About MED 4 OUR WORLD

MED 4 OUR WORLD started as a shared dream between Dr. Christine Brody, an ObGyn physician, and Valishia Chapman who had traveled to the Casa Bernabe orphanage in Nicaragua in early 2010. Their desire to help not only the kids but the entire community around them spurred the first medical mission later that year to the El Samaritano Clinic. From there the dream grew to return with larger and more diverse teams to attend to the various needs of the orphanage and the local community. MED 4 OUR WORLD has now expanded its surgical mission trips to Fiji, including a hospital renovation team.

Each trip includes volunteer physicians, nurses and many other medical and non-medical people who have come together through a special bond and desire to help those in this world who have limited access to health care.

Med 4 Our World - Board

Meet Our Board Members

Christine Brody, MD

Christine Brody, MD

CO-FOUNDER/CEO/MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Dr. Brody graduated from the University of California San Diego with a Bachelor’s degree in 1987 and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine with an MD in 1991. She then completed her 4-year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1996 at the University of Hawaii. Since then, she has been practicing Obstetrics & Gynecology in north county San Diego. She was the co-owner and principle investigator for a clinical research company for over a decade. She is now a Site Lead of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scripps Coastal Medical Center.

Dr. Brody has always known that medical mission work was meant to be a part of her future. She performs all types of obstetric and gynecologic surgeries and enjoys bringing state-of-the-art care such as minimally invasive surgery to her missions. She also believes strongly in educating the local physicians and health care providers leaving a more lasting impact on the countries we serve. One of her greatest joys has been serving alongside her husband and her triplets on the mission field. She encourages everyone to join a medical or non-medical mission trip to a developing country and experience the kindness of the people and the joy of serving.

Valishia Chapman

Valishia Chapman

CO-FOUNDER/CFO/TEAM COORDINATOR

Calvary Chapel Bible College - Biblical Degree

Valishia coordinates the informational meetings to recruit doctors and nurses, and orchestrates all the minute details of traveling abroad with large medical teams, including accommodations, flights, visas, ground transportation, security, and food, while collaborating with different entities here in the United States as well and internationally. Valishia works along side Christine to make sure everything flows smoothly. She is also the creative and driving force behind all the fundraising.

Valishia feels that every mission trip is an opportunity to show someone love and compassion. She finds fulfillment in bringing physical and emotional healing to the patients and she finds joy seeing the lives of her team members transformed through their experiences abroad. Valishia envisions MED 4 OUR WORLD expanding to many more countries in the years to come.

Robin E. Wood, MD

Robin E. Wood, MD

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Wood began her work with Med4OurWorld in 2012 when her path crossed with Dr. Brody and she began traveling with the Med4 team to Fiji. She feels a strong calling to give back to the world and has been traveling with the team ever since. She joined the board in 2021.

Dr. Wood graduated from Oregon State University and then accepted entrance to Uniformed Services University and graduated with a MD in 1990. She then became Lieutenant in the US navy. Her residency training was at Oakland and Portsmouth Naval hospital in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She served in the US Navy as a staff OB/GYN in San Diego, Yokosuka, and Bremerton. She received advanced training in Urogynecology at Madigan Army Hospital and became board certified in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery in June 2015.

She has worked as a civilian at Naval Medical Center Balboa since 2005 as a urogynecologist and general OB/Gyn. She is the head of the robotics program in gynecology at the Naval Hospital and spends a large amount of time teaching residents. She is also an ABOG board examiner.

But she is proudest of her daughter Claire who graduated from Bucknell University in Chemical and Biomedical engineering and has also traveled with the Med4OurWorld team.

Marisa Callahan

Marisa Callahan

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marisa has a passion for serving women and families as they journey through pregnancy, birth, the postpartum, and parenthood. Her eventual goal is to become a certified birthing doula, but for now her four beautiful kids, all under the age of five, are her full-time occupation (and then some!). Marisa was honored to become a part of MED 4 OUR WORLD and to support and serve new and expectant mothers and other women in developing areas. Her first medical mission experience had a profound impact on her, and she is eager to support the expansion of MED 4 OUR WORLD to help as many women around the globe as possible.

Will Jones, MBA

Will Jones, MBA

DIRECTOR OF SURGICAL FACILITIES

PLNU, Business Administration and Entrepreneurship

Will organizes and prepares the surgical suite for all types of surgeries and assists the team in all other activities as needed. His primary role is as a surgical technician and assistant to the surgeons and conducting turnover and set-up for all surgical procedures. Other responsibilities include maintaining all surgical equipment, surgical instruments, and educating other team members and/or local health care providers to the full surgical experience including scrubbing into surgery, assisting the surgeon, and patient care.

As a former member of the military he has been deployed in humanitarian and combat missions including Turkey, Kosovo, and Iraq. When presented with the opportunity to team up with MED 4 OUR WORLD in their second mission trip in 2011 he eagerly joined and has been on every MED 4 OUR WORLD mission trip ever since. His adage is to be prepared for anything and adapt, a vital skill learned in his previous deployments.

Will has always wanted to serve a greater purpose since his military experience. Joining MED 4 OUR WORLD was a natural fit for both him and the team. He believes that there is no greater satisfaction then being able to provide and give the training and experience that God has prepared us for to serve others.

Gabby Brody

Gabby Brody

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Gabby began her medical mission work with MED 4 OUR WORLD as a high school student in 2011 acting as a spanish translator. Since then, Gabby has received her undergraduate degree from the University of California San Diego in Human Biology in 2017 and graduated from the University of California Irvine School of Medicine with her MD degree in 2022. She is specializing in Dermatology and will be completing her 4 year internship and residency at Kaiser Los Angeles.

Gabby sits on the board to represent the next generation of healthcare.

Gabby participates as a medical volunteer on our surgical missions and she works with current and prospective volunteers year-round. She is thrilled to have been exposed to medical missions at such an early age and believes MED 4 OUR WORLD has profoundly shaped the kind of physician she looks to be. She is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of an organization that is bigger than herself and that has such a critical impact on the quality of life in developing countries.