Dermatology Section

PURPOSE
To assist selected dermatology residents, nurses, nursing students, medical residents, and medical students in participating in their first Global Health Outreach short-term medical missions experience, enabling them to become familiar with the cultural, social, spiritual, medical and dental problems in developing countries while allowing them to serve the underserved.

ELIGIBILITY
The applicant must be:

1. A CMDA member (CMDA membership is at no cost for student members). You can join CMDA at www.cmda.org/join.
2. A resident in dermatology or other medical field, a nurse, or a nursing or medical student in a professional or pre-professional course of study expected to lead to a degree in medicine or nursing.
3. New to Global Health Outreach short-term medical missions.

METHOD OF APPLICATION
Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. The application must be submitted at least two months prior to the trip departure, and the applicant must be accepted as a Global Health Outreach trip participant before applying for the scholarship. There is a maximum of one scholarship per Global Health Outreach trip, pending available funds. An email endorsement of your application by the team leader is required. Email your application to Global Health Outreach.

AWARDS
Awards will be announced by email as they are awarded. The amount of the award will be up to $500 and is to be used for project and transportation-related expenses, with rare exceptions for longer, more remote trips where the costs are higher.

APPLICATION
The applicant must submit a letter of no more than 300 words that describes their current course of education, and their motivation for serving in medical missions. This letter should address what they hope to learn from their participation in the short-term medical missions experience.

After the trip is complete, the awardee is required to submit a 400-500 word summary report of their experience that focuses on the spiritual change that took place in their life as a result of the trip. The awardee is to create a profile on MedicalMissions.com and to post a summary of this story on this website after returning from the trip. The awardee is to write a letter of appreciation to the donor and to be available to talk by phone with the donor. This letter of appreciation is to be included with the summary report so that it can be forwarded to the donor.

1. Volunteer For Healthcare For the Poor
   Go to Healthcare For the Poor. A link for clinics serving the poor is available. Most clinics will work with volunteer dermatologists for patients to be seen in their office or arrange for a designated day to schedule dermatology patients at the facility.
2. Volunteer for MD2ndopinion
   MD2ndopinion Coordinator Jill Johnson needs a couple of additional CMDA derms (currently there are 5 CMDA dermatologist volunteers) for this teledermatology consultation service for medical missionaries overseas. CMDA CEO Dr. Mike Chupp has emphasized that there is no medical liability since this is communication from one physician to another physician. There are generally only one or two consultations per week. Contact us for more information.
3. Volunteer for CMDA Dermatology Section Leadership
   Various areas for contribution to the ongoing CMDA Dermatology Section functions are available.  Periodic Zoom meetings are held for the leadership team. Contact via email at derm@cmda.org.
4. Volunteer for Global Health Outreach (GHO) Medical Mission Trips
   Volunteer for Global Health Outreach (GHO) Medical Mission Trips GHO has approximately 50 short-term medical mission trips each year to many areas of the world. Some sensitive area trips are not listed on the GHO Trip Calendar. Dr. Trish Burgess is GHO’s new director, and she has an excellent introduction and vision sharing video on the GHO web site. (www.cmda.org/gho). Trish has enabled the GHO website to identify GHO trips where the team leader has specifically requested a dermatologist on the team (go to “Find A Trip”, then “View Opportunities” and then enter keyword “dermatologist”). A specific focus is being made to make a long-term impact on individuals and areas served and to also focus on unreached, more difficult areas of the world. In addition, CMDA dermatologists have often expressed a desire to primarily see dermatology patients on medical mission trips. Trish and the identified GHO team leaders have responded to this request. The team leader will have the triage folks to flag any dermatology patients who will then be placed in a separate waiting area to be seen by the dermatologist. After treating the patient and optimally praying with the patient, the patient will return to the general waiting area where the other medical problems will be addressed by the other physicians on the team. Using this modified protocol dermatologists have seen ~90% dermatology patients on previous medical mission trips. You may email Jerry Ariail (wingderm@aol.com) with any questions. Also, GHO trip updates may be found in the "Missions" section.
5. Volunteer for Medical Education International (MEI) Trips
   MEI focuses on academic education of similar specialists in overseas medical schools or teaching hospitals. Major requests for dermatologists on many MEI trips have been received recently. Go to www.cmda.org/mei. Also, MEI trip updates may be found in the "Missions" section.
6. Volunteer to be a Sounding Board/Mentor for a CMDA Resident
   A list of CMDA Dermatologists has been started to connect willing CMDA Derm graduates with interested CMDA residents.  In addition CMDA Regional Directors or CMDA National Office will occasionally have a CMDA Resident who requests a CMDA member who is willing to act as a sounding board/"connect"/mentor for various life issues. This can be done locally if the resident is in one's geographical area or remotely via cell phone, text, and email   Excellent articles concerning "connect"/sounding board/mentor issues are available with the March, 2020 issue of CMDA's Encore publication. Contact us at derm@cmda.org for more information. 
7. Attend CMDA National Convention
   This yearly convention has excellent plenary speakers and also multiple breakout sessions with CME. Go to www.cmda.org/nationalconvention.
8. Attend Global Missions Health Conference
   This is the largest and best missions conference available. Each year in early November, approximately 3000 attendees gather at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY for this CMDA sponsored conference. CME is available for multiple breakout sessions. Go to www.medicalmissions.com.
9. View Grace Prescriptions DVDs
   The Grace Prescriptions presentations help physicians to be able to ethically share their faith with patients in a clinical setting. This is a “second generation” Saline Solution. Go to www.cmda.org/gracerx to view a portion of the presentation, find live presentations or to order the video series.
10. Contribute to CMDA Dermatology Scholarship
    This is a newly established scholarship to assist primarily dermatology residents and secondarily nurses, nursing students, medical residents and medical students in participating in their first Global Health Outreach short term medical missions experience, enabling them to become familiar with the cultural, social, spiritual, and medical problems in developing countries while allowing them to serve the underserved.  Applications are reviewed by the GHO Director, and the amount of the award will be up to $500 to be used for project and transportation related expenses. More remote, longer trips are open for higher amounts. For more information and application go to the above drop-down.
11. Practice By The Book
    Practice By The Book, a Christian Doctor's Guide to living and serving which is Biblically sound and medically reliable is an excellent book for us to read since it helps us to balance our faith, our family, our practice and our finances.
12. The Faith Prescriptions presentations are the "third generation" (after Saline Solutions and Grace Prescriptions) help for healthcare professionals to be able to ethically, comfortably, and effectively share their faith in a clinical setting.  These presentations can be found at the CMDA Learning Center and are free to CMDA members (nominal fee to non-dues paying participants).
13. Bridging The Gap: Where Medical Science and Church Meet A new church resource/small group study was developed by expert healthcare professionals to ask difficult, thought-provoking questions as we seek the truth found in God's Word about the ethical issues facing Christians today. Session topics include beginning of life, end of life, addictions, gender identity, right of conscience and sexuality. Go to cmda.org/bridgingthegap. Also, please see the Bridging the Gap PowerPoint by Dr. Bert Jones, here.
14. "A CMDA Derm Colleague's Transition to Retirement"? Please click here to read more about this transition.

