Medical professionals from near and far joined together for the Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle hosted in Geneva, Switzerland on July 7 to 12. A sequel to the first global conference, held in 2009, the conference focused this year on non-communicable diseases and how to ensure lifelong lifestyle prevention that is easily achievable for everyone.
This year the conference was attended by more than 1,000 individuals, almost doubling the previous conferences number of attendees. The program provided endless opportunities for audience members to learn with fully packed days of presentations and breakout sessions.
The conference featured 30 speakers from Loma Linda Univeristy alone in addition to speakers from the General Conference, the South American Division, Southern Asia-Pacific Division, and the Euro-Asia Division, just to name a few. But despite the different parts of the world represented, everyone involved came together to focus on the importance of preventative lifestyles that will help individuals to live longer, healthier lives.
Richard Hart, MD, PrPH, president of Loma Linda University Health and Adventist Health International (AHI), spoke on Friday concerning the work of AHI. His presentation incorporated aspects of the Seventh-day Adventist health beliefs and the importance of sharing our knowledge to the world. Through the work of AHI, medical professionals are given the chance to help others by providing medical support and understanding to those in need.
In addition to Dr. Hart’s presentation, attendees were able to learn through stories and examples of mission work, told by people who are currently serving at AHI sites.
These speakers shared tales of their medical mission experiences at Bere Adventist Hospital in Tchad, Hopital Adventiste d’Haiti, Lusaka, Zambia, and Blantyre, Malawi. The audience was provided a glimpse of the work currently being done through AHI to ensure healthier lives.
In their presentation, husband and wife Paul and Janie Yoo, incorporated pictures and videos from Zambia where they are presently working, that provided visual aid to what life is really like for people working at AHI sites in various parts of the world.
These people from all over the world were joined together to focus on one thing: Health. Through the work of all those involved in health in the United States as well as throughout the world, AHI hopes to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate through their global work.