CCIH has held Annual Conferences in the Washington, DC area since it's official launching in 1987. However, Christians involved in international health had been meeting with each other in various locations, mostly on an informal basis, for several years before that. (see the CCIH history)  The Annual Conferences provide the opportunity to bring a Christian perspective to topics in international health and development and, through fellowship and worship, to share a common faith and desire to serve God in life and work. 

For many CCIH members and others the annual conference in is an event that encourages them to combine their professional lives and their faith in a relaxed setting where the dress is casual, the atmosphere is retreat-like and the participants represent the diversity of the CCIH membership in age, nationality, religious affiliation, interests and experience. For the better part of three days the community gathers at a conference center to share their talents, their faith and their work. They debate issues; learn about best practices; hear about successes, failures and challenges; and be exposed to the wealth of experiences and history that their fellow participants bring with them. They share a common passion for international health while at the same time acknowledging and learning to accept their differences. 

For many years the CCIH Annual Conference was held at the Wellspring Conference Center in Germantown, Maryland. As numbers of participants increased, however, it became necessary to move to a larger facility. Since 2006 the annual conferences have been held at the Bishop Claggett Center, an Episcopal retreat and conference center near Frederick, Maryland.

Each year a theme is chosen for the conference around which most of the spiritual and professional sessions are planned. The theme often reflects the Christian perspective of the theme chosen for the annual conference of the Global Health Conference which has been held in Washington, DC the week following the CCIH conference. This gives participants an opportunity to reflect upon the unique Christian aspects of current issues in international health. The CCIH conference is organized around plenary and workshop sessions, scheduled worship and fellowship events, and scheduled free time for individual rest and reflection, recreation and informal meetings and discussions.

Recent annual conference themes include:

• 2005 – Christian Engagement in Health Systems: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going
• 2006 – Excellence, Innovation and Influence: Pathways to Health and Wholeness
• 2007 – Partnerships for Health and Wholeness
• 2008 – Community Health and Wholeness
• 2009 – Technologies and Health: A Faith-Based Perspective
• 2010 – The Faith Community and the Millennium Development Goals: Accountability to God and the World (for a report on the 2010 conference, click here; for the conference program and presentations, click here)
• 2011 - Sustaining a Christian Foundation for Health in a Changing World (conference details, click here)
• 2012 - Health - Lifestyles - Christian Values: Pioneering Global Health Solutions in the 21st Century

 Presentations from these conferences can be found under our Resources section. A full list of past conferences can be found here.

The CCIH Annual Conference is open to any interested person. CCIH individual members and employees of CCIH organizational members and affiliates receive discounted conference fees.

Students, Recent Graduates and Developing Country Professionals - CCIH is particularly interested in encouraging students, recent graduates and developing country professionals to attend the annual conference. Each year conference scholarships are available for this purpose. The details of conference scholarships are subject to change from year to year but they generally provide a reduction in the costs of meals and accommodation during the conference and a waiver of some or all of the conference registration fees. Scholarships do not cover any other costs associated with attending the conference such as visa fees and transport costs. Those wishing to attend the conference from outside of the United States need to check to see if they are required to obtain a US visa. Letters of invitation in support of visa applications will be sent upon request.