There shall be the following classes of membership in MVI: Regular Members, Affiliate Members, Honorary Members, Student Members, Corporation Members and Auxiliary Members.

1.REGULAR MEMBERS: Physicians licensed in each country around world. This may be evidenced by medical licenses or certificates. A candidate for membership shall file an application form with endorsement from a regular or honorary members. All information submitted on the application form is subject to further review and verification. An applicant officially becomes a regular member upon approval by the Membership Committee and upon payment of the dues.

2.AFFILIATE MEMBERS: Physicians who are not licensed, but are graduates of a medical school, current residents in medical training, individuals holding a mid-level degree in clinical medicine such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are eligible to become an affiliate member of the MVI. This may be evidenced by: (a) Profession license or certificates, (b) scientific publications or awarded patents (c) direct involvement in research, or (d) other similar activity satisfactory to the Board of Directors. A candidate for membership shall file an application form with endorsement from a regular or honorary member. All information submitted on the application form is subject to further review and verification. An applicant officially becomes an affiliate member upon approval by the Membership Committee and upon payment of the dues. No voting right is entitled in MVI.

3.HONORARY MEMBERS: A person who significantly contributed to MVI or made outstanding progress in health care delivery and biomedical research may become an Honorary Member. The candidate shall become an honorary member upon election thereto by the Board of Directors.

4.STUDENT MEMBERS: Medical students are eligible to become a student member of the MVI.

5.CORPORATION MEMBERS: The Corporation membership shall be restricted to companies, foundations or other private entities that make significant monetary contributions to MVI. The official membership of this category shall be awarded by the Board of Directors.

6.AUXILIARY MEMBERS: The spouses or other family members of the regular or honorary members may become auxiliary members through their voluntary contributions to MVI. No membership fee is required and no voting rights is entitled in MVI.

Membership Fees

The annual membership fees payable to the corporation by members shall be in such amount determined by the annual resolution of the Board of Directors.

Member benefits

There are no benefits for participating in medical missions. There are many reasons for wanting to attend a medical mission trip. You may have heard the story of the boy who tries to save the starfishes on the beach. Yes, we might not be able to change the entire world, but at least we can change a small part of it for someone. A good way to counter that is to break the big challenge down into smaller pieces and then take those one at a time–like one starfish at a time. And to that one starfish, it can make a world of difference.

Helping the needy brings us strong inner happiness and joy. Not only is it a new adventure with foreign cultural experiences, but it also helps us to rethink the meaning of life.

In my past trips, whether it is to go to Haiti or the Philippines, there are always some wonderful experiences. My team colleagues and I used our knowledge and skills to provide timely and necessary help to those who really needed it, and the joy that these trips brought to us is unparalleled and sometimes unforgettable. We are touched and changed by the experience far more than the people that we are there to help. It helps to strengthen my own inner self and encourages me to help more people.

We are able to fulfill ourselves through medical missions. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”