2019 Conference Schedule  (As of February 14, 2019)  Abstract summaries will be added next. 

Friday
March 29, 2019

7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Registration/Information  

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Pre-Conference Activities (Tours, a seminar and workshops.)

Tour A -- Morning with Reality Ministries   9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Reality Ministries is a local non-profit ministry for people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants will travel (transportation provided) to the North Street Neighborhood in downtown Durham where Reality participants and others persons with disabilities live together with persons without disability. Participants will meet people living together intentionally in the North Street Neighborhood and will join in a discussion with one of Reality’s founders, Jeff McSwain. Following the discussion we will visit Reality Ministries downtown location and have a lunch prepared by Reality participants at the Reality Café.

Participants will return to the hotel in time for the start of the conference.

Limited to 15 participants.

Tour B -- Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope   9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope is ordinarily a weekend long retreat that is being condensed into a half-day workshop with lunch included. Through speakers who have shaped Durham’s history, visiting important sites (transportation provided), and going through the workshop with a group of 15 pilgrims, participants will learn how Durham’s story, their stories, and God’s story connect. The Durham Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope pays particular attention to the racial dimensions of our lives, and it is a partnership between DurhamCares and Duke Divinity School's Center for Reconciliation.

Participants will return to the hotel in time for the start of the conference.

Limited to 20 participants.

Seminar and Discussion -- Measures of Religion and Spirituality for Use in Health Research  (Meeting Room A)  9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Led by Harold G. Koenig, M.D., Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University 

What are the definitions of religion, spirituality and secular humanism?  This seminar will review the dimensions and measures of religiosity in detail, and then spirituality, and finally recommendations for use in research studies.  There will be plenty of time for discussion on measurement and anything participants would like to talk about in the area of research.

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Workshop 1 --  Discover Wisdom and Inspire Change:  Pain in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis - Digital Stories Made by Patients Reveal the Unexpected Finding of Pain Having Been a Catalyst for Positive Personal Growth (Glaxo)​

Led by Paivi Miettunen, MD, Associate Professor and Pediatric Rheumatologist in the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Alberta Children's Hospital and the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. 

This workshop will include viewing of three patients' digital stories and a group discussion.  The stories give a unique glimpse into the lives of kids living with a disease for "old people" and shows how they learn to cope with the challenges in their lives.  The following themes of resilience, among others, will be illustrated by the stories:  1) Finding benefit in a chronic illness, 2) how meeting people with similar chronic condition can build personal strength and 3) the amazing ability of children to find hope and optimism despite a physically limiting painful illness.

In addition, viewing of the digital stories will also allow health care workers to reflect on their roles in patient's illness journey and to remember to celebrate patients' individual strengths rather than just focusing on their limitations (e.g. illness).

Workshop 2 -- Who's to Say What Counts and What Works?  Exploring the Moral Narrative Around the Legitimacy of Pain and Pain Relief (Executive) ​

Led by Margaret Peterson, Ph.D., M.Div., Professor of Theology and Psychology at Eastern University in St. David's, PA. 

Read the literature associated with pain and pain relief, and it won't be long before you encounter the phrase "legitimate pain" (or, alternatively, "legitimate pain patient").  Legitimate, from the Latin legitimatus, "according to law."  What law are we talking about here, that makes some pain (and perhaps some persons who complain of pain) legitimate, and some not?

In this workshop we will consider: what counts as pain, what are acceptable ways to address pain, and who controls the narrative around pain and efforts to relieve or otherwise experience or respond to pain.

This workshop will be of interest to clinicians, academics, pastors and anyone who is interested in reflecting theologically on the relationship between feeling good or bad, being good or bad, and the acceptability of various means to change how one feels from bad to good (or at least better).  The format will be conversational, with lots of time and space allotted for questions and discussion.

Workshop 3 -- Bio-Medical Issues:  An Islamic Perspective (Ballroom A)

Led by Dr. Mohammad Yahya Alvi, FRCP, Chairman Board of Directors, Adams Compassionate Healthcare Network and Director Health and Education Programs, Adams Center, Sterling, Virginia.

Organ transplants, euthanasia, and abortion are all issues that are heavily debated today. Many religious leaders are limited in their ability to join these discussions if they are referencing old opinions that considered outdated technology. Join us to hear and discuss some of the most recent Islamic religious opinions on these controversial procedures.

10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Workshop I -- Religion/Spirituality: Help or Hindrance to Patient/Family Pain and Suffering in a Medical Crisis? (Glaxo)​

Led by Dr. Peggy Determeyer, Phd, MDiv, MBA, BCC is a retired board-certified chaplain and current McGee Fellow and Director of Community Bioethics and Aging Center for the Hope and Healing Center and Institute, Houston, TX,  and Susan Gaeta, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

The complexities of modern medicine have resulted in a variety of treatments for disease processes, some of which cause extreme discomfort.  Each of these treatments is done to people with hoped-for improvements in their medical condition.  At the same time, the individuals have particular characteristics of living that are affected by their treatments.

Integrating an understanding of varying religious traditions with the patient's perspectives requires particular attention to detail, and necessitates time for ascertaining the ways in which care is integrated into patient-centered outcomes.

