Board Members

Steve Chang was raised in a Buddhist home. He learned of God at an early age but found the truth while attending Pacific Union College. He has been in private practice in Monterey, CA for the past 24 years. Dr. Chang also works for Holland America Crusieline as their Dental Director. He has a passion for ministry and serves on the ASAP and ARME boards. God has enabled him to lead teams serving on all 7 continents and over 100 countries. Chang is passionate about sharing the good news, teaching, and going on mission trips with his family of six.

Adrien Charles-Marcel is an oral and maxillofacial surgery resident at Loma Linda University, where he received his dental degree in 2018 and his medical degree in 2022. He also completed an internship in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 2019. He stands in awe of God’s amazing leading in his educational journey and finds deep meaning in relieving pain, restoring faces, and showing the love of Jesus to patients in their times of distress. He is the grateful son of missionary parents and is happily married to his wife Janessa, a pediatrician. Together they look forward to continuing a life of service and joy where God leads

Elizabeth Chung is a Board certified OB/GYN who works in a private group practice in Mansfield, Ohio. She completed her dual degree in medicine and law from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and her OB/GYN Residency from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. She also earned a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Dr. Chung dreamed of serving as a physician sharing God’s love in a tangible and practical way that transforms lives. She feels very blessed to be part of God’s work in AMEN and very much looks forward to the Day when there will be no more death, mourning, crying, and pain.

Dr. Emde is a 1992 biology graduate of Southern College of Seventh-day Adventists (now Southern Adventist University). He received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center School of Optometry in 1997. He currently lives in the countryside of beautiful East Tennessee. He owns East View Eye Care, P.C., a private group practice in Greeneville, and has been in practice there for 22 years. His wife of over 25 years, Angela, is a high school teacher at Greeneville Adventist Academy where their three daughters attend. Dr. Emde has a passion for medical mission work and has traveled to Costa Rica, Peru, Mongolia, Moldova, and Kenya providing free eye care and glasses to those in need.

Dr. Amarachi Nwankpah is a family physician with a passion for health ministry. She began her journey at an early age when God called her to understand and implement health reform in her own life. Since then she has been dedicated to the teaching of God’s laws of health and demonstrating their practical applications to the community. After receiving her bachelors degree from Andrews University Dr. Nwankpah studied Spanish at River Plate Adventist University in Argentina. She then attended medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and upon completion of this program stayed at the University of Maryland for residency in the Family and Community Medicine program. She now works as an active member of her church and community in health education. Her goal in life is to represent the true meaning of being a Christian physician- a faithful servant in the work of Christ for the soul and body showing the world that “Christ Himself is the healer. The physician seeks to preserve life; Christ alone imparts life.”

Dr. Kianna Simmons graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine in 2007. During her time there she developed a keen interest in the connection of oral health and general medicine and continued her studies at the University of Pennsylvania’s oral medicine residency program. After completing a year of clinical training she returned to Bermuda where she entered private practice.
Dr. Kianna has been involved in numerous community initiatives and is actively involved in a number of local community and professional organizations.
In 2012, Dr. Kianna married Mr. Devaun “Sammy” DeGraff, and in 2015 were blessed with their son Kenan. Dr. Kianna enjoys spending time with her family, and in the fall of 2015 they traveled to their first AMEN conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was there that Dr. Kianna was inspired and recommitted herself and her practice to God and began seeing her profession as a ministry, and not just a practice. Since that time she has incorporated praying with patients, more thorough comprehensive medical exams and assessments, and advises patients holistically on care for not only their teeth, but their health overall. By providing spiritual insight and guidance and support to patients on their journeys for change she enjoys serving her patients as well as the community. Her goal is to not only physically cure oral disease, but ultimately inspire and reflect Christ to every patient and introduce them to Him, one consult at a time.

Dr. Eric Taylor is a graduate of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is board certified in Family Medicine and is currently practicing at Christus Trinity Clinic in Palestine, Texas. His passion for missions has led him to India, Kenya, Madagascar and Tonga as well as working for the underserved here in the United States.

Dr. Taylor believes in teaching health principles and modeling them in his daily life. This belief has impressed him to lead out in a CHIP program as well as conduct a Full Plate Diet program with his wife, LeShel. Since joining AMEN, he has made it a custom to pray with patients and share Christ in his practice. Eric and LeShel enjoy ministering together and pointing people to Jesus.

Dr. Torquato is a graduate of LLU School of Medicine, practicing Family Medicine in Hayden, Idaho and Spokane Valley, Washington. His personal goal is to use medical ministry to complete the gospel commission. To that end, he has spent the last 17 years working in self-supporting medical offices with ministry as the primary focus. He believes in teamwork, working closely with pastors, local church members, and an amazing group of office staff. Together he and his team are honored to offer complete healing to their local community.

Dr. Torquato and his wife Cherie, have four children: Heather, Luke, Caleb and Carissa.

Board Adviser

Although semi-‘retired’, Pastor Mark Finley still serves as an assistant to the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He is a renowned evangelist, having presented well over 200 evangelistic series around the world. Medical evangelism is near and dear to Finley’s heart. He began integrating stress-control seminars, smoking cessation, health expos, cooking schools and mini health talks into his evangelistic meetings early in his ministry. He continues to combine health and gospel ministry and routinely brings healthcare professionals as part of his team.

Pastor Finley and his wife Teenie, founded the Living Hope School of Evangelism in Haymarket, VA. They have three grown children and five grandchildren.