Dr. Hart filming a segment for the Virtual Leadership Summit
By QRobinson - November 28, 2025

Virtual Leadership Summit 2025
Hosted by the Global Health Institute, Loma Linda University Health

On November 5, the Global Health Institute hosted its annual gathering of Adventist healthcare leaders from around the world in a fully online format as the Virtual Leadership Summit.  The event is a continuation of the longstanding Global Healthcare Leadership Academy (GHLA) tradition. GHLA, formerly known as the Global Healthcare Conference, which began in 2010. Since then, it has expanded into a global forum, rotating between being held in Loma Linda and regional host sites worldwide. For 2025, however, widespread visa uncertainties made it necessary to bring this year’s conference online.

This year’s Summit was made possible through the generous support of Adventist Health International (AHI), the General Conference Department of Education, the General Conference Department of Health Ministries, and Loma Linda University Health. The program brought together a distinguished lineup of speakers from international health ministries, universities, hospitals, and global health organizations. Opening remarks were shared by Zeno Charles-Marcel, MD, director of Adventist Health Ministries, and Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, PhD, MPH, director of Adventist Education, followed by a devotional message from Rick McEdwards, BA, MDiv, DMiss, secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Sessions explored global health themes, examining geopolitical tensions, workforce challenges, and best practices in medical education.  Institutional updates, and highlights on global nursing, global dentistry, research innovation, and infrastructure development also featured in the line up.

This year’s Summit brought together 400 unique attendees, with a peak of 205 live participants joining from 178 cities across 68 countries. We extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who joined us live, to the colleagues around the world who contributed updates and participated in discussions, and to the speakers and presenters whose expertise and dedication made this year’s program possible.

“The Virtual Leadership Summit was truly impressive. Some of us were online at three in the morning, but kudos—truly—to everyone involved. Watching the live program, I was struck by the expanded global participation and sat there amazed and proud by everyone's engagement..”

— Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, President, Loma Linda University Health & Adventist Health International