Your Faith and Healthcare Connected
Use your training where it's wanted, needed, and eternally significant.
Medical Education International (MEI) invites you to do what you already do well—teach and train—in places that have specifically asked for it.
Across the world, governments, hospitals, and training institutions are requesting something they can't supply themselves: experienced healthcare professionals to teach and train their own. Medical Education International sends you where your expertise is genuinely needed—not to treat and leave, but to equip local faculty and clinicians so better care continues for years after you're home.
That's the multiplier: teach the teachers, and a single trip can raise the standard of care for an entire region. Do the work you're already trained to do, among colleagues who need your help, in a way that models the compassion and love of Jesus.
The need is real and named. The only question left is whether you'll answer this call.
There is an average of 37 physicians per 10,000 people in Europe.
In Africa, of the avertable deaths that occur every year, almost 48% are due to poor quality healthcare.
According to W.H.O., there will be a projected shortage of about 11 million health workers by 2030.
7 countries served last academic year (Albania, Cuba, Egypt, Kenya, Mongolia, North Africa, North Macedonia).
Teams of 2–10 fully-trained professionals; 100% volunteer—participants donate their time and self-fund their trips.
Where We Go | Teach | Serve
Training Team Members & Team Leaders
MEI teams teach doctors, residents and students at medical and/or dental [RS1] schools, as well asother health-care personnel to include therapists, nurses and teachers. This education can take many forms. It can consist of powerpoint lectures or interesting case discussions in classrooms, accompanying our hosts in clinics, ORs or hospital wards to discuss patients, or hands on teaching in the operating room, ICU, emergency room or hospital. The exact format is at the discretion of team members and the needs of our hosts.
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 also have many non-medical participants who assist with spiritual needs of local healthcare providers, patients and families.
Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)
MEI is one of the short term missions branch of Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), which sends medical, dental and allied 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. Our goal is a bidirectional, sustainable relationship with local Christian colleagues.
Absolutely not! Most team members are not academicians, but participate in a variety of ways to come alongside local providers for medical education and spiritual encouragement.
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.
Trips are typically one work week with travel over the weekends before and after for a total of 7 to 9 days. Some trips last 2 work weeks.
There are at least three ways to become part of MEI—you can GO, PRAY or GIVE!.
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- GO ON AN MEI TEAM. If you are interested in serving on an MEI team, fill out an MEI application, on one of the available trips 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.
- PRAY FOR MEI. 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 has dedicated prayer calls each month and sends out prayer updates so that prayer team members can pray specifically and know when God answers. To join the prayer team, send us an email.
- GIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO 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 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.
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If you are interested in serving on an MEI team, fill out an MEI application on one of the available trips 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. You can also go to servicereef (insert hyperlink) and apply directly to specific opportunities. After receiving your application, the MEI Director and/or Team Leader will contact you to discuss opportunities with MEI that may be of interest.
- ANYONE WITH A HEART FOR JESUS!
- Physicians and Dentists: Generally, MEI teams are composed of physicians and dentists who are fully-trained and licensed. Academic appointments may be needed for some teams. Retired Doctors who remain current in their fields are encouraged to be part of MEI Teams. In many cases, students, 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, nurse practitioners and PAs have all been needed on some MEI teams.
- Healthcare Administrators may be needed on some teams.
- Spouses and family members: Most teams welcome spouses and family members whose roles may include logistics support of the team, translating/teaching English, encouraging local believers, leading youth groups, and missionaries, providing music for the team, helping to clean up or repair church buildings and visiting orphanages, prisons, and hospices. We will find a way to use your unique gifts and talents to bless others!
- Apply HERE on one of the available opportunities.
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 based upon airfare, housing and other transportation costs in each country. Teams typically cost a total of $2,000-$3,000. Team members pay a team registration fee (currently, $100 for members and $200 for non-members) as well as a daily fee to cover background check, 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 their own expenses. Donations to support an MEI team member are tax deductible if given by their home church, family, or friends.
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, WhatsApp, 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 Request and 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, NPs, 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 in essentially every medical and surgical specialty
- 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
- Medical research
Mission Scholarships
Scholarship | Dale Willis Memorial GHO Scholarship
Scholarship | Schindler Scholarship
Scholarship | Dietz Scholarship
Scholarship | Westra Short Term Missions
Medical Education International
Medical Education International (MEI) equips Christian healthcare professionals to take their knowledge, skills, and faith around the world. Through short-term teams, MEI partners with medical schools, hospitals, governments, and healthcare professionals—primarily in low- and middle-income countries—to provide requested clinical training, academic education, faculty development, and professional mentorship.
But MEI is about more than teaching medicine. By building genuine relationships with local colleagues and modeling the compassion, excellence, and love of Jesus, MEI seeks to strengthen healthcare systems while encouraging Christian healthcare professionals and communities around the world.
MEI’s mission is simple: Teaching to Transform. Through education, relationship, and Christ-centered care, MEI helps equip healthcare professionals to improve the health of their communities and ultimately transform lives. MEI has served in more than 30 countries, bringing together physicians, dentists, nurses, therapists, researchers, and other healthcare professionals who believe their professional skills can be used as an expression of their faith and calling.