In this workshop, the presenters will consider three different case studies based on actual patients from Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian traditions.

At the end of the workshop, attendees will: understand fundamental aspects of suffering; relate suffering to key aspects of major religions; and integrate key communications tools for addressing patient suffering.

Workshop 2 -- Transformational Responses to Pain and Suffering 

Led by Mariana Cuceu, MD, MPH, PHD(c), Kaplan Medical and University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Gr. T. Popa Iasi, Romania. (Executive) ​

What is pain and what is suffering?  Can medicine alone address these complex feelings in the multitude of those afflicted?  While scientific advancement continues to progress with new discoveries of investigational and treatment opportunities to address pain, it seems paradoxically to be increasing the suffering of our patients along this journey. The typical clinicians' approach to just cure the diseases alone without caring for the person as a whole is an approach that breaks the psychosomatic unity of a person which can result in a greater reality of suffering.  It is profoundly clear that suffering, be it physical, mental, spiritual, or a dynamic interconnected reality of all these forms of suffering, that scientific and medical traditions struggle to both address and transform the reality of suffering into something greater than its primary effects.

This workshop will address this clear difficulty of pain and suffering through two very complementary points of view.  We will begin with the reflective thoughts on how Christianity can bring transformative responses to addressing pain and suffering.  Secondly, we will present the perspective of Jewish philosopher, Emanuel Levinas on how addressing pain and suffering is not about escape or being freed from these very difficult states of existence.

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch (on your own)

1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Muslim Juma/Friday Prayers  

Conference Begins

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - Parallel Sessions

Papers
(1:00 - 1:25 p.m.)
Physician Error, Patient Suffering, and (Costly) Grace. Landon Sayler, Loma Linda University (Meeting Room A)

What Do We Mean When We Say a Patient is Suffering?  A Philosophical and Theological Reframing. Tyler Tate, MD, MA, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Attending Physician, Pediatric and Adult Palliative Care; and Senior Scholar, Center for Healthcare Ethics, Oregon Health and Science University (Meeting Room B)

Spiritual Pain: In Search of a Medical Definition. Marta Illueca, The Episcopal Diocese of Delaware. (Jeffries)

The Call to Witness in Prenatal Genetic Counseling. Christopher Ostertag PhD(c), Theology and Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University. (Executive)    Student Essay, Honorable Mention

(1:25 - 1:50 p.m.)
​Pain, Patience and Purpose: Judaic and Philosophical Reflections. Jonathan Crane, Raymond F. Schinazi Scholar in Bioethics and Jewish Thought at Emory University's Center for Ethics, and an Associate Professor of Medicine and Religion.  (Meeting Room A)

An Aesthetic Response: Job, Suffering, and the Rhetoric of Beauty​.  Alec Arnold, St. Louis University. (Meeting Room B)

“Physician, Heal Thyself”: Using Life Stories to Promote Physician Spiritual Well-Being.  John Yoon, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. (Jeffries)

Halal Medicine: Interpreting Islamic Law in Malaysia.  Noreen Sajwani, MS(c) International Health Policy Candidate at the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Pricing and Market Access Intern at Pfizer. (Executive) Student Essay, Honorable Mention

(1:50 - 2:15 p.m.)
Physicians and Clergy Grapple with Spiritual Pain as an Expression of Suffering in End-of-Life Care. Andy Achenbaum, PhD, Scholar in Residence at the Institute for Spirituality and Health in the Texas Medical Center. (Meeting Room A)

Fourth Century Conceptions of Suffering: A Look at John Chrysostom’s Homilies on the Psalms.  Amanda Berg, PhD student in Theology and Healthcare Ethics, Saint Louis University.  (Meeting Room B)

Indigenous Macro-Religious Healthcare Practices: Evidence of Lessons from the Use of Divination in Northern Ghana. Thomas Azongo, PhD, University for Development Studies, Tamale Campus, Ghana  (Jeffries)

Disorder and Beauty: Examining Psychiatry's Response to Personality Disorders. Michelle Bach, MD/PhD student in Healthcare Ethics, Saint Louis University.  (Executive)  Student Essay, Honorable Mention

Panels
(1:00 - 2:15 p.m.)
Rituals of Pain and Suffering Alleviation: Shrines of Muslim Saints as Healing Places.  Jan-e-Alam Khaki, PhD, Associate Professor of Education at the Aga Khan University’s (Karachi, Pakistan) Institute for Educational Development; and Nooruddin Punjwani, MD, Houston, Texas. (Meeting Room C)

Icons and a Faithful Response to Suffering: Compassion and Redemption. 
Panelists: 
Ana Iltis, PhD, Director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society and Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University
Fr. Christopher Foley, Holy Cross Orthodox, High Point, NC
Fr. James Guirguis, St. Raphael Orthodox Church, Fuquay-Varina, NC
John Kulits, MD, JD (Glaxo)
An1HNo

2:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. - Break

2:40 p.m. - 4:10 p.m. - Welcome and Plenary One (Ballroom)

Welcome --

Farr Curlin, MD, Duke University
         ​
"They Sat Down on the Ground with Him..."  Responding to Job's Suffering
Abdullah Antepli, DMin Candidate, Chief Representative of Muslim Affairs; Senior Fellow,             Duke Office of Civic Engagement, Duke University
Ellen F. Davis, MDiv, PhD, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity School
Laura Lieber, PhD, Professor of Religious Studies, Duke University

