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2026 Conference on Medicine and Religion

Conference Schedule   

Monday
March 23, 2026

​As of 3/5/26

 6:30 a.m. - Morning Run with Abraham Nussbaum, MD (Meet at Registration Table)


7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.: Services -- Catholic (Concorde A), Jewish, Muslim and Protestant (Concorde C); Light Morning Movement (Galleria C)
​7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Continental Breakfast (Ballroom BC)
"Meet the Professor" gatherings, where a more senior leader in the field welcomes others to join him/her at breakfast to discuss items pertaining to medicine and religion. 
​
​"Meet with an Author", where a recently published book related to religion and medicine can be discussed with the author at breakfast.  

Ekaterina N. Lomperis,  PhD, "The 
Reformations of Medicine: Early Modern Beginnings and Contemporary Possibilities" (Fortress Press, 2025).

Aasim I. Padela, MD, MSc, FACEP, "Bridging Bioscience and Islam: Engaging Big Questions about the Human Being" (Palgrave Macmillan Cham, 2026)

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Contemplative Room (Galleria C)

8:30 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.:  Paper Presentations and Workshops
​
Workshops

(8:30 - 9:20 a.m.)
Naming the Wounds: The Role of Poetic Lament in Medicine
Kelly Chittenden, PhD, Baylor University
Concorde C

(9:20 - 10:10 a.m.)
​Sounding Hope: Music, Presence, and the Prophetic Imagination in Medicine and Ministry
Neha Shaw, Duke Divinity School, Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellowship 
Concorde C

Papers
(8:30 - 8:55 a.m.)
Sacred Hesitance: A Theology of Facial Disfigurement
Monica Bodd, Stanford Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Director's

Beyond ‘Imposter Syndrome’: Reframing Self-Doubt in Medicine
C. Phifer Nicholson Jr., University of California, Los Angeles, Mary Brandt, and Holland Kaplan, Baylor College of Medicine
Blvd

Infertility and Faith: Muslim Women's Experiences, Religiosity, and Ethical Decision-Making on Assisted Reproductive Technology in Southern California
Huma Manjra, and Gery Ryan, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Post Oak

“Have Healthy Babies”: Healing, Wholeness, and the Ethics of Preimplantation Whole Genome Sequencing
Mary Elise Davison, Dell Children's Clinical Genetics
Forum

Grappling with Vulnerability: MacIntyre in the Jiujitsu Gym and the Bedside
Peter Katz, University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University
​Concorde A

The Medicine of Meaning: Chronic Pain, the Limits of Cure, and the Spirit’s Work in Prayer
J. Todd Billings, Western Theological Seminary
Concorde B

Papers
(8:55 - 9:20 a.m.)
The Neglected Soul: Ancient Monastic Teachings on Depression for the Modern World
Daniel Ibraheem, Yale School of Medicine, and Andreh Labib, Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Director's

Sacred Encounters in Clinical Training: Medical Student Reflections After Shadowing a Board-Certified Chaplain
Tiffany Racataian, Ja Tsun, Amy Hayton, MD, and Paige Stevens, MD, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Blvd

Embedding Compassion in Clinical Systems: The Ramadan Care Pathway as a Model for Faith-Concordant Healing
Layla Al-Zubi, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Law School, Sara Al-Zubi, Massachusetts General Hospital, Zarin Rahman and Abd-Al-Rahman Trabousli, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Eesha Irfanullah and Iman Moawad, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Nora Abo-Sido, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Post Oak

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment: A Christian Approach to Clinical Ethics Consultation 
Adam Omelianchuk, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital
Forum

The Healer's Art: Stained-Glass at the Intersection of Faith and Medicine
Andrew Kim, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, Lawndale Christian Health Center, Lindsay Mahler, Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, Lawndale Christian Health Center
Concorde A

Caring for Some Body: The Pursuit of Mental Health in the Health of the Body
Joshua Briscoe, Duke University School of Medicine
Concorde B

Papers
(9:20 - 9:45 a.m.)
Religious and Spiritual Correlates of Mental Health in a Sample of 31,854 U.S. Adults
Aravind Sreeram, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sean Tackett, Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and Margaret Chisolm and Khalid Elzamzamy, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Director's

The Web of Identity: Reframing Identity and Moral Obligation in Demenita Care
Luke Batt, The Ohio State University 
Blvd

