What’s it about?
Published on: 05-31-2019
Thank you for the regular health features and up-to-date information. I see there is a Global Conference on Health and Lifestyles, July 9-13, 2019, at Loma Linda University in California, United States. Why Loma Linda? It was previously held in Geneva. Do we just talk to ourselves at these conferences? Do we work with any major health organizations?
Twelve years ago Margaret Chan, then director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), encouraged the Seventh-day Adventist Church to speak on health and lifestyle to the world. This invitation was directed to the Health Ministries Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church through Chan’s Office for Partnerships and UN Reform. It followed her initiative to welcome collaboration with faith-based organizations, including churches. The year 2009 saw the first Adventist-sponsored Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle!
Why a global conference? It affords a wonderful opportunity for the meeting of minds, the sharing of ideas, and the exploration of scientific developments together. Learning, debating, discussing, training, networking, and coming together from around the world. This invigorates, encourages growth in our knowledge and our relationships, and reminds us of our mission—to share wholeness and to serve all!
Why at Loma Linda University? Adventist Health Ministries and Loma Linda University (LLU) are longtime partners in health work and education. Many exciting changes are taking place on the campus of LLU, including the erection of a modern, highly engineered new hospital. (State laws in California require earthquake-compliant hospital buildings; failure to comply results in closure of the hospital.) LLU has been the center of much research on health, healing, lifestyle, nutrition, and health education; it continues this important role, and focuses also on working to bring health and healing through the best medical, dental, and nursing practices to the world. Of all the universities in the United States that teach medicine, nursing, and health sciences, LLU has the greatest global footprint. It’s not the largest university, but it continues to reach out widely across the globe. A significant factor in this success story is the strong relationship that LLU enjoys with the global Seventh-day Adventist Church. It continues to be a blessed partnership with powerful synergy.
Adventist Health Ministries does indeed collaborate with international health organizations. Together with LLU we are working to upscale midwifery practice in four centers in the countries of Botswana, Cameroon, Lesotho, and Malawi. The Adventist Church in Inter-America works closely with the Pan American Health Organization, especially in the area of mental health.
At this coming international convocation—the third Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle: Your Brain, Your Body—we will look at some of the ways lifestyle impacts not only our bodies but also our emotional, mental, and spiritual health and well-being. We will also celebrate Adventist Health Ministries’ partnerships with Loma Linda University, the International Commission for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (ICPA), the WHO, and every attendee.
More information on the third Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle is available at conference.healthministries.com.
Peter N. Landless and Zeno L. Charles-Marcel
Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist, is director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference. Zeno L. Charles-Marcel, a board-certified internist, is an associate director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.
