Conference Schedule   

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Tuesday
April 8, 2025

7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.: Services -- Catholic (Capistrano), Jewish (San Felipe), Muslim (San Carlos), and Protestant (Viejo)
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7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Continental Breakfast (East Galleria)
"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. 

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

8:30 a.m. - 8:55 a.m.
From Hostis to Hospes: Integrating Hospitality into the Care Continuum (Capistrano)
Rafael Flores, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, Baton Rouge, LA

Nurturing Hope and Healing for People and Land: A Qualitative Study of Indigenous Christianity, Care for ‘āina (Land), and Health in Hawaii (Laguna)
Kalei Hosaka, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; and Martina Kamaka,
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI

In Defense of Irreligious Bioethics, Part Two (Viejo)
Abram Brummett, PhD, HED-C, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI; Jason Eberl, PhD, Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO; and Matthew Shea, PhD, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, OH

“The Foot is Gangrenous but Always Able to Run to God:” Diseased, Disabled, and yet Deified (Monarch Bay)
Lindsey Johnson Edwards, BA, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

Applying Islamic Values to Standards of Care During Pregnancy and Beyond (China Cove)
Deena Kishawi, Brown University, Providence, RI, Darul Qasim College, Glendale Heights, IL; Akbar Ali, Endeavor Health, Evanston, IL, Darul Qasim College, Glendale Heights, IL; and Shaykh Mohammed Kholwadia, Darul Qasim College, Glendale Heights, IL

Towards a Contextual Virtue Ethics of Medical Displacement (Catalina)
Caterina Baffa, Boston College, Newton, MA

“The Whole Truth”: a Narrative Exploration of Black Motherhood in Crisis Pregnancies (Mark 5:25-34) (Lido Room)
Bernadette Ebri, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC

8:55 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.
Perceived Changes of Providers’ Religious and/or Spiritual Beliefs Over Their Medical Careers (Capistrano)
Christopher Ho Kim, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics, Washington, D.C. and Kim Overby, MD, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Residency as Monastic Practice: Insights from Thomas Merton's Contemplative Framework (Laguna)
Alissa Arango, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC​

A Hylomorphic Theory of Disease  (Viejo)
Andre Chavez, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO

The Discontinuous Self: A Christian Ontology of Personhood for Dementia Care (Monarch Bay)
Adam Bedford, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

Empowering and Nurturing Muslims in End-of-Life Care through Mutual Enrichment of Islamic Ethics and Secular Healthcare (China Cove)
Hirra Rafi, MS, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

The Appalachian Church Response to Hurricane Helene; Where is the Response to the Storm of Addiction? (Catalina)
Andrea Clements, PhD, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN,
Uplift Appalachia, Johnson City, TN and Tanner Clements, MDiv, Uplift Appalachia, Johnson City, TN

Cultivating Hope for Patients with Chronic Pain: A Look into Pauline and Early Christian Teachings (on Suffering with Christ) (Lido Room)
Helen Rhee, PhD, MDiv, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA

9:20 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Reimagining Hope and Healing at the Margins: A Womanist Approach to Collaborative Care for Black Women  (Capistrano)
Lisa Robinson, EdD, MDiv, MBA, MSW, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC

From Adverse Childhood Experiences to Ecological Awareness: Building Resilience through Nature’s Wisdom (Laguna)
Devon Gingrich, BA, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI

Sharing Spiritual Disciplines: Strengthening Patient-Practitioner Relationships through Spiritual Practices as Ways of Companionship (Viejo)
Andrew Kim, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL

Luther's Doctrine of Vocation and the Shape of Pluralistic Societies (Monarch Bay)
Martin Fitzgerald, PhD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Harm Reduction and Substance Use Through an Islamic Ethico-Legal Lens (China Cove)
Nasir Malim, Montefiore/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY

Bear with the Complexity: Perspective from Nursing Theory and Christianity through the Lens of an Oncology Nurse Practitioner (Catalina)
Nadine Cline, MSN, AOCNP, ACHPN, IU Health Arnett, Lafayette, IN

Yes, In God’s Backyard: Faith Communities’ Responses to Homelessness in Los Angeles (Lido Room)
Jennifer Tu, UCLA Psychiatry, Los Angeles,  CA

​9:45 a.m. - 10:10 a.m.
Integrating Medical and Spiritual Frameworks for Health Ministries in African-American Communities to Address Leading Health Disparities (Capistrano)
Sonya Sloan, MD, Institute for Spirituality and Health, Houston, TX

Spiritual Health Is Community Health: A Theological and Environmental Exploration of the Role of Community in Spiritual Health and Spiritual Care (Laguna)
Quinlan Morrow,  Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, Loma Linda University School of Religion, Loma Linda, CA

The Pilgrim's Progress or Regress? The Case of Transhumanism and Deification (Viejo)
Kimbell Kornu, MD, PhD, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

Moral Residue, Sin, Death, and the Practice of Medicine (Monarch Bay)
Julie Gunby, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO

End-of-Life Medical Decision-Making in the Muslim American Community: Understanding Beliefs and Practices around Disclosure of Illness, Surrogate Identification and Use of Advance Directives (China Cove)
Asma Mobin-Uddin, MD, MA, FAAP, Ramona Olvera, and Anneliese Sinclair, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH; Mehrunnisa Khanzada and Nooralhuda Alhashim,  The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Janet E. Childerhose, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH; and Muhammad Afzal and Mahmoud Abdel-Rasoul, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH

The Prodigal Effect: Harm Reduction, Abstinence, and the Transactional Model in Christian Faith Communities (Catalina)
Caralyn Ware, BS, MDiv student, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO

Mere Healers: What Medical Training is For and Why it Matters (Lido Room)
Farr Curlin, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC 
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10:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.: Break

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Plenary Session  
"Navigating Surfaces and Voices in the Diagnostic Journey: Disability and the Work of Listening" 
(Santa Ana/Costa Mesa)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Lunch (Santa Ana/Costa Mesa)

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

Panels
Medical Students Engage with Local Community Needs: A Model for Service Learning (Monarch Bay)
Danielle Liu, Katya Hanessian, Hyun Ah Park, Jayde Frederick, and Amy Hayton, M.D., Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA

Reconciled and Redeemed: The Voices of Angela House, A Transitional Living Facility for Formerly Incarcerated Women (China Cove)
Phylliss Chappell, MD, MS, FAAHPM, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX and Valencia Lewis, The Angela House, Houston, TX

Papers
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1:00 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.
Common Bodies: Pluralism, Embodiment, and Secular Religious Practice at the End of Life (Capistrano)
Peter Katz, PhD, MA, FHEA, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA

“We Must Compete With Angels in Goodness”: Translating a Theist’s Account of Flourishing in Medicine (Laguna)
Sami Ahmad, Pittsburgh, PAU

Using Informal Conversations to Understand Rural Appalachian Faith Community Engagement in Addressing Addiction (Viejo)
Andrea Clements, PhD, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, Uplift Appalachia, Johnson City, TN, Mary Jo Hedrick, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN

With God in the Storm: Hospice Chaplaincy for Patients With Mental Health Challenges (Catalina)
Aaron Klink, MAR, MDiv, ThM, Pruitt Hospice, Durham, NC

Care From the Margins: Restoring Embodiment in Pre-Medical Formation through the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Role (Lido Room)
Lily Weir, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC

1:25 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Neither Petri Dish Nor Statistic: Keeping the Personal and the Political in Health Care and Public Health (Capistrano)
Brett McCarty, MDiv, ThD, Duke University, Durham, NC

Associations Between Feelings of Loneliness and the Type of Social Media Use Among Christian College Students: Mixed Methods Study (Laguna)
Andrei Sigunov, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

Health Care Unions and Christian Discipleship (Viejo)
Kendra McInturf, Providence Home Health, Portland, OR

"An Intern's Jacket Which Once Was White": Job, the Danger of Guiltlessness, and the 12 Steps (Catalina)
David Mathews, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY

Addict with a Capital A: On Constructing a Disability Model of Addiction (Lido Room)
Jackson McNeece, Baylor University, Waco, TX

1:50 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Nepantla Medicine as a Bridge of Hope in Hispanic/Latinx Communities: Lessons from Curanderismo for Expanding Holistic Care (Capistrano)
Saul Barcelo, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA
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Courageous Truth-Telling in the Care of the Dying (Laguna)
Micah Rojo, BSN, MTS, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC

Bridging Cultural and Ethical Gaps: The Role of Interpreters in Facilitating Hindu End-of-Life Decision-Making (Viejo)
Aigerim Aliakparova, MSc, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA​

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

2:40 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.: Panel, Workshop and Paper Presentations

Panels
A Conversation on a Conversation: How to Prepare, Engage, and Reflect on Whole Person Care Conversations with Patients (Monarch Bay)
Johnna Torres, Michael Zhang, Pedro Choque, Megan Ervin, Morgan Green, MD, and Andrew Wai, MD, MPH, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA

Spiritual but Not Religious: Learning to Care for the “Nones” through an Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (OSCE) (Catalina)
Nathan Asif, Joanne Lee, Joshua Oommen, Taylor Henry, Saul Barcelo, Leanna Lee, Amy Hayton, MD, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA

​Workshops
The Hidden Margin of Sexuality within the Clinic and the Church: Caring for the Body, Mind, and Soul of LGBTQ/SSA Christians on Side B (Viejo)
Micah Bucy, MD, Fort Walton Beach, FL and Mark Wells, MD, Columbus, OH

“What does the Lord Require?” (Micah 6:8): Christian Theological Perspectives in Global Health (China Cove)
Martha C. Carlough, MD, MPH, MA, Theology, Medicine and Culture Initiative,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC; D. Brendan Johnson, MD, MTS, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Rebecca A. Martin, MD, FAAFP, Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY; E. Parker Savage, BS, University of North Carolina School of Medicine,Theology, Medicine and Culture Fellow, Duke University, Durham, NC; and Giang Ha, MD, Theology, Medicine and Culture Fellow, Duke University, Durham, NC

Papers
2:40 p.m. - 3:05 p.m
A Theology of Narrative Medicine: The Power of Story in Bridging Clinical Practice and Christian Faith (Capistrano)  Student Essay - First Runner-up
Jesse McCurdy, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI

A Social Theory of Burnout For Intensive Care Unit Nurses (Laguna)
Joseph Peter Swindeman, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO
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3:05 p.m. - 3:30 p.m
The Hope for a Better Framework: Reworking Our Underlying Understanding of Community (Capistrano)
Ashley Yukihiro, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO

DARE to CARE: Bridging the Gap Between Faith & Health Through Community Food Pantries as Shared Resources (Laguna)
Michael Mickens, Norton Healthcare/New Life Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Louisville, KY

3:30 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.
Of Scalpels and Stethoscopes: Technology and the Plural Character of Medicine (Capistrano)
Joel Cox, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO

The Invisible Health Care Provider: Informal Caregivers within Medical and Faith Communities (Laguna)
Julie Yonker, Dawn Frambes, Toluwani Adekunle, Erin Cawley, Joseph DeVries and Elianah Reynolds, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI

​4:00 p.m.: Conference Ends

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