4:10 p.m. - 4:35 p.m. - Break

4:35 p.m. - 5:50 p.m. - Parallel Sessions

Papers
(4:35 - 5:00 p.m.)
Requests for Religious Concordance: Recognizing the Particular while Preserving the Professional. Jacob Blythe, MD Candidate, MA, Stanford University School of Medicine.  (Meeting Room B)

Between Atheism and Pseudo-Christianity: The Place of Religion in Russian Medicine and Education.  Dmitry Balalykin, DMS, DHS, N.A. Semashko National Research Institute of Public Health (Jeffries)

(4:35 - 5:10 p.m.)
Belonging in the Body: A Pastoral Theology of Lay Eucharistic Visitation and the Care of Persons with Dementia. Julia Powers, MDiv(c) and MSW(c) at Duke Divinity School and UNC School of Social Work. (Executive)  Student Essay Award Winner

(5:00 - 5:25 p.m.)
Physician as Priest.  Kristin Collier, MD, FACP, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan and Director of the University of Michigan Medical School Program on Health, Spirituality and Religion. (Meeting Room B)

Rural Faith Community Leaders and Mental Health Center Staff: Identifying Opportunities to Bridge the Gap.  Isaac Baldwin, Medical Student, University of Kansas School of Medicine (Jeffries)

(5:15 - 5:50 p.m.)
Philosophy and Literature in Conversation: Human Limitation and the Transcendent Good in Finite and Infinite Goods, Love's Knowledge, and "Cathedral". Emma McDonald, MA(c), Yale Divinity School (Executive) Student Essay Runner Up

​(5:25 - 5:50 p.m.)
Control and Community: The Role of Pain Narratives in Medical Training. Tyler Couch, Medical Student, Duke University School of Medicine (Meeting Room B)

The Rhythm of Attending: A Theological Consideration of Suffering and Narrative Theory. Eva Bleeker (Jeffries)

Panels
(4:35 - 5:50 p.m.)
Christology, Suffering, and Salvation: Reflections on Theology and Healthcare. 
Panelists: Joseph Lenow, PhD, Resident Assistant Professor of Theology, Creighton University;  Karina Robson, ThD(c), Duke Divinity School; Mandy Rodgers-Gates, ThD(c), Duke Divinity School. 
Respondent: Stanley Hauerwas, PhD, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law, Duke Divinity School. 
Moderator: Brett McCarty, ThD, St. Andrews Fellow in Theology and Science, Duke Divinity School (Meeting Room A)

Authors-Meet-Critics: Hostility to Hospitality - Spirituality and Professional Socialization within Medicine (Oxford 2019).  Co-Authors:  Michael Balboni, ThM, PhD (Harvard) and Tracy Balboni, MD, MPH (Harvard).  Critics:  Lydia Dugdale, MD, MAR (Yale), Dan Blazer, MD, PhD (Duke), Jonathan Crane, PhD (Emory), and Jonathan Imber, PhD (Wellsley). (Meeting Room C)
 
Finding Meaning in Suffering – Clinical and Pastoral Perspectives from an Interfaith Panel.  Rabbi Daniel Greyber; Chaplain Aaron Klink; and Asma Mobin-Uddin, MD, Pediatrician and Clinical Bioethicist, Ohio State University Center for Bioethics (Glaxo)

5:50 - 6:30 p.m. - Break

6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - Dinner Discussions at Area Restaurants (Sign-up at the Registration/Information Table)

6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - Shabbat Dinner (Pre-registration required.)

---

Saturday
March 30, 2019

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Registration/Information 

7:00 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. - Catholic Mass & Protestant Worship 

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. - Continental Breakfast (The Marketplace)

8:00 a.m. - 9:40 a.m. - Parallel Sessions

Papers
(8:00 - 8:25 a.m.)
Gladly to Weep: Death and Grief in St. Augustine’s Confessions. Jane Abbottsmith, MD/PhD student in the School of Medicine and the Department of Religious Studies, Yale University.  (Meeting Room A)

What Helps the Poor?  Augustine on Begging and Begging the Question.  Matthew Elmore, MA and ThD student in ethics and political theology at Duke Divinity School.  (Meeting Room B)

The Water and the Blood:  A Christian Ethic of Living Kidney Donation. Harrison Hines, MD, University of California, San Francisco  (Meeting Room C)

Not Me: Suffering, Religion, and Release in Central Uganda. China Scherz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Virginia.  (Jeffries)

 Applying Narrative Authority to Change Healthcare Practices to Protect the Rights and Dignity of Muslim Women. Fahmida Hossain, PhD student, Center for Healthcare Ethics, Duquesne University. (Executive)

Confessional Bioethics: How Do We Attend to Suffering We Are Responsible For? Steven Brodar, Medical Student, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (Glaxo)

​Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Hematology and Oncology Patients with Pain. Denise Hess, Executive Director of the Supportive Care Coalition - a partnership of Catholic health care ministries from across the United States.  (AT&T)

(8:25 - 8:50 a.m.)
Faith and Hope in Pain. Autumn Ridenour,  PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Religious and Theological Studies, Merrimack College. (Meeting Room A)

