Why Medicine Matters – Dr. Eric McLaughlin on Healing, Justice and the Joy Still Ahead
As we continue featuring powerful messages from CMDA’s 2025 National Convention, today’s episode brings a moving plenary address from Dr. Eric McLaughlin, a family medicine missionary with Serge, professor at Hope Africa University in Burundi, and author of Promises in the Dark. With deep honesty and insight, Dr. McLaughlin explores what it means to bring healing in a broken world. He speaks to the tensions many Christian healthcare professionals feel – between justice and joy, suffering and hope, burnout and purpose. If you’ve ever felt weary or wondered if your calling still matters, this message is for you.
If this episode encouraged you, take a moment to share it with a friend, colleague, or someone in your church connected to healthcare. It’s a simple way to help us grow and keep sharing conversations that matter. Be sure to follow the podcast on social media to stay connected, encouraged, and up to date. And to learn more about how CMDA is equipping healthcare professionals for such a time as this, be sure to visit cmda.org and learn how.
We’ve got exciting news – starting this August, our podcast is getting an updated name: Faith in Healthcare: The CMDA Matters Podcast. This new name reflects the heart of what we do: sharing real conversations where faith meets healthcare, in clinics, classrooms, operating rooms, and beyond.
We’re building on the deep roots of our CMDA community – and reaching even farther to invite more people into this space. Our prayer is that this shift will grow an even larger, stronger community – one that continues to speak hope, pursue truth, and live boldly for Christ in healthcare. And that many new Christian healthcare professionals will choose to join the CMDA family.
If today’s episode encouraged you, please consider sharing it with your colleagues, family, and friends. Be sure to follow the podcast on social media to stay connected, encouraged, and up to date. To learn more about CMDA’s ongoing advocacy work and how you can get involved, visit cmda.org.
We have several incredible events coming up in September and October. The Women Physicians and Dentists in Christ commission will be holding their annual conference September 4-7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the beautiful Hotel Albuquerque – right in the heart of Old Town and the rising Sawmill District.
Registration is open, and this conference promises to be worth your time! Alongside our special guest Helen Smallbone – mother of the artists known as for KING & COUNTRY – you’ll also hear from the show’s host, Dr. Mike Chupp, as he delivesr a plenary message on the theme “God Makes a Way” from Isaiah 43:19. This is one of the very best ways to experience the belonging, support, and equipping that is at the heart of the WPDC ministry. CME is available, and I invite you to explore all the conference details and register today at wpdc.cmda.org.
In the Midwest, don’t miss the Midwest Fall Conference, happening September 26-28 at the Maranatha Retreat Center on the shores of Lake Michigan. Now in its 35th year, this beloved CMDA gathering features speakers like Dr. Farr Curlin, Dr. Stephen Ko, and a special panel with Dr. Carl Trueman. You can earn up to six CME credits, and there’s a full children’s program for kids 12 and under – making it a wonderful weekend for individuals or the whole family.
And in the Northeast, join us for the Northeast Regional Retreat, October 24-26 at Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, Maryland. This year’s theme is Faith Embodied, led by Dr. Stephen Ko – a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician at Mass General Brigham in Boston, and a familiar voice on this podcast. Continuing education credit is available, with a $25 early bird discount through August 1. First-time attendees can also find an additional discount code on the event page. Learn more about all of these events and register at cmda.org/events.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Dr. Eric McLaughlin is a family medicine missionary physician with Serge and a medical school professor for Hope Africa University in Burundi. Along with his wife Rachel (also a physician), he has lived in East Africa for 15 years. He is the author of Promises in the Dark: Walking with Those in Need Without Losing Heart, which explores the myriad ways his heart has been challenged to persevere in the long work of caring for those in need. He has also written for Christianity Today and Mere Orthodoxy. When not writing, teaching, doctoring or team-leading, Eric enjoys songwriting, playing German board games and baking artisan bread. Eric and Rachel have the distinction of having three kids born on three different continents. His stories, reflections and eight albums of his music can be found at his team website wordanddeedafrica.com.