Historical and Contextual Analysis of the Prophetic Voice of Healing from the Muslim Tradition 
Wassim Hassan, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Endeavor Health Northshore Hospital
Darul Qasim College, Akbar Ali, MD, Endeavor Health, Darul Qasim College, Samer Wahood, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Darul Qasim College, Abid Haseeb, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Darul Qasim College, and Mohammed Amin Kholwadia, Darul Qasim College

Post Oak

Anabaptists and Gelassenheit:  An Anabaptist Perspective on Organ Retrieval and Donation
Michael Sauder, MD, MPH, Saint Louis University

Forum

Exile and Altar: Poetry and Photography as Reimagination at a Community Health Center
Jesse McCurdy, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Lawndale Christian Health Center, and Bernardo Barrios, Lawndale Christian Health Center
Concorde A

Supplementing the Title “Great Physician” in Christian Prayers for Healing
Drew Craddock, Baylor University
Concorde B

Papers
(9:45 - 10:10 a.m.)
The Medicalization of Alzheimer’s Disease: Promises and Limitations from a Geriatrician’s Perspective 
Emmy Yang, University of North Carolina Hospitals
Director's

Prophetic Hope in an Age of False Promises for "Eternal" Life
Andrea Thornton, Bon Secours Mercy Health
Blvd

The Prophetic Voice in Practice: Du’a (supplication) and Quran Recitation as Primary Healing Modalities
Omar Hussain, Pulmonary Medicine Associates, Darul Qasim College, Yasir Akhtar, Tennessee Heart Clinic, Darul Qasim College, Asim Babar, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Medical Center, Darul Qasim College, Ahsan Arozullah, MD, Darul Qasim College, Umar Shakur, Darul Qasim College, Akbar Ali, MD, Darul Qasim College, Endeavor Health, Mohammed Amin Kholwadia, Darul Qasim College 
Post Oak

Team Based Spirituality: Impact of a Spiritual Care Curriculum on Healthcare Team Member Spiritual Care Competency and Well-Being
Hannah Beaven, Indiana University School of Medicine, Csaba Szilagyi, Rush University College of Health Sciences, Anastasia Holman, DMin, MDiv, MBA, BCC, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University Health, The Daniel F. Evans Center at Indiana University Health, Mona Raed, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, The Daniel F. Evans Center at Indiana University Health, 
Community Health Network, James Slaven, Indiana University Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Emily Burke, Regenstrief Institute, Abimbola Akinrinmade, The Daniel F. Evans Center at Indiana University Health, Regenstrief Institute, Alexia Torke, Indiana University School of Medicine, 
The Daniel F. Evans Center at Indiana University Health, Regenstrief Institute, Shelley Varner Perez, Indiana University Health, The Daniel F. Evans Center at Indiana University Health, Gary Mann, Indiana University School of Medicine, Chaman Kumar, Indiana University School of Medicine, and Alex Lion,
Indiana University School of Medicine, The Daniel F. Evans Center at Indiana University Health, Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health

Forum

Healing With Imagination: Jesuit Contemplation in Action for Medicine Today
Jaroslaw Mikuczewski, Loyola University Chicago, Ignatianum Univeristy Krakow
Concorde A

Medicalization Still Undermining Health and Vocation: Illich's Medical Nemesis at 50 Years
Farr Curlin, MD, Duke University
Concorde B

10:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.: Break

10:30 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.:  Welcome, Plenary Session and Music  (Ballroom BC)
       "A Conversation with Dr. Peter Hotez"

                                Music performed by Riyaaz Qawwali

12:10 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Lunch (Ballroom BC)
"Meet the Professor" gatherings, where a more senior leader in the field welcomes others to join him/her at lunch to discuss items pertaining to medicine and religion. 

"Meet with an Author", where a recently published book related to religion and medicine can be discussed with the author at lunch. 

Nathan Carlin, PhD., "The Secularization of Medicine: Ritual, Salvation & Prophecy" (Oxford University Press, 2025)

Jesse McCurdy and Bernardo Barrios, "Exile and Altar: Poems for Lawndale" 


Healing Arts 1:00 - 4:20 p.m.