Disability, Enhancement and Flourishing.  Jason Eberl, PhD, Professor of Health Care Ethics, Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University. (Meeting Room B)

Life is Suffering:  Buddhist Pain as Both Friend and Foe. Sharisse Kanet, Wesleyan University. (Meeting Room C)

Pain, Suffering and Physician-Assisted Death: Oregon Hospice Responses. Courtney Campbell, PhD, Hundere Professor in Religion and Culture; and Hunter Davidson, graduate student in applied ethics, Oregon State University. (Jeffries)

The Sacrament of Pharmakon: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Ersatz Liturgy. Kimbell Kornu, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University and a practicing Palliative Care physician. (Executive)

Medical Students' Reflections on Discussing a Patient's Religious Issue. Cindy Schmidt, PhD, Director of Scholarly Activity and Faculty Development and Assistant Professor, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. (Glaxo)

​Faithful Responses to Suffering When Medical Assistance in Dying (euthanasia/assisted suicide) is Legal: A Canadian Catholic Health Care Experience. Christopher De Bono, PhD, Vice-President of Mission, People and Ethics at Providence Health Care. (AT&T)

(8:50 - 9:15 a.m.)
Modern Medicine and the Scandal of Suffering.  Lester Liao, MD,  MTS, Pediatric Resident, University of Alberta, Resident Lead of the Arts and Humanities in Health and Medicine Program and Resident Affiliate of the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre; Kianna Owen, BScN, RN; and Grey Nuns Hospital Dax G. Rumsey, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Assistant Professor, University of Alberta. (Meeting Room A)

Pain, Thresholds, and Holy Listening: Reframing Our Approach to Patients in Pain. Anna Wright (Meeting Room B)

“God in Annie Dillard’s ‘Coils of Absence’: Suffering and the Hope of Silence”. Lori Kanitz, PhD, Assistant Director of the Institute for Faith and Learning, Baylor University. (Meeting Room C)

Accompanying the Terminally Ill Infant: A Scripture-Based Art of Dying for Perinatal Hospice. Mariele Courtois, Ph.D. student in Moral Theology, Catholic University of America. (Jeffries)

The Thriving Physician: A Qualitative Study.  Benjamin Doolittle, MD, Residency Program Director, Yale's Combined Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program.  (Executive)

The Emmaus Project: Stories of Suffering and Healing through a Christian Lens — a Qualitative Study of Aging Seniors. Kathryn Thompson, Medical Student, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.  (Glaxo)

​The Greatest Suffering:  Bereavement from a Theological Perspective. John Graham, MD, DMin, President & CEO, Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center (AT&T)

(9:15 - 9:40 a.m.)
​Gratitude for Pain: a Narrative in Caring for Those Suffering and Tasting of the Same. Ryan Nash, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, Hagop Mekhjian, MD, Chair in Medical Ethics and Professionalism; and Director, The Ohio State University Center for Bioethics (Meeting Room A)

Theological and Clinical Wisdom for Responding to Pain That Will Not Go Away. Farr Curlin, MD, Josiah C. Trent Professor of Medical Humanities in the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine, and Co-Director of the Theology, Medicine and Culture Initiative at Duke Divinity School. (Meeting Room B)

On Learning to Be the Suffering Body: Illness, Faith and Christian Community. Aaron Klink, MAR, MDiv, ThM, Chaplain at Pruitt Hospice in Durham, North Carolina.  (Meeting Room C)

“In Pain You Shall Bring Forth Children…” – Theorizing Labor Pain and Analgesia. Amy DeBaets, PhD, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. (Jeffries)

Lament:  A Faithful Response in a Gap of Suffering.  Dove Jang PhD(c), Durham University, United Kingdom. (Executive)

"My Faith Accompanies Me and Serves to Ease My Pain": A Window into Islamic Spiritual Practices. Ferzana Mir, MD. (Glaxo)

“…O Fire Be Cool and Safe for Ibrahim”. Liaqat Ali, MD, Associate Professor of Urology; Institute of Kidney Diseases; and Saima Ali, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatric Medicine; Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, Pakistan. (AT&T)

9:40 a.m. - 10:05 a.m. - Break

10:05 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. - Plenary Two (Ballroom)

​Structural Racism and Health Disparities--Legacies of the Past, Challenges of the Future

Jeffrey Baker, MD, PhD, Director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History         of Medicine; Professor of Pediatrics and History, Duke Children's Primary Care, Duke           University
Patrick T. Smith, MDiv, PhD, Associate Research Professor of Theological Ethics and                      Bioethics; and Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute of Ethics, Duke University
​

​11:20 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Break

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Parallel Sessions

Papers
(11:45 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.)
“Self-Interpreting Animals”: Making Sense of Pain that Haunts. Daniel Kim, PhD(c) University of Chicago. (Meeting Room C)

“They Saw That His Suffering Was Very Great”: Beauty, Injury, and Seeing. John Brewer Eberly, Jr., MD, Fellow of the Theology, Medicine, & Culture Fellowship at Duke Divinity School and a researcher at the UNC School of Medicine Center for Women's Health Research in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Jeffries)

