Gulf Forum Seminar Options
Attendees at the AGCMF may only participate in one Stream during the conference, however, they may attend any of the afternoon seminars which cover topics from all Stream facilitators and speakers.
Attendees are able to choose four different seminars during the forum. See below for more information on each seminar topic.
Whole Person Family Medicine - Hannes Steinberg
Dr Hannes Steinberg was born and grew up in Johannesburg and studied medicine there. As a young medical doctor, he worked at a rural Hospital in Limpopo province, South Africa, before being responsible for the training of Family Physicians for southern Africa at the department of Family Medicine at UFS in Bloemfontein.
He has been a member of CMF-RSA since undergraduate years and served on the executive in various positions during the last three decades. He is married to Ute Hallbauer, a paediatrician and they have 2 daughters, Miriam and Naomi.
ICMDA Training Opportunities - Hedwin Kadrianto
Hedwin is an Indonesian dentist with postgraduate study in Oral Medicine. He was born again in 2007, and since then has been involved in local and national student ministry through IFES and CMDF Indonesia. He is married to Ruth, a cardiologist, and they have two sons. In October 2016, he was appointed as an AEO for ICMDA's South East Asia student and junior graduate ministry; this was expanded to cover the Oceania region in 2020 and the East Asia region in 2022. His areas of interest are in the field of dentistry for people with HIV (including promoting equality of dental treatment access), anti-human trafficking, medical missions networking, advocacy and politics.
Building Relationships with Locals - Emil Shehadeh & Mark Pickering
Emil Shehadeh was educated mainly in the UK, achieving BSc Hons (Medical Biology), MSc (Biochemistry), MB ChB (Medicine), and a Diploma in Dermatology and MRCGP. He practiced as a GP (Family Physician and a trainer) until 2016. Emil has a PhD in Islamic Studies from Logos University and is engaged in another piece of research at LST, Northwood.
Dr Mark Pickering is the Chief Executive of CMF (UK/Ireland). He is based in London where he also works as a secure environment GP (in prisons and similar institutions). He previously led student ministry for CMF UK and for ICMDA. In these roles he has developed many partnerships with organisations in student ministry, bioethics and advocacy.
Conversations with Patients - Lucy Maasarani
Dr Lucy Maasarani is a Medical Practice Professional and works with IHS Global.
Healthcare in the Middle East - Ehab Ayoub
Ehab studied Medicine in Cairo University, and later his Masters & Doctorate from the National Liver Institute, specialising in Internal Medicine and Hepatology. He is the head of internal medicine, ICU and the endoscopy unit of Harpur Memorial Hospital, Egypt, a Christian Hospital established 110 years ago. He is married to Nevein and they have two children.
Building Bridges with Healthcare Leaders - Howard Lyons
Resources for the provision of healthcare services across the Middle East vary considerably, from wealthy Qatar to fragile Yemen. Yet all Gulf countries face massive challenges in getting the most out of their national health systems to benefit their people at a time of transformational change in healthcare.
Leaders grappling with these challenges need our prayers but may also benefit from our engagement as we seek to model Servant Leadership in our own places of work. Forbes Middle East has just published profiles of all the top Healthcare Leaders in the Region. In this seminar, we will look at some of these leaders and the organisations they head up and together explore ways in which Christian healthcare workers in the Gulf might find ways to build bridges and help deal with the challenges.
The upcoming World Health Expo (WHX) formerly known as Arab Health, which regularly attracts over 60,000 participants from around the world, is due to be held in Dubai in February 2026. Every year this gathering provides an amazing opportunity to meet face-to-face with like-minded healthcare professionals. How might Christians make use of this event to build bridges and encourage one another, perhaps with the support of Kanad Hospital?
Howard Lyons CBE started working in the Middle East in 1983 having been CEO of a London Teaching Hospital in the NHS. Since then, he has been involved in managing hospitals and providing consultancy services for government and private clients in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Gaza and Yemen. He led the multi-national team which established Dubai Health Authority in 2008. From 2012 to 2016 he was the first Managing Director of Healthcare UK set up by the Departments of Health and International Trade to develop partnerships between British organisations and their counterparts in the Middle East. He has attended and exhibited at Arab Health for over 30 years. Howard is currently Treasurer of ICMDA.
Serving the Victims of War in Ukraine - Herng-Der Chern
Since the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War, Taiwan CMA’s “United in Christ, Love from Taiwan” medical missions facilitated a $1.9M USD Burn Care Project from Taiwan’s government, partnering with various Christian and medical organizations, including CMA Ukraine. These efforts fostered long-term support with Ukrainian hospitals, the Ministry of Health, and others, leading to the creation of an ICMDA Global Special Interest Group for Ukraine Aid.
