Meet the Team
Student Ministry from the Beginning
Medical Campus Outreach came to be after a spiritual revival on the campus of the Medical College of Georgia. A leader from the group of Christians at that campus came to Philadelphia to visit Esperanza Health Center. He asked if he could bring some medical students to North Philadelphia during a measles outbreak to help vaccinate kids who weren’t getting all the shots available to them. The year was 1991, and this initiative became the very first Summer Medical Institute in 1992. A few years later, several families from the MCO group in Georgia moved here to start MCO Philadelphia, and at this time, asked Tenth Presbyterian Church and Esperanza Health Center for oversight. Other MCO chapters popped up in other cities around the country. Eventually, SMI began a summer ministry opportunity in Texas as well.
Administrative Staff
Laura Layer, MD
MCO Philadelphia Director
Laura Layer grew up in a Christian home in Sanford, Florida. Her father was the county superintendent of schools and her mother was an algebra teacher. She became a believer in college after experiencing true Christian community there through the ministries of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She has degrees from Duke University, Vanderbilt University Medical School, and Westminster Theological Seminary (Masters of Missiology). Laura completed her residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is functional in Spanish and has served as a staff pediatrician at Esperanza Health Center for over 30 years, still seeing patients there approximately one day a week.
Dr. Layer has been a regular attender and then member of Tenth Presbyterian Church beginning in 1989. Because Laura was led to Christ under the auspices of two campus ministries, she sees their vital role in Kingdom work. Campus ministry, particularly healthcare ministry, is uniquely important here as Philadelphia has the most healthcare campuses, per capita, of any major U.S. city.
Woody Chipman
MCO Philadelphia Administrator / SMI Philadelphia Program Director
Woody grew up in Memphis, TN, and earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. He serves as MCO’s Administrator and the SMI Program Director, supporting the work of both organizations through a wide range of administrative responsibilities. From event planning and donation processing to maintaining our website, Facebook page, and communications, Woody helps keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. He and his wife live in the Tacony neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia with their six children. Outside of work and family life, Woody enjoys refereeing college and adult amateur soccer, working on his small herb garden, and cooking for family and friends.
Advisory Board
Dr. Katy Meilleur
(Board Chairperson)
Assistant Clinical Investigator
Dr. John Esterhai
Physician (Retired)
Jennifer Ou
Physician Assistant
Dr. Nasrat Ghattas
Physician
Dr. M.
International Worker
Dr. Richard Shoemaker
Emergency Medicine
Volunteer Staff
Dr. Kofi Atsina and Dr. Hilina Kassa
Dr. Charlene Brock
Drs. Dan and Charlene Chen
Dr. Randall Drain
Caryn Messenger
Dr. Rich Shoemaker
Dr. Nathan Sneller
Drs. Josh and Susie Uy
Other MCO Groups and Campus Fellowships
Medical Christian Fellowship – Nashville