Carrying the Cross and Carrier Status.  Christopher Ostertag PhD(c), Theology and Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University. (AT&T)
​

(12:10 - 12:35 p.m.)
Resisting Eugenic Logic with Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.  Jaime Konerman-Sease, PhD(c), Health Care Ethics and Theology, Saint Louis University. (Meeting Room C)

Cystic Fibrosis: Suffering and Disease of Body, Mind, and Spirit. Mary Dell, MD, DMin, Nationwide Children's Hospital. (Jeffries)

The Problem of Presence.  Danielle Jameison, Medical Student, University of North Carolina and Theology, Medicine, & Culture Fellow at Duke Divinity School. (AT&T)

(12:35 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
Capacity and Limitation in Embryo Selection: A Narrative Analysis of Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" in Response to Julian Savulescu's "Procreative Beneficence". Emma McDonald,  MA(c) in Religion, Yale Divinity School. (Meeting Room C)

When Words Hurt. The Messages Judeo-Christian Faith Communities Give About Mental Suffering and How These Can Impact Acceptance of Mental Health Treatment. Anne Emmerich, MD, Associate Director, Department of Psychiatry Center for Diversity, and Staff Psychiatrist, Division of Primary Care Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital (Jeffries)

“Improving Healing Encounters by Addressing Physician Burnout: A study to Assess a Pastoral Care Approach for Physician-to-Physician Mentoring". Rachel Forbes Kaufman, MTh. (AT&T)

Panels
(11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
Is Suffering the Kiss of Jesus? Examining the Suffering Body, Death, and the Resurrection.  Matthew S. Vest, PhD, Assistant Director of Education Programs &  Instructor in the Division of Bioethics, Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Ohio State University. (Meeting Room A)

“If One Member Suffers…”: Responding Faithfully to Persons in Pain in Light of the Opioid Crisis.   Brett McCarty, ThD, St. Andrews Fellow in Theology and Science at Duke Divinity School; Joel Shuman, PhD, Professor of Theology at King's College; John Swinton, PhD, Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. (Meeting Room B)

To What Extent Does Religiosity or Spirituality Buffer the Impact of Suffering on Human Health? Results from Prospective Cohorts Participating in the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health. Dr. Alexandra Shields, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Senior Scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Director of the Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health; Dr. Blake Victor Kent, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard/MGH Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations, and Health Disparities; Ying Zhang, PhD, Senior Data Analyst at the Harvard/MGH Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations, and Health Disparities; Dr. Tyler J. VanderWeele is the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology in the Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Co-Director of the Initiative on Health, Religion and Spirituality, and Director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. (Glaxo)

Workshop
(11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)
Narrative Medicine as a Faithful Response to Suffering - An Introductory Workshop. Elizabeth Berger, MS, APBCC, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (Executive)

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. - Lunch and Speed Dating

​2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Parallel Sessions

Papers
(2:15 - 2:40 p.m.)
The Attention of Jesus: Understanding and Appreciating the Reality of Chronic Pain Patients. Emily Neison, Baylor University. (Meeting Room C)

Crossing the Bridge from Pediatric to Adult Medical Care - Suffering in Transition.  Mary Dell, MD, DMin, Nationwide Children's Hospital. (Jeffries)

Wounded Warriors: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Pain, and Religious Involvement in Veterans and Active Duty Military.  Chris Lea, Duke University. (AT&T)

(2:40 - 3:05 p.m.)
Preserving the Inaccessible: Natural Childbirth, Voluntary Pain, and Moral Agency. Travis Pickell, Lecturer and postdoctoral College Fellow at the University of Virginia; Sarah Gauche Pickell, MSN, CNL, University of Virginia Health Systems. (Meeting Room C)

Pain as a Reason and Presentation Among Urgent Palliative Radiation Oncology Consultations. Muhammad Fareed, clinical fellow in supportive and palliative radiation oncology, Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School. (Jeffries)

The Influence of an Experience-Based Religion and Spirituality Elective on Spiritual Competency. Lawrence Lin, Medical Student, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. (AT&T)

(3:05 - 3:30 p.m.)
Making Time for Stories: An Exploration in Buddhist Pastoral Dharmology.  Howard Ruan, MDiv Student, University of Chicago Divinity School.  (Meeting Room C)

Spirituality and Symptom Burden in Cancer Clinical Trials. Connie Ulrich, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor of Bioethics and Nursing in the Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. (Jeffries)

Acedia and Its Relation to Depression. Derek McAllister, PhD(c) , Philosophy, Baylor University. (AT&T)

Panels
(2:15 - 3:30 p.m.)
Virtue, Sacrament, and Mental Health Care: Religious Resources for Engaging Physical and Psychological Pain.  John R. Peteet, MD, Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Warren Kinghorn, MD, ThD, Duke University Divinity School; and Mena Mirhom MD. (Meeting Room A)

“Ask Me About My Uterus:” Theological Responses to Women’s Pain in Contemporary Western Medicine. Sarah J. Barton, MTS, MS, OTR/L Doctor of Theology Candidate, Duke Divinity School Henri Nouwen Fellow, Western Theological Seminary; Devan Stahl, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Ethics at Michigan State University; and Cathy Webb, MS, CCC-SLP PhD(c) Disability Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago.  (Meeting Room B)

