MEI is the short term missions branch of Christian Medical & Dental Associations, which sends medical and dental professionals and other health professionals to provide advanced education to colleagues and students in other nations in response to requests from governments, medical facilities, medical schools and Christian medical groups. MEI’s motto is “Teaching to Transform.” MEI’s vision is to see Christian colleagues in every nation transforming the world through excellent Christ-centered health care.

Most commonly MEI teams teach doctors who are faculty at medical and/or dental schools or residency programs. Some teams teach residents, students, and other health-care personnel. Occasionally MEI teams teach at Christian Medical & Dental conferences for graduate doctors and students. Special teams such as pediatric neurodisability teams also teach family members.

MEI teams have served in over 30 countries in Africa, the Caucasus area of the former USSR, Central Asia, China, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia.

Teaching generally occurs during one work week with travel over the weekends before and after. Trips generally require 7 to 9 days. Some trips last 2 work weeks.

There are at least three ways to become part of MEI—teaching on an MEI team, praying for MEI, and financially supporting MEI.

1. TEACHING ON AN MEI TEAM
   If you are interested in serving on an MEI team, fill out an MEI application, and submit your CV. This will not commit you to anything but will put you in our database and give MEI more information about your background and interests as well how to contact you. After receiving your application, the MEI Director will contact you to discuss opportunities with MEI that may be of interest.
2. JOINING THE MEI PRAYER TEAM
   Another way to participate in MEI is to pray for MEI and its ministry. Prayer is essential for the Lord to direct and effectively use MEI teams. MEI sends out prayer updates 1-4 times per month so that prayer team members can pray specifically and know when God answers. To join the prayer team, send us an email.
3. FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF MEI
   MEI is entirely supported by the tax-deductible, financial gifts of like-minded individuals. Gifts cover the expenses of publicizing, organizing and administering MEI teams as well as making medical professionals aware of MEI through displays and seminars at mission’s conferences and similar venues. Gifts have also helped support MEI Team members who would otherwise be unable to participate due to trip costs--recipients may be students, missionaries or healthcare professionals in need of financial support to fill an important role in an MEI team. Please ensure all gifts indicate they are for MEI. Click here to give online. Checks may be made out to CMDA/MEI and sent to CMDA/MEI, P.O. Box 7500, Bristol, TN 37621.

If you are interested in serving on an MEI team, fill out an MEI application, and submit your CV. This will not commit you to anything but will put you in our database and give MEI more information about your background and interests as well how to contact you. After receiving your application, the MEI Director will contact you to discuss opportunities with MEI that may be of interest.

• Physicians and Dentists: Generally, MEI teams are composed of physicians and dentists who are fully-trained and licensed. Academic appointments are needed for some teams. Retired Doctors who remain current in their fields are encouraged to be part of MEI Teams. In some cases, Fellows or Residents can be part of a team.
• PhDs in the Biomedical Sciences: PhDs in the biomedical sciences are needed for teams to medical schools and on teams asked to teach things such as how to conduct research, how to publish in the literature, developing multiple choice and other test questions, use of adult teaching methods such as case-based learning, use of new interactive technologies, and development of curriculum for a new medical school.
• Nurses, physical/occupational/speech/audiovisual therapists, audiologists, and PAs have all been needed on some MEI teams.
• Healthcare Adminstrators may be needed on some teams.
• Spouses and family members: Some teams welcome spouses and family members whose roles may include logistics support of the team, teaching English, encouraging local believers, youth groups, and missionaries, providing music for the team, and visiting orphanages, prisons, and hospices.
• Apply HERE.
• Send CV to [email protected].

Team members are encouraged, but not required to be members of CMDA. Physicians and dentists who are CMDA members pay lower team registration fees than non-members.

Non-members are required to indicate they are in agreement with the CMDA Statement of Faith.

Those desiring to join CMDA can do so at a 25% discount for the first year if they put “MEI Director” in the item indicating who referred them.

Costs vary with location, since about 2/3 of the cost represents airfare. Teams typically cost between $2,000 and 3,000 dollars. Team members pay a team registration fee (currently, $100 for members and $200 for non-members) as well as a daily fee to cover healthcare, evacuation and crisis rescue insurance (currently, $4/day).

On most teams, team members donate their time and pay their own expenses. Some countries have provided full or partial payment for team members. Team members can raise their support as would other short term missionaries or pay some or all of their own expenses. Donations to support an MEI team member are tax deductible if given through their home church or MEI.

MEI requests that participants complete a brief post-trip report after returning and provides a letter suitable for IRS purposes confirming the tax-deductible nature of trip expenses. Recognizing the importance of long term relationships, MEI encourages team members to return on teams to the same area and continue relationships with the overseas colleagues they have met via email, Skype or other methods.

Medical malpractice insurance is available to team members at a small additional fee if desired, however, the risk of malpractice suits related to medical mission teams if very low in general and probably even lower for MEI participants, since their participation is typically education, consultation, and/or assisting in the care of patients in partnership with their primary doctor, who is the doctor of record.

The first step in requesting an MEI team is to go to cmda.org/request-an-mei-team and submit a project application. Once this is received, it will be evaluated by the MEI Director to determine whether it falls within MEI’s area of responsibility. The MEI Director will respond to the requestor and, if a team is being planned, discuss the team in more detail with the requesting agency. Due to the lead time needed for medical professionals to plan time away to serve on MEI teams, teams should be requested at least 1 year in advance.

CMDA has several thousand physicians and hundreds of dentists in nearly every specialty. This allows MEI to meet a wide range of requests in many specialties. MEI also partners with like-minded groups of nurses, PhDs, therapists, PAs, etc. to recruit other types of healthcare professionals when needed.

To date, MEI has provided teams to teach at specialty conferences and in hospitals and operating rooms. Teams have taught:

• Specialty-specific educational topics and updates
• Clinical and surgical skills and techniques
• Advanced life support procedures
• Diagnosis and management of childhood disabilities
• Faculty development (teaching methods, including problem based learning; writing and validating test questions, the US graduate medical education model, scientific writing and publication, etc.)
• Medical ethics topics
• Integration of one’s faith and practice
• Interface of faith and health