Maker Space Studio: Calligraphy Breaks 1:00 - 4:20 p.m.
Conference participants are invited into an open, drop-in creative space for reflection, connection, and self-care. Using calligraphy, writing across cultures, and shared mapping practices, participants can explore how their own prophetic voice takes shape through mark-making. No prior art experience is required. The studio welcomes quiet participation, conversation, and return visits as part of a personal rhythm of rest and reflection during the conference. The Houston Health Museum
Westheimer


Prophetic Voice Studio Session: Corn Husk Flowers & Altars 2:40 - 3:55 p.m.
Drawing from Latinx altar-making traditions, this hands-on speaker session invites participants to create corn husk dolls and symbolic floral offerings that honor ancestors, memory, and life transitions. Together we will explore the spiritual symbolism of husks, seeds, and dried goods as vessels of protection, nourishment, and prophetic continuity. Participants may work individually on flowers while contributing to a shared altar. A brief guided meditation and lecture will open the session, followed by creative play and reflection. The Houston Health Museum

Materials include: Corn husks, rubber bands, floral wire, natural found materials, hot glue
Westheimer

1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.: Panel and Paper Presentations 
Panels 

Those Who Sow Weeping: Examining Creative Acts of Lament as the Requirement of an Afflicted State 
Moderator: John Brewer Eberly, Jr. MD, MA, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Panelists: Brian Peacock, MMS, PA-C, (Representing Planting Sequoias and Parallel Charts), Rachel Moorman, MMS, PA-C, (Representing Wake Forest Narrative Medicine Certificate Program) and Ethan Stonerook, MS, MMS, PA-C, (Representing the Department of Medical Humanities at the Journal of the American Academy of PAs) 

Director's

Prophecy Amidst Polarization: Evaluating the Role of Religious Language in Bioethics
Farr Curlin, MD, Duke, Abram Brummett, PhD, HEC-C, Oakland University, Jason Eberl, PhD, Saint Louis University, Brett McCarty, ThD, MDiv, Duke, and Cat Tran, Duke 
Blvd

A Muslim Perspective on Using the Prophetic Voice to Address Moral Injury in Medicine
Yasir Akhtar, Tennessee Heart Clinic, Darul Qasim College, Umar Shakur, Insight Hospital and Medical Center, Darul Qasim College, Asim Babar, Edward Hines, Jr., Darul Qasim College, Ahsan Arozullah, MD, Darul Qasim College, Omar Hussain, Advocate Health, Darul Qasim College, Akbar Ali, MD, Endeavor Health, Darul Qasim College, Mohammed Amin Kholwadia, Darul Qasim College​
Post Oak

The Prophetic Voice in the Operating Room and The Black Church: Speaking Truth and Healing as a Black Woman Surgeon and First Lady
Sonya Sloan MD, Institute for Spirituality and Health, The Luke Church, Timothy Sloan, MDiv, The Luke Church, and Angela Nunnery, MD, Baylor St. Luke's
Concorde B

Papers
(1:00 - 1:25 p.m.)
“Who Told You that You Were Naked?”: Sexual Shame and the Need for Theologically Informed Sexuality Education
Louise Adillon,  Duke Divinity School
Forum

A Sound Anthropology? Neuroendocrine Functions and Death by Neurological Criteria 
Samuel Berendes, Saint Louis University
Concorde A

Tending the Inward Light: A Quaker Medical Student’s Reflections on Spiritual Care After Clinical Pastoral Education
Quinlan Morrow, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Concorde C

(1:25 - 1:50 p.m.)
Secular Pluralism and Clinical Authoritarianism
Andrew Baldassarre, Saint Louis University
Forum

Do Not Forget the Spirit: Exploring Pastoral Care Pedagogies in Medical Education
Audrey Zhou, Harvard Divinity School, Northwestern University
Concorde A

Palliative Care as Prophetic Work: A Call to Action
Danielle Gilchrist, Temple University Health System, Arika Moore Patneaude, Bioethics, Palliative Care, and Journey Grief Support Programs,Seattle Children's Hospital, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics & Palliative Care, Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute,  University of Washington School of Social Work, and Luke Mosley, Division of Bioethics & Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics & Palliative Care, Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute
Concorde C

(1:50 - 2:15 p.m.)
Theological Dimensions of Trauma Recovery: Clinical Implications for Restoring the Sacred Self
Deborah Y. Park and John R. Peteet, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Forum

