CCIH and co-host International Care Ministries brought together Christians working in health for a unique gathering in the Philippines focused on learning, collaboration, and fellowship. Read reactions of participants, and find links to photos, presentations, and more in CCIH 2026 Regional Meeting Strengthens Health and Hope Across Southeast Asia.
Keynote Speaker
We were honored to welcome Dr. Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director for the Western Pacific Region, World Health Organization, as a Keynote Speaker at the CCIH Regional Meeting.
Dr. Samaan spoke on Day 1 and offered regional insights on emergency preparedness, health systems resilience, and cross-sector collaboration.
Her participation reflects the growing recognition of faith-based health actors as essential partners in strengthening health systems across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
See the full program below!
More about the Regional Meeting
Now more than ever, it is vital to connect with others working in challenging contexts.At the CCIH Regional Meeting, you will connect with health program staff, community health workers, practitioners, faith-based organization leaders, and church and lay leaders from across Southeast Asia.
The participants shared energizing fellowship, learned from one another, and strengthened locally led, sustainable solutions.
Our theme was Empowered to Lead: Advancing Health and Hope in a Changing World.
What We Explored
Breakout sessions explored the following topics and questions:
1. Leadership: How does our faith identity influence decision-making, policies, and practices used by management and staff? How do we interact with the broader Body of Christ and church structures?
2. Preparedness: How do we practice and prepare for resilience in the face of natural disasters, climate change, pandemics, and other outside forces?
3. Mental Health: How do we provide mental health support to those served? How do professionals integrate Christian mental health support to staff and encourage self-care?
4. Mother and Child Health: What health issues do professionals face when caring for moms and their children? What are the challenges, and what are potential solutions?
The meeting was inspired by Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
Who Was There
The meeting brought together health program staff, community health workers, health practitioners, faith-based organization leaders and staff, and church and lay leaders. We discussed our calls to resilience and compassion in a post-pandemic world and how to embrace leadership roles with boldness, humility, and integrity; advancing not just healthcare, but also kingdom values of justice, mercy, and healing.
Program
Day 1 April 21
April 21
Opening Session
Worship: International Care Ministries (ICM) Worship Team
Welcome: Doug Fountain, CCIH Executive Director and David Sutherland, ICM Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair
Devotion: Dr. Ellaine Joseph, Health and Safety Director, ICM
Sponsor Message: Dan Chong, AIA LEED AP, International Development Southeast Asia, Engineering Ministries International
Session #1 Empowered to Lead
Moderator: David Sutherland, International Care Ministries, ICM Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair
Learning Leaders: Lessons from the Frontlines of Care
Mr. Christopher Peter, Communication Department Lead, Christian Medical Association of India
Collaborative Leadership for Christian Academic Healthcare Institutions: Insights from a Multi-pronged engagement - an initiative led by Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore
Dr. Anne Jennifer Prabhu, MD, Christian Medical College Vellore, Professor of Pathology and Deputy Director of Missions
Session #2 Practical Preparedness: Ensuring Continuity Through Crisis
Moderator: Doug Fountain, Executive Director, CCIH
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, World Health Organization
Building Resilient Christian Health Systems in India: A CMAI Case Study on Preparedness, Collaboration, and Climate Stewardship
Speakers:
- Dr. Abhijeet Sangma Barooah, MBBS, MPhil, Secretary/Doctors Section, Christian Medical Association of India
- Mrs. Elsy John, MBA, Secretary, Administrators Section, Christian Medical Association of India
- Ms. Roseline Sagar, MPH, Consultant, Christian Medical Association of India
Session #3 Research as Ministry: Transforming Health Through Discovery
Moderator: Dr. Jennifer Hatzfeld, PhD, Regional Network Director, Meros Center
Speakers:
- Dr. Jolly S. Balila, Ph.D., Director, Research, Adventist University of the Philippines
- Dr. Jachin Velavan, Associate Director of Missions and Faculty Distance Education Unit, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
- Ms. Alyssa Ang, Research Associate, International Care Ministries
Day 2 April 22
April 22
Session #4 Whole Person Mental Health
Worship: ICM Team
Devotion: Dr. Ellaine Joseph, Health and Safety Director, ICM
Moderators: Mary Ann Dela Cruz, Spiritual Ministry Director, Cure Philippines; and Reca Grace Lazaro, In-Patient Head Nurse, Cure Philippines
Healing Journey with Churches and Communities
Ms. Shagota Chisim, MDP, Capacity Development Manager, World Renew Bangladesh
Wholistic Approach to Reach Meaningful Transformation and Health (WARMTH 2026)
Mrs. Manolita P. Junasa, MCL, Founder, ED, KAVOD Center for Special Persons, Philippines
Improving Mental Health through a Community-based Approach by Self-help Groups
Mrs. Roseline Sagar, MPH, Consultant, Christian Medical Association of India presenting on behalf of Mr. Manoranjan Nayak, M.Sc, MA, Programme Secretary, Christian Medical Association of India