The Cruciform Vulnerability of God – The Roles of Christian Congregations in Addressing Human Pains and Sufferings.  Rev. Dr. Victor Shepherd, ThD, Canadian Presbyterian minister and an Emeritus Professor of Theology at the Tyndale University College & Seminary in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Hyon Kim, MD, MTS, MPH, CCFP, palliative care physician, Global Director of People Development SIM International; W.L. Alan Fung, MD, ScD, FRCPC , attending psychiatrist and Medical Director of Research at the North York General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, Research Professor at the Tyndale University College & Seminary in Toronto, as well as a faculty member at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. (Executive)

​Can We Make Theological Sense of Suffering?  John Berkman, PhD, Professor of Moral Theology, University of Toronto; Stanley Hauerwas, PhD, DD, Duke University Divinity School (Glaxo)

3:30 p.m. - 3:55 p.m. - Break

3:55 p.m. - 5:10 p.m. - Parallel Sessions

​Papers
(3:55 - 4:20 p.m.)
Prayer, Holiness and Suffering.  Nicholas Shifrar. MA(c), University of Chicago.  (Meeting Room A)

Conscientious Objection in Medicine and Recent U.S. Supreme Court Cases.  Kevin Powell. (Meeting Room C)

(4:20 - 4:45 p.m.)
Suffering, Presence, and Advocacy: Lessons from Scripture.  Joshua R. Snyder, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Practice in Theological Ethics Boston College.  (Meeting Room A)

Turning to the Psalms to Understand and Care for the Suffering. Jonathan Wispe, M.D., Neonatology, Pediatrix Medical Group and the  Center for Bioethics, The Ohio State University.  (Meeting Room C)

(4:45 - 5:10 p.m.)
Becoming a Living Poem (Why Making Doctors Read Poetry Is Not Enough). Dillon Stull, MD(c),  Stanford University School of Medicine, and MA, Duke Divinity School (Meeting Room A)

At Cross Purposes? On the Use of "Bearing One’s Cross" in Christian Bioethics.  Tobias Winright, Associate Professor, Health Care Ethics and Theological Ethics, Saint Louis University. (Meeting Room C)

Panels
(3:55 - 5:10 p.m.)
The “Benedict-Francis Option” in Medicine? Christian Contemplative Practices as a Healing Balm for Physician Burnout.  John Yoon, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago, and Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. (Meeting Room B)

Vicarious Suffering: Physician, Heal Thyself?  Saloumeh Bozorgzadeh, PsyD, Sufi Psychology Association; Lynn E. Wilcox, PhD, California State Sacramento; Marjon Fariba, MD, Kaiser Permanente; Mohammad Sadoghi, PhD, University of California, Davis; and Faith Nouri, PhD, Texas Women's University.  (Jeffries)

Public Health and the Alleviation of Suffering: The Interface of Religion and Health
Panelists: Dr. Doug Oman, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Everett Worthington, Virginia Commonwealth University; and, Dr. Ellen Idler, Emory University Panel
Moderator: Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, Harvard University School of Public Health 
(Executive)

Do Ye Hear the Children Weeping? Responding to Childhood Suffering at the Intersection of Clinical Practice and Christian Theology.  
Panelists:  Ryan Antiel, MD, MSME, Resident in General Surgery Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Fellow in Pediatric Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 2019-2021; Sarah Jean Barton, MTS, MS, OTR/L Doctor of Theology Candidate, Duke Divinity School Henri Nouwen Fellow, Western Theological Seminary; and, Stanley Hauerwas, PhD, DD, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law, Duke University  
Moderator: Tyler Tate, MD, MA, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Attending Physician, Pediatric and Adult Palliative Care Senior Scholar, Center for Healthcare Ethics Oregon Health and Science University
(Glaxo)

Workshop
(3:55 - 5:10 p.m.)
​Tell Me Where It Hurts: The Role of Chaplains in Addressing Chronic Pain and Grief.   Reverend Doctor Elizabeth Hulford, DMin, BCC; and Chaplain Alyssa Foll, MA, AMITA Health 
(AT&T)

5:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Break

 5:30 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. - Plenary Session Three (Ballroom)

Suffering, Medicine and Mental Health Challenges: Roles, Limits and New Possibilities

Rev. Professor John Swinton, Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, School of           Divinity, History and Philosophy, King's College, University of Aberdeen
Samaiya Mushtaq, MD, UT Southwestern

6:45 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. - Reception and Poster Session (Ballroom)

Posters:  

Bedside Prayers for the Suffering: A Multifaith Resource for Caregivers.  Mary Dell, MD, DMin, Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Chaplain Integration of Whole Health to Reduce Pain in Veterans. Patricia Roberts, MDiv, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

Doctrine of Suffering: The Intersection Between Physical, Mental and Spiritual Suffering. Priscilla Mondt, MDiv, PhD, LAC. 

End of Life Care in Urocancers: A Qualitative Study at Institute of Kidney Disease Peshawar Pakistan.  Liaqat Ali, MD, Saima Ali, MD, and Nasir Orakzai.

Experience of Chaplains in Dealing with Chronic Pain in the VA and Military Populations.  Hira Silat, MD; Jason Nieuwsma, PhD; George Jackson, PhD, MPH; William Cantrell, MDiv, BCC; and Keith Meador, MD, ThM, MPH.