Dr. Herng-Der Chern, born in Chiayi, Taiwan in 1957, earned his M.D. from National Taiwan University (1983), became a board-certified gastroenterologist (1990), and received a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh (1994). He served as Clinical Pharmacology Director at NTUH and later led Taiwan’s Center for Drug Evaluation under the Ministry of Health. Retired since 2022, he now consults for the Taiwan Christian Medical Association and serves on ICMDA’s board. Dr. Chern coordinates Ukraine Appeal efforts in Taiwan since 2022. He and his wife, Alice, have one daughter, one son, and four grandchildren.
Alcohol and Drug Addiction - Alan Gijsbers
Dr Alan Gijsbers is a specialist physician in Addiction Medicine, an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, and the first Medical Director of the Addiction Medicine Service at Royal Melbourne Hospital. He is Medical Director of the Substance Withdrawal Unit at the Melbourne Clinic Richmond. Alan is a Foundation Fellow in the chapter of Addiction Medicine of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and is a past chairman of the Victorian Addiction Inter-hospital Liaison Association. He is the national President of the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology, and the past National President of Health Serve Australia.
Growing as a Disciple of Christ - Chris Steyn & Nurgul Mamyrova
Dr Chris Steyn is a South African–trained family physician and Christian leader who joined Healthcare Christian Fellowship International (HCFI) in 1981. Serving as CEO from 2004 to 2018, he now holds the role of HCFI President, based in the Netherlands. A disciple of Jesus since 1976, he is passionate about integrating faith, prayer and holistic healthcare, advocating transformation through compassionate service in global health ministries. Married to Elize, they have six children and thirteen grandchildren.
Nurgul is a doctor from Kyrgyzstan and currently practicing medicine in the UK.
She is involved in using the Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) course with students and juniors across Eurasia.
Sacred Leadership in healthcare - Mike Chupp
Mike Chupp graduated with a pre-med degree from Taylor University in 1984, and then received his medical degree from Indiana University in 1988. He completed a general surgery residency at Methodist Hospital in 1993, was board certified in 1995, and joined Southwestern Medical Clinic, a group dedicated to global healthcare missions.
From 1996 to 2016 he served at Tenwek Hospital Kenya including 19 years as medical director. Tenwek grew during Mike’s tenure to a clinical staff of over 80 physicians and clinical officers and more than 700 total staff. Mike returned to Bristol, Tennessee in 2016 to assume the role of CMDA Executive Vice President and in September 2019 took over from David Stevens as CEO of CMDA US. He is also a member of the ICMDA board. Mike is married to Pam and they have four children - Steven, Melody, Kayla and Ashley.
Healthcare Management - Vijay Aruldas
Dr Vijay Aruldas qualified as a medical doctor from Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Vellore, India in 1986 and completed a doctorate in management at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India. He served as General Secretary of Christian Medical Association of India, 2000-2012, has consulted extensively on strategy and programme design, and now serves in senior management at CMCH. Vijay has a passion for teaching, mentoring and patient-centred care. He is married to Kumudha, a public health specialist and they have 2 sons.
Integrating into Gulf Society and Culture - Richard Bramble
Dr Richard Bramble is the Managing Director of Kanad Hospital. He has been a Family Medicine Consultant since 2002. Dr. Richard is a graduate of Cambridge University and obtained a distinction in his board exam. He worked as a doctor for a charity in Yemen for seven years, serving marginalized people, before returning to the UK and working in various roles in healthcare management. He joined Kanad in 2023 as Chief Quality Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer, before becoming Managing Director in March 2025.
Clinical Leadership - Daniel Ojuka
In a world fraught with diverse healthcare challenges, leadership can offer hope and be a beacon of light in a dark world. This discussion will grapple with the question of:
1. How to navigate the complexities of contextual healthcare systems while staying true to their faith and mission.
2. How can Christian values empower healthcare professionals to foster collaborative, holistic patient care, enhance team dynamics, and promote ethical decision-making?
3. What are the key attributes of effective clinical leadership, and how can we cultivate them regardless of cultural or geographic differences?
4. How do we inspire a shared vision among diverse staff members?
The challenge is to embody Christ-like leadership that transcends boundaries, ensuring that compassion, integrity, and excellence define our clinical practices in every corner of the globe.
Daniel Ojuka is an Associate Professor of General Surgery at the University of Nairobi, specializing in breast oncoplastic surgery. He is also a board member of ICMDA.
The Divine Drama – Bible Overview - Peter Saunders
Dr. Peter Saunders trained as a general surgeon in Auckland, New Zealand before serving as a doctor in Kenya. After theological training at All Nations Christian College, he then left clinical medicine and served with the Christian Medical Fellowship UK for 27 years, including eight years as Head of Student Ministries and 19 years as Chief Executive. In 2019, he became Chief Executive of the International Christian Medical & Dental Association (ICMDA), which brings together Christian medical and dental associations in more than 100 countries. Peter and his wife Kirsty live in St. Albans in the United Kingdom, and they have three sons and four grandchildren. They are members of Spicer Street Church St Albans.