For more information about any of the above options, contact us at derm@cmda.org.

2023 CMDA Dermatology Section Annual Meeting
The 2023 CMDA Dermatology Section Annual Meeting will be held March 18, 2023, Saturday afternoon, 4:00 -5:30 PM, New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District Hotel, Julia Room, in conjunction with the 2023 Annual Convention of the American Academy of Dermatology. Our speaker will be Rev. Bert Jones, CMDA Director of Leadership and Church Relations, and his topic will be "Bridging The Gap: Where Medical Science and Church Meet".. Rev. Jones co-authored the book "Leadership Proverbs" with Dr. David Stevens. Please register here!

A Zoom option is available with the same registration fees and 25% promotional discount on 4 featured books at the meeting.

2023 CMDA National Convention
The 2023 CMDA National Convention will be held April 27-30, 2023 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Kentucky (Cincinnati, Ohio area).

• CMDA Global Health Outreach Mission Trips
  Global Health Outreach (GHO) provides opportunities for dermatologists to find sites specifically requesting dermatologists: To find those sites, click here. (If that search does not work, under “Refine Search,” use the keyword dermatologist.)
  • GHO trips requesting dermatologists The multiple GHO Nicaragua trips and the new Santiago, Dominican Republic GHO trip will be our main long term focus locations. A CryAc unit and 5-liter liquid nitrogen dewar are in Nicaragua and similar equipment is planned to be left in Santiago, DR. In addition, there are multiple other GHO locations requesting dermatologists on the GHO trip calendar.

  • Click here to listen to Dr. Trish Burgess, Director of Global Health Outreach, discuss her new book, God Sightings, a collection of stories of the best God sightings from GHO mission trips around the world with Dr. Mike Chupp on the CMDA Matters podcast.

  • GHO Missions Webinar: Trish Burgess - Going on Missions

• Medical Missions CME Courses in CMDA Learning Center (Free for CMDA members):

1) NATCOM - Best Practices on a Short Term Medical Mission (1 hour Cat.1 CME)

2) GHO - International Health (6.75 hours Cat 1 CME)

a) Best Ethics and Practices of Short Term Medical Mission Leadership

b) Vector and Non-Vector Borne Illnesses

c) Diagnostic and Management Dilemmas in Working Across Cultures

d) Vaccine Preventable Diseases

e) Diseases Prevalent in Africa

f) Human Trafficking Victims in Your Medical and Dental Practices

g) Dental Diagnosis and Treatment for Physicians

• CMDA Medical Education International (MEI) Trips

  • Medical Education International (MEI) is CMDA's short term missions’ program that provides academic teaching and clinical training requested from governments primarily in low- and middle-income countries, from professional training institutions and hospitals while building relationships with local colleagues and modelling the compassion, care, and love of Jesus. 

    2023 MEI trips requesting dermatologists (some opportunities for dermatology residents and medical students)

    • Cuba
      May 18-28, 2023, Med/Ped/Autism Team
      May 25 – June 4, 2023, Surgical Team
      Nov. 2-12, 2023, Surgical Team
      Nov. 9-19, 2023, Med/Ped/Autism Team

      Desire update in melanoma treatments (medical and surgical), update regarding Moh's surgery, update regarding biologicals in dermatology (psoriasis in particular). Excellent opportunities for pediatric dermatologists and for Moh's/dermatological surgeons.

    • Mongolia
      April 14-29, 2023 
      September 15-30, 2023

      Only board-certified dermatologists for these teams. Expect to give ~6 lectures and to spend the rest of the day with Mongolian dermatologists at the university hospital or in the government operated dermatology hospital.

• Medical Missions Conferences
  • 2023 Global Missions Health Conference will be held November 9 -11, 2023 at Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky with both in person and virtual options. This is the largest and arguably the best medical missions conference available, and generally approximately 3000 attendees are present in person. To find out more, visit this link.

Dermatology Residents and Med Students Interested in Dermatology Medical Missions

Several CMDA Dermatologists have expressed a willingness to have residents and med students accompany them on short term medical missions (both GHO trips and other Christian organization medical mission trips).  Scholarships are available for GHO trips. Contact Jerry Ariail at wingderm@aol.com for more information.