A Time To Dance: Improvising the Art of Human Connection in Medicine
Madeline Erwich, Duke Divinity School, University of South Florida College of Medicine 
Concorde A

Strangers in a Foreign Land: Food’s Prophetic Role in Identity-formation, Memory, Meaning-Making, and Hope in Ancient and Contemporary Contexts
Victoria Yunez Behm, MS, MTS, Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Concorde C

​2:15 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.: Break

2:40 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.: Panel and Paper Presentations
Panels
​
"Reformations in Medicine" in Interdisciplinary Perspectives  
Ekaterina Lomperis, PhD, Devan Stahl, PhD, Emilie Cunningham, and Chad Thompson, MD, Baylor University
Director's

The Prophetic Work of Curriculum: Creativity, Compassion, and Healing in the Formation of Physicians 
Adam Baruch, MD, University of Michigan Medical School, Kimbell Kornu, MD, PhD, Belmont University and Zane Yi, PhD, Loma Linda University
Blvd

Empowering Prophetic Physicians: Three Creative Calls for Medical Humanities
Marianne Florian, PhD, McGovern Medical School, Institute for Spirituality and Health, Mary Horton, and Nathan Carlin, PhD, McGovern Medical School
Post Oak

Papers
(2:40 - 3:05 p.m.)
Women Healers in Islamic History: Recovering the Moral Foundations of Medicine
Ruaim Muaygil, King Saud University
Forum

The Communal Obligation to Provide Access to Healthcare in the Jewish Tradition
Noam Stadlan, MD, 
Endeavor Healthcare, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Chicago
Concorde A

Student Essay - Second Runner Up

Reinterpreting Medicine: Critical Engagement with Medicine’s Technological Hermeneutic
Isaac Korver, MTS/MD Candidate, Duke Divinity School, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Concorde B

The New Z Code for Moral Problems: What Can it Add?
John Peteet, MD, Harvard Medical School
Concorde C

Papers
​3:05 - 3:30 p.m.)
llness as Mercy: Said Nursi’s Theology of Healing in Remedies for the Sick
Asuman Celik, Stevens Institute of Technology, Peace Islands New York
Forum

“A Grieving Ritual Following Termination of Pregnancy”: Ritual at the Intersection of Jewish Healing, Women’s Leadership, and Abortion Politics in Conservative Judaism
Rachel Florman, Harvard Divinity School
Concorde A

Student Essay - First Runner Up
Buenos Días Asclepius: A Commentary on Nichole Flores’ Hermeneutic of Justice Applied to Healthcare
Charles Love, St. Louis University
Concorde B

"Prophetic Voice and Accompaniment in Professional Spaces?"
​Jesse Perillo, DePaul University
Concorde C

Papers
(3:30 - 3:55 p.m.)

Forum

Artificial Wombs Create Individuals
Joel Cox, Saint Louis University
Concorde A

Student Essay Award Winner
Disability Friendship as Prophetic Witness for Medical Trainees  
Hannah King, Duke Divinity School
Concorde B

Identifying and Characterizing Sacred Moments between Mentors and Mentees in Academic Medicine
Martha Quinn, MPH, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Patient Safety Enhancement Program, University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs (VA) Ann Arbor Healthcare System,  Jessica Ameling, MPH, and Rachel Ehrlinger, BA, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School,
Patient Safety Enhancement Program, University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs (VA) Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Molly Harrod, PhD, Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Patient Safety Enhancement Program, University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs (VA) Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Nathan Houchens, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Patient Safety Enhancement Program, University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs (VA) Ann Arbor Healthcare System, and Sanjay Saint, MD, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Patient Safety Enhancement Program, University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs (VA) Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System

Concorde C

3:55 p.m. - 4:20 p.m.: Break

4:20 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.: ​Plenary Session and Music (Ballroom BC)

                     "Profession, Prophesy, and Healing" 
                         Daniel P. Sulmasy, MD, PhD, Georgetown University

Recipient of the H. Tristram Engelhardt Award for "Provocative Voice in Bioethics, Calling Us to Consider Foundations"| Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities, OSU College of Medicine 

Music performed
 by Leona Daniels & Min. Leon C. Lewis, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church

5:50 p.m. - 6:50 p.m.: Poster Session and Reception (Ballroom A)

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: Group Dinners (Sign-up at Registration)

9:30 - 10:30 p.m.: Sound Bath Experience