When Good Feedback Isn't Enough: Lessons from Evaluating Our Trauma Healing Program
Ms. Daryn Go, Research Associate, International Care Ministries
Session #5 Maternal Mental Health: Engaging Faith Actors as Change Agents
Speaker: Ms. Mona Bormet, MPH, CHES, Program Director, Christian Connections for International Health
Breakout discussions:
- Theological Dimensions of Maternal Mental Health
- Facilitators: Dr. Gary Cloud, Gilead Health Development Group; Dr. Jennifer Hatzfeld, PhD, RN, FAAN, Regional Network Director, Meros Center; and Bill Hatzfeld, Regional Network Operations Manager, Meros Center
- Dispelling Mental Health Myths and Misinformation
- Facilitators: Shagota Chisim, Capacity Development Manager, World Renew Bangladesh, and Helen Catton, Asia Regional Program Consultant, World Renew
- Guidance on Discussing Maternal Mental Health
- Facilitators: Jim Oehrig, Global Advisor - Christian Partnerships, Hope Rises International; Christopher Baskeran, Senior Manager of Asia Church Partnerships, Hope Rises International; Edwin Sam Asirvatham, PhD, Consultant, CCIH 30x30; and Rhina Zavala, Finance and Administration Director, CCIH
Session #6 Posters
Moderator: Mr. Jim Oehrig, Global Advisor-Christian Partnerships, Hope Rises International
Speakers:
- Faith-Inspired Leadership in Policy and Advocacy: The Witness of the Christian Coalition for Health in India by Dr. Abhijeet Sangma Barooah, Secretary, Doctors Section, Christian Medical Association of India
- Active Management of Maternal Undernutrition to Reduce Low Birth Weight and Prevent Stunting by Dr. Melinda Kelly Mijares, MD, MPH, International Care Ministries, Chief Health Officer
- Strengthening Health Facilities in LMICs To Be Pandemic-Ready: Closing Gaps from the COVID-19 Outbreak by Mr. Ndi Abanda Alphonse, Grants Manager, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services
- Bridging the Gap: Specialized Training to Optimize Second-Line Nurse Leaders' Effectiveness in India; Mrs. Elsy John, Secretary, Administrators Section, Christian Medical Association of India, presenting on behalf of Mrs. Shimy Mathew, Secretary, Christian Medical Association of India
- Making the Political Commitment a Reality: Transforming Christian Health Care To Be More Disability Inclusive in YAKKUM Hospitals; Ms. Eirene Christy, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, YAKKUM, presenting on behalf of Mrs. Arshinta Soemarsono, Director of YAKKUM Community Health and Humanitarian, Inclusive Health Care, YAKKUM (Christian Foundation for Public Health)
- Strengthening Village Health and Nutrition Day for better Maternal and Child Health Outcome by Mrs. Roseline Sagar, Consultant, Christian Medical Association of India
- Strengthening Capacity of Mission Hospitals in India in Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Management through Blended Learning – Initial Processes and Perspectives by Dr. Jachin Velavan, Associate Director of Missions and Faculty Distance Education Unit, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
- Where wheelchairs can't go: The power of local handcycle innovation and service delivery by Dr. Christopher Stanfill, Executive Director, Mobility Worldwide
- Use of the PHQ2 screening questions to identify pregnant women at risk of depression (EPDS positive), and implications for outpatient ANC, PNC and mental health services by Mrs. Stacy Saha, Volunteer, World Mission Prayer League (LAMB Hospital)
- Caring for the Mind is Part of God's Love by Mr. Utpal Minj, Director, World Mission Prayer League (LAMB Hospital)
- Leveraging Minority Church Networks to Reduce Trafficking, SGBV, and Mental Health Stigma in High-Risk Border Area in Northwest Bangladesh by Mr. Bilash Paul Tigga, Project Manager, World Mission Prayer League (LAMB Hospital)
- Services of Community Midwifery School of Kunri Christian Hospital Rural Healthcare Project Diocese of Hyderabad Church of Pakistan in Reducing the MMR and IMR of Thar Desert by Dr. Fouzia Naveed, Medical Director, Kunri Christian Hospital
Day 3 April 23
April 23
Session #7 Maternal and Child Health
Worship: ICM Team
Devotion: Dr. Ellaine Joseph, Health and Safety Director, ICM
Moderator: Luz Francess “Bicbic” Chua, Founding Executive Director, Catholics for Reproductive Health (C4RH)
Speakers:
Empowered to Lead: Building Peace and Improving Maternal and Child Health through Community-Led Action in Jharkhand, India
Mr. Prashant Bhagyaban Missal, Senior Manager of Organizational Effectiveness and HR, EFICOR, India
“I Am the Bridge”: Examining Intersectoral Collaboration among Community Health Workers to Address Maternal and Child Health in the Philippines
Dr. Melinda Kelly Mijares, MD, MPH, Chief Health Officer, International Care Ministries
Building Bridges to Healing: Faith-Based Responses to Mother and Child Health in the Context of HIV
Ms. Meta Ginting, MA, CD/Bethesda, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Manager, YAKKUM Indonesia
Empowered to Lead: Achieving Near-Universal Maternal and Child Health Uptake via a Dalit Women’s and Men's Group Model in Rural Nepal
Mr. Arbind Sah, MS, Community Health Development and Training Officer, Nepal Leprosy Trust, Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital and Services Center, Lalgadh Dhanusha
Local Church as an Agent of Social Legitimacy in Encouraging Father Involvement in Family Nutrition Interventions in Alor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara: Research and Reflection on Intervention Program
Ms. Dewi Utari, UPKM/CD Bethesda, Gender Expert, PMEAL Coordinator, YAKKUM Indonesia
Closing
Co-Host
Sponsors
Tier 4: Engineering Ministries International
Tier 3: Hope Rises International
Tier 2: World Renew | Christian Medical College Vellore | Imres