The end of the 2023-24 academic year is upon us! It’s time to gather all of our CMDA chapters and celebrate one last time this spring over a meal, and to honor and support those graduating from our Columbus healthcare colleges. Our April gathering is for all CMDA students.

Join us on Friday, April 12th at 6pm, with a catered meal at the Antrim Park Shelter House.

We’ll plan to hear charges and wisdom from some Christian healthcare practitioners in Central Ohio.

The Neuroscience of Suffering and Hope

In one way or another, to one degree or another, each one of us will experience suffering. Some of us might be tempted to ignore this reality, to keep suffering at bay for as long as possible. Others of us, if we are honest, are tempted to despair.

A well-known psychiatrist, Curt Thompson, is coming to Ohio State campus to give a presentation on the topic of finding hope in suffering, exploring the intersection of neuroscience and faith. This event is targeted at faculty and professors across many academic disciplines at OSU, though as a co-sponsor CMDA is glad to welcome medical professionals and students from the broader community.

Columbus Faculty Roundtables. Friday, Mar 22nd. 5:30-8pm.

The Ohio State University Faculty Club

We live in a time where even though we are often in physical proximity to other people, we can struggle to know how to strike up real conversations, how to take actual steps toward building deeper relationships. And as Christians, there’s also the question of how do we connect with others around matters of faith.

On Friday, February 9th we have the privilege of hearing from Penn State professor, Dr. Heather Holleman, as she speaks on her book entitled “The Six Conversations: Pathways To Connection In An Age Of Isolation And Incivility”

This equipping event will be co-hosted with Cru graduate and undergraduate ministries, and will be a great time to connect with other graduate and professional students.

Our January monthly gathering will take place the evening of Friday the 12th.

We’ll enjoy a meal together and hear from a special speaker, Ben Seagren, M.D.

Dr. Seagren is a Family Medicine and Sports Medicine physician. Dr. Seagren previously worked at Lower Lights Christian Health Center in Columbus, and had the privilege to help create one of only two refugee health programs in Franklin Co. Now preparing to move to the Middle East long-term as a medical missionary along with my wife and two kids, he is passionate about integrating faith into medicine. He has been faculty for Whole-Person Care conferences put on by the Medical Strategic Network with the goal to "equip healthcare professionals to fulfill the Great Commission."

We’ll be meeting at the home of Dr. Tom Mendel, a physician at OSU and Nationwide Children’s. Feel free to park in the driveway or find a spot on the street.

This will be an encouraging time whether or not you are interested in medical missions opportunities, so please come along and bring friends.

Check out our special event, partnering with Grad Cru, on the experience of anxiety while in graduate school. Grab a friend, enjoy a free meal, and hear from Dr. Tammy Smith (PhD Psychology).

Save the date for our local Columbus CMDA Fundraising Gala, the evening of Friday, Nov. 3rd.

Our guest presenter, Dr. Kristin Collier, will be presenting on the theme: “Faith at Work”

Kristin Collier, MD, FACP is an associate professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Michigan where she serves as the director of the University of Michigan Medical School Program on Health, Spirituality and Religion.  

As we share a meal together, we also plan to share about how God is at work in the field of medicine in Columbus and how you can be a part through giving and prayer.

*spouses are welcome

**business casual or business professional attire

CMDA students are invited to a day-trip to NE Ohio on Friday, May 26th to do some hiking at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The plan is to leave Columbus around 9am, and to return around 3pm after packed lunch. For more details, contact Andrew at Andrew.Peachman@osumc.edu

Students, residents, healthcare practitioners and their families are invited to our city-wide community potluck. We’ll provide the main course, but please bring a side or a dessert to share, and we’ll enjoy a time to connect with other Christians in healthcare in Columbus.

*April 16th. 5:00-7:00pm. (Date and time have been updated)

Reed Road Park The Shelterhouse behind the UA Fire Station.

***The shelter house should have adequate protection from storms. The potluck will take place rain or shine.

Join us for our monthly gathering of CMDA in the Columbus area!

We’ll share a free meal at the home of Dr. Joy Walton, and we’ll hear from a healthcare practitioner about their faith journey in medicine.

6-8pm, Mar 3rd.

5636 Highland Lakes Ave.

Come on out and bring some fellow students with you.

Dr. Al Weir, Professor of Medicine at University of Tennessee Heath Science Center and Program Director for their Hematology/Oncology fellowship program, will discuss possible foundations for ethics in medicine and life.

MEB1 rm 415

12pm-1pm

Save the date for our local Columbus CMDA Fundraising Gala, the evening of Wed. Oct. 26th.

Hear from featured speaker, Al Weir, MD. Dr Weir is presently Professor of Medicine at University of Tennessee Heath Science Center and Program Director for their Hematology/Oncology fellowship program. He is also the author of When Your Doctor Has Bad News (Zondervan) among other works.

