Mark J. Wade. M.D. is a board certified pediatrician with subspecialty training and expertise in adolescent medicine and an active member of the National Medical Association (NMA) for the past 18 years. Dr. Wade did his undergraduate training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Technology in Troy, NY, received his B.S. in Biology in 1975, attended medical school at the University of Florida in Gainesville and received his M.D. degree in 1980. Dr. Wade did his pediatric internship training at Howard University Hospital and his residency in pediatrics at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, NY in 1983. His subspecialty training in adolescent medicine was completed at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Dr. Wade is a noted expert nationally and internationally for his work in pediatrics, prison healthcare, HIV/AIDS and medical missions work. A compassionate physician, loving husband and dedicated father to his 3 children, Dr. Wade exemplifies the highest level of medical excellence, integrity, honor, commitment to community, and the love of God for his fellow man in everything that he does.

Dr. Wade has committed his life to serving the neediest of the needy, both domestically and internationally. Here at home, Dr. Wade has spent the past 24 years delivering, developing systems for, and overseeing the provision of pediatric primary healthcare to children and adolescents in juvenile detention, foster care, and child welfare agencies, as well as creating and managing at the highest levels innovative primary care services in the extremely challenging New York City public health hospitals and clinics. Not only has Dr. Wade’s work in the prison health, child welfare and HIV/AIDS arenas brought him national recognition as an expert and compassionate physician, Dr. Wade’s prison healthcare company, Healthstar Plus, Inc. (HSP), had the contract with the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) from 2003-2006 to provide the medical and dental services to all of the youth 8-16 years of age arrested and detained in the 5 boroughs of New York. This was the first time that an African-American owned company had been awarded such a contract in the City of New York.

As if the above were not enough, Dr. Wade says that his true calling is to the global community. Dr. Wade has been doing international medical missions work in Africa, the Caribbean and Central America for over 10 years, and in 2001 received the NMA Humanitarian Award “in recognition of dedicated service and international humanitarian efforts”. This same year, Dr. Wade and his wife took $25,000 of their personal savings and founded Arise and Walk Ministries Foundation, Inc. (AWMF), a non-profit, 501©3 medical missions organization whose mission is “to equip and empower the local church with the healthcare personnel, expertise and resources necessary to provide healthcare excellence as an integral part of their missionary outreach to the nations of the world”. AWMF is committed to bringing health and healing to the bodies and souls of mankind around the globe “as a tangible demonstration of God’s power and His love for all people”. To date, AWMF has directly provided or financially and materially supported the provision of life-saving healthcare to more than 50,000 people worldwide, most of whom are in Africa, Haiti and the other Caribbean Islands. AWMF’s pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and medical equipment donations to U.S. churches for this work is valued in the millions. In March 2005, Dr. Wade, through AWMF, traveled to Southeast Asia to encourage, support and provide medical care to the inhabitants of the tsunami torn countries of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia at great risk to his own survival and personal safety. In September 2005, at the request of Dr. Larry Jones, AWMF board member and founder of internationally renown Feed the Children, Dr. Wade organized and lead a 20 member medical missions team to Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi to assist in the rescue efforts and provide medical care just one week after Hurricane Katrina hit our Gulf Coast states. Humanitarian medical efforts like these and the overall work of AWMF has brought Dr. Wade international recognition and has served to establish invaluable relationships with international partners to help AWMF in its mission to establish healthcare delivery capabilities worldwide.

Last but not least, Dr. Wade was ordained as a minister of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and an associate pastor at his home church True Vine Christian Center in Fair Lawn, New Jersey on June 11, 2006. Dr. Wade has now stepped fully into his call to the ministry and uses his medical care gifts, talents and services as “the dinner bell” to draw people to Christ and to expand the Kingdom of God.