Creating Space for the Sacred in Care of the Sick: Can Medicine and Religion Co-exist?
Peggy Determeyer, PhD, MDiv, MBA, BCC, HEC-C, Hope and Healing Center & Institute
Susan Gaeta, MD, Asst. Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center
In this workshop, the presenters will use the perspectives of a physician who has made it a priority to focus on the psychosocial aspect of patient care while addressing the physiological aspects of the patients she encounters as a physician at a world-renowned cancer center, and a chaplain, also trained as an ethicist, who counsels community members on aging and health care issues and has developed a community ethics consultation service, to consider some of the challenges of modern medicine and the incorporation of the sacred space.
We will address the questions using case studies that are drawn from the presenters’ experiences, with encouragement for audience participation.
- Do elements of modern medicine prevent creating a sacred space?
- What has been the role of the major religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) in supporting the creation of a sacred space in light of modern medicine?
- What additional paradigm shifts/considerations need to be incorporated during a pandemic?
We will address the questions using case studies that are drawn from the presenters’ experiences, with encouragement for audience participation.