Special host for the evening will be former OSU basketball player and now medical student, Aaron Craft.

As we share a meal together, we also plan to share about how God is at work in the field of medicine in Columbus and how you can be a part through giving and prayer.

Seating is limited, so please take a moment to reserve your seat here.

*spouses are welcome

**business casual or business professional attire

Dr. Al Weir, Professor of Medicine at University of Tennessee Heath Science Center and Program Director for their Hematology/Oncology fellowship program, will discuss possible foundations for ethics in medicine and life.

Graves 1120

12pm-1pm

Roasting marshmallows on an open fire…

Join healthcare students from around Columbus at Dr. Bob Hoffman’s home in the woods for a classic bonfire.

Friday, Oct. 7th at 6pm.

862 Braumiller Rd. Delaware, OH.

A new semester has begun! Let’s bring together medical, dental, and optometry students for our kick-off First Friday Gathering.

A tradition of CMDA in Columbus is a monthly gathering of healthcare students and professionals on the first Friday of each month, to build relationships and to discuss life at the intersection of faith and medicine.

On September 2nd, we’ll meet at the Reed Road Shelterhouse at 6pm. Expect a free meal and some meaningful conversation. See you there.

Mark your calendars for the evening of Saturday, April 30th.

Hear from a panel of practicing medical professionals (Dr. Linda Stone, Dr. Gracia De Jong, and Dr. Derek Stone) about how they have experienced God’s presence and faithfulness in their lives, and enjoy dessert while connecting with others working and studying in the field of healthcare in Columbus.

3200 Indian Village Rd, Columbus, OH 43221

On our panel will be:

Dr. Linda Stone is a wife, mother, grandmother, retired family physician, medical educator and retired Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the Ohio State University College of Medicine.  She currently serves as Special Assistant to the Dean for Humanism and Professionalism.​As a family physician, Dr. Stone served patients in Columbus for over 25 years. She is past president of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) and past chair of the OAFP Foundation. She has also served on the board for the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (AAFP-F) and as Chair of the AAFP Chapter Affairs Committee.

Dr. Gracia De Jong was born in Singapore and moved to the U.S. as a young child. She lived in a few different states before settling in Ohio. She graduated from OSUCOM in 2018 and completed her pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in 2021. Gracia and her husband loved Columbus so much that they decided to move back, and she is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Nationwide Children's Hospital where she works in Primary Care and Urgent Care. She spends her free time exploring Columbus, trying to convince her husband to travel, and chasing around her 16 month old son.

Dr. Derek Stone is a Family Medicine physician with Ohiohealth, practicing for 14 years. A graduate of Marshall University and West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WV, he has been married to Lisa for 18 years. They have 2 children, Brooke 15, and Luke 12.

Derek is certified in Biblical counseling and is a member at Veritas church, serving in small group ministries and the area of hospitality. He enjoys outdoor activities with family and friends: hiking, tennis, soccer, and camping to name a few. Derek enjoys reading and starting to dabble some in writing.

Join us for the monthly, First-Friday gathering of CMDA for Central Ohio.

We’ll be enjoying some pizza pie and hearing from a few students in healthcare that are nearer the finish line of graduation, about their experience trying to live out their faith while doing their practicum.

We will be meeting in the common space of the old Tree of Life office building. Please park at this pin: https://goo.gl/maps/qnwyipTamvm6hGhq8

Join us at 6pm. All healthcare students in the city are welcome.

Join us as we reinstate the annual tradition of CMDA Christmas!

UPDATE … there has been a change of location (see below) but free dinner will still be provided!

Make sure to wear festive attire (ugly Christmas sweaters encouraged) and bring along a white elephant gift (something you have but don’t need, but others may actually want!).

Friday, Dec. 3rd starting at 6pm. 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd, Columbus, OH 43220.

After turning onto Centre Loop E, follow that drive to the east side of the building, park, and enter on the east side of building. Look for the small white signs and follow the arrows. Text Aaron at 614.406.1894 if you have a problem.

Dr. Hoffman from our Columbus council will host our November 5th fall-themed gathering. Come with students from your college for a free meal and a bonfire with S’mores, and we’ll hear from Dr. Hoffman about how he integrates his faith with his career in medicine.

If possible, please bring along a lawn chair or blanket. Be prepared for about 30 minute drive and feel free to park on the side of the street.

862 Braumiller Rd. Delaware, OH

Join Dr. Curt Thompson for a short talk on the idea that the larger field of medicine subjects students and practitioners to certain kinds of shame. How is Jesus relevant to this experience of shame in healthcare?

Friday, Oct. 1st at noon in Meiling Hall 160