Program Director of the Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) program as well as the medical director of this 150 bed facility. Additionally, over their last few years in Gabon, Dr. Thelander fulfilled the role of Team Leader for the over 20 expatriates living in Bongolo, while he also worked as the West/Central Africa Director for PAACS. Presently, Keir is the Executive Vice President of PAACS overseeing the 28 PAACS training programs that are spread across the continent. A few of Keir’s passions are helping doctors and all people to thrive no matter the circumstances as well as surgical education in cross-cultural contexts. Keir now lives in Cleveland, OH, and is married with 2 children.  

Echo VanderWal and her husband, Harry, lead The Luke Commission, a faith-based NGO delivering compassionate, comprehensive healthcare to the most isolated and underserved people in the Kingdom of Eswatini through over 300,000 patient visits annually. Echo earned a bachelor’s degree in biology (summa cum laude) from Cedarville University in 1996. After completing training as a physician assistant at Kettering College of Medical Arts, Echo practiced in surgery until the birth of her triplet sons in 2001. With deep compassion, leadership acumen, business sense, and a servant’s heart, Echo advocates at the highest levels for the health and development of Eswatini.

Marvin and Mourine Wekesa are currently serving as national missionaries in the predominantly Muslim Northeastern province of Kenya.

Mourine graduated from the Family Medicine program at Tenwek Hospital/Kabarak University in Kenya, supported by a MedSend grant. Marvin, a PAACS-trained orthopedic surgeon, completed his training at the Tenwek Orthopedic Program in late 2020. The couple has been married for 10 years and is blessed with two beautiful daughters, Naomi (8), and Zana (5).

After their training, they moved to the marginalized and medically underserved Northeastern province of Kenya to serve as tentmaking missionaries. Marvin works at the local government facility where he is one of only 2 orthopedic surgeons serving a population of about 800,000 people in an area plagued by insecurity and conflict over grazing pasture lands for the nomadic pastoralist people groups.

Mourine works at an outpatient medical center located in a Muslim slum village where she offers treatment for a myriad of communicable and non-communicable diseases particularly those affecting women and children. She also engages in community health initiatives aimed at the provision of safe water and at offering health education.

They are both passionate about cross-cultural medical missions as a tool for Muslim evangelism.