Holy Eucharist- Transcending Suffering: A Phenomenological Reflection. Rosalinda Jiminez, EdD, RN, MSN, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Medicine's Need to Meet the Needs of A Soul.  Nicholas Shifrar, MDiv(c), University of Chicago.

Pain Experience and Spiritual Needs of Hospitalized Non-terminally Ill Oncology Patients: Lithuanian Experience.  Olga Riklikiene, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.

Pastoral Care Providers' Perceptions on Pain and Suffering in Hospitalized Non-terminally Ill Oncology Patients: Meaning and Assistance.  Olga Riklikiene on behalf of the co-authors: Lina Spirgienė, RN, PhD; and Lina Urbietė, RN, PhD(c); Lithuanian University of Health Sciences; and Laima Karosas, RN, PhD, Quinnipiac University.

Physicians’ Religious Characteristics and Their Perceptions of the Psychological Impact of Patient Prayer and Beliefs at the End of Life — A Qualitative Study. Kathryn P. Thompson, Medical Student, University of Chicago.

Religious Health Interventions in Behavioural Sciences (RHIBS): A Scientific Classification of Religious Practices in Health to Rigourise the Design and Evaluation of Interventions.  Riya Patel, PhD; Deborah Lycett, PhD; and Jonathon Jong, PhD., Coventry University.

Tell Me Where It Hurts: Assessing the Connections Between Grief and Chronic Pain in Outpatient Pain Clinics.  Alyssa M. Foll, Chaplain, Adventist Health System.

The Effects of Spirituality on Mental Well-Being and Chronic Kidney Disease Maintenance in Robeson County​.  Tony Pham, MD, Duke University.

“... We Didn’t know What Else to Do, Other Than Help Her Leave…”: A case Study and Analysis of Reported Racial Prejudice.  Lori-Jene Brazier, MDiv.

---

Sunday
March 31, 2019

7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Registration/Information 

7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. - Catholic Mass & Protestant Worship

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast (The Marketplace)

8:30 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. - Parallel Sessions

Papers
(8:30 - 8:55 a.m.)
Understanding ICU Physician and Nurse Perspectives on Providing Spiritual Care. Philip Choi, MD, MA, Assistant Professor in Internal Medicine, University of Michigan; Rev. Christina L. Wright, PhD, Chaplain, Michigan Medicine; Kristin M. Collier, MD, FACP, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine; and Christian K. Alch, MD, intern, University of Michigan Hospital System Internal Medicine program. (Meeting Room A)

Suffering Absence: The Challenges to a Hauerwausian View of Medical Practice for an Intern in 2018. Benjamin W. Frush, MD, MA, Resident, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. (Meeting Room B)

Catholicism, Contraception, & the Bottom Billion: A Grounded Theory Study of Family Planning & Global Poverty. Emily McCalley. (Meeting Room C)

The Battle to Conquer Suffering: The Inadequacy of War Metaphors.  Nancy G. Romer, MD, PhD(c) University of Dayton. (Jeffries)

Of Muftis and Metaphysics: Reviving Islamic Philosophical Discourse in Islamic Bioethics. Ruaim Muaygil, MD, MBE, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Care Ethics. College of Medicine, King Saud University Riyadh, Saud Arabia. (Glaxo)

(8:55 - 9:20 a.m.)
Corpore Mortis Huius: A Thomistic Grammar for Depression. Luke Olsen. (Meeting Room A)

What Does Disability Teach Us about Pain and Suffering?  Jason D. Whitt, PhD, MDiv, Institute for Faith and Learning, Baylor University. (Meeting Room B)

Bioethical Implications of CRISPER Gene Editing Technology:  Halachic Perspectives. Frank Lieberman, M.D., Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Medical Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Director, Adult Neurooncology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. (Meeting Room C)

Understanding and Resolving Suffering. Paul Chaloux, PhD(c) in moral theology, Catholic University of America. (Jeffries)

Suffering Unto Death – Untreated Psychosis on Death Row. Michael A. Norko MD, MAR, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine in the Law and Psychiatry Division; Director of Forensic Services for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Deputy Editor and Editor-Select of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. (Glaxo)

(9:20 - 9:45 a.m.)
Theology of the Body as a New Way of Understanding Human Experimentation. Jaroslaw Mikuczewski, SJ, Jesuit priest, PhD(c), Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University.  (Meeting Room A)

Pygmies and Astomi and Sciopods, Oh My!: Augustine, Disability, and the Resurrection.  Benjamin Parks, St. Louis University. (Meeting Room B)

Faith, Hope, Charity, and Pain.  Rev. William E. Stempsey, MD, PhD, SJ, Jesuit priest, Professor of Philosophy, College of the Holy Cross, and Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Medical School. (Meeting Room C)

"Rise up, Child": Responding to the Suffering of Children on the Oncology Ward Through the Lens of Mark's Gospel.  Jessica Shand, MD, MHS, University of Rochester Medical Center. (Jeffries)

Exploring the Range of Jewish Responses to Suffering.  Alan Astrow, MD,  Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology, New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Adjunct Professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
(Glaxo)

