A Conversation with Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, DSc (hon), FASTMH, FAAP
This plenary session features an in-depth public conversation between Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and Stuart Nelson, President & CEO of the Institute for Spirituality and Health, exploring the moral, spiritual, and civic dimensions of scientific vocation in an age of profound polarization. Drawing on Dr. Hotez’s work in vaccine development, global health, and science advocacy, the dialogue will examine the concept of “Science Tikkun,” the repair of a fractured world through scientific knowledge ordered toward compassion, justice, and the common good.
Together, the speakers will reflect on the intersections of faith and medicine, the ethical responsibilities of scientists and clinicians, and the personal costs of public leadership. Dr. Hotez will share reflections on his experiences as a national leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, including moments of moral courage, public misunderstanding, and becoming the target of organized hate. The conversation will also explore how religious traditions, spiritual practices, and communities of meaning can sustain those engaged in high-stakes scientific and medical work, particularly amid burnout, mistrust, and cultural conflict.
This session invites participants to consider how science and spirituality might together heal not only bodies, but social fabric; how truth-telling can be both rigorous and humane; and how medicine can serve as a form of public witness grounded in humility, hope, and repair.
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Prof. Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc (hon) FAAP FASTMH is Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine. He is also University Professor of Biology at Baylor University, Senior Fellow in Disease and Humanity at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Dr. Hotez is a vaccine scientist, biochemist, and pediatrician who has led or co-led the development of vaccines for parasitic infections-hookworm, schistosomiasis, Chagas disease-currently in clinical trials, and several coronavirus vaccines, including two low-cost COVID vaccines for global health so far administered to 100 million children and adults in India and Indonesia. He is also an ardent vaccine advocate and science explainer who combats antiscience and antisemitism in America, and globally.
Together, the speakers will reflect on the intersections of faith and medicine, the ethical responsibilities of scientists and clinicians, and the personal costs of public leadership. Dr. Hotez will share reflections on his experiences as a national leader during the COVID-19 pandemic, including moments of moral courage, public misunderstanding, and becoming the target of organized hate. The conversation will also explore how religious traditions, spiritual practices, and communities of meaning can sustain those engaged in high-stakes scientific and medical work, particularly amid burnout, mistrust, and cultural conflict.
This session invites participants to consider how science and spirituality might together heal not only bodies, but social fabric; how truth-telling can be both rigorous and humane; and how medicine can serve as a form of public witness grounded in humility, hope, and repair.
_____________________________
Prof. Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc (hon) FAAP FASTMH is Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine. He is also University Professor of Biology at Baylor University, Senior Fellow in Disease and Humanity at the James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Dr. Hotez is a vaccine scientist, biochemist, and pediatrician who has led or co-led the development of vaccines for parasitic infections-hookworm, schistosomiasis, Chagas disease-currently in clinical trials, and several coronavirus vaccines, including two low-cost COVID vaccines for global health so far administered to 100 million children and adults in India and Indonesia. He is also an ardent vaccine advocate and science explainer who combats antiscience and antisemitism in America, and globally.