(9:45 - 10:10 a.m.)
The Rhetoric of Suffering in Bioethics. Jonathan B. Imber, PhD, Jean Glasscock Professor of Sociology, Wellesley College. (Meeting Room A)
 
War and Conscience: A Narrative and Dialogical Account. Adam Teitje, DMin, ThD Student, Duke Divinity School. (Meeting Room B)

“Playing God” to “Playing” God—A Latter-day Saint Retooling of a CRISPR Cliché. Bradley Thornock, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Rocky Vista University College of Medicine.  (Meeting Room C)

Relieving Pain: Aspects of Law, Medical Training, and Practice in Russia. Nataliya Shok, MA, Professor, Department of Social and Humanitarian Sciences, Privolzhsky Research Medical University. (Jeffries)

A Christian Response to Suffering: Movement from Presence to Action via Narrative. Jack Horton. (Glaxo)

Panel
(8:30 - 9:45 a.m.)
Suffering, Personhood, and Bio-medicine: Reflections from Across Disciplines
Panelists: Julie Kutac, MA, PhD, Professional Education and Research Specialist for the Alzheimer’s Association-Houston & Southeast Texas Chapter.
Peggy Determeyer, MBA, MDiv, PhD, BCC, McGee Fellow in Bioethics and Aging, Hope and Healing Center and Institute (HHCI).
Rimma Osipov, MD, PhD, third year resident in Internal Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. 
Jerome Crowder, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston.
Moderator:  Peggy Determeyer, MBA, MDiv, PhD, BCC.  
(Executive)

10:10 a.m. - 10:35 a.m. - Break

10:35 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.​​ - Parallel Sessions

Panels
(10:35 - 11:50 a.m.)
Holy Friendship - A Biblical Response to Pain and Addiction
Panelists: Roger Leonard, business advisor and social impact consultant with the Summit Companies, Bristol, TN, and President of the Holy Friendship Collaborative
Andrea Clements, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, and Executive Director of the Holy Friendship Collaborative
Becky Haas, Community Crime Prevention Coordinator, Johnson City Police Department, Johnson City, TN, and steering committee member and conference coordinator for the Holy Friendship Collaborative
(Meeting Room A)

Suffering, Autonomy and Dignity in Palliative Care and Medical Assistance in Dying
Panelists: 
Farr Curlin, MD, hospice and palliative care physician with joint appointments in the School of Medicine, including its Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine, and in Duke Divinity School, including its Initiative on Theology, Medicine and Culture.
Brandy M. Fox, PhD student, Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. 
Caitlin O’Donnell, PhD(c), University of Waterloo, Ontario. 
Andrew Stumpf, PhD, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Ontario, and doctoral candidate in Theological Ethics at St. Michael’s College, Toronto, Ontario. 
Moderator:
John Yoon, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Assistant Director, Program on Medicine and Religion, University of Chicago.  (Jeffries)

Promoting Mental Health in Muslim Communities in Canada – Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions
Panelists: Arfeen Malick, MD, PGY5 Psychiatry Resident Physician, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. 
Ms. Saamiyah Ali-Mohammed, MPH,  Donor Relations and Program Manager at UOSSM-CANADA (Union of Medical Relief Organizations).  
W.L. Alan Fung, MD, ScD, FRCPC , psychiatrist and Medical Director of Research at the North York General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, and Research Professor at the Tyndale University College & Seminary in Toronto.Moderator:  Alan Fung, MD, ScD, FRCPC  (Executive)


"This is My Body": Perspectives on Disability, Community, and the Healing Arts
Luke Olsen is a graduate student at Duke Divinity School (MDiv, 2020) and a former Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellow. Before beginning at Duke, Luke worked at Reality Ministries, a non-profit for people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. 
Sloan Meek is a musician and activist who lives in Durham, NC. Together with Wendy, Sloan speaks about living with cerebral palsy. He is active at Reality Ministries and in the broader Durham community. 
Wendy Lincicome is an artist who lives with Sloan. Wendy has been Sloan's friend and caregiver for over 20 years. She is active in the North Street Neighborhood, an intentional community for people with and without disabilities. 
Brian Engelhardt, MA is a first year medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Prior to starting at VCU, Brian was a Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellow at Duke University and a Reality Fellow at Reality Ministries.
Benjamin W. Frush, MD, MA, resident at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, specializing in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. While in medical school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Ben was a Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellow at Duke University. (Glaxo)

Workshops
(10:35 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.)
Nurturing Family Conference Competence and Confidence: When Physical and Emotional Suffering are Complicated by Spiritual Dissonance.  F. Keith Stirewalt, PA-C, MBA, MDiv, Chaplain for Clinical Engagement, Wake Forest Baptist Health. Erich J. Grant MMS, PA-C, PA and faculty member, Wake Forest School of Medicine. (Meeting Room B)

Islam and Healthcare Needs for the Muslim Patient.   Ahmed Abdelmageed, Assistant Dean of Student, Alumni and Community Engagement, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice College of Pharmacy, Natural and Health Sciences, Manchester University.  (Meeting Room C)

​11:50 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Break

                                                              12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m.  - Conference's Concluding Comments

*Jewish and Muslim prayer rooms will be available for use throughout the conference. 

**Schedule is subject to change