Medical professionals from the Archdiocese of Denver and from across the state are invited to join a regional conference offering continuing education for healthcare professionals which equips them to practice the highest ethical and medical standards of their professions.
For the first time, the St. John Paul II Foundation, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Denver, Centura Health, and SCL Health, are bringing the Converging Roads Medical Ethics Conference to Denver. The Converging Roads Conference will take place on Saturday April 10, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Risen Christ Catholic Parish. To ensure everyone’s safety and to follow all standard safety protocols, participants will have the option of joining the conference in-person or virtually.
“So many health care professionals are passionate about their work and care deeply about serving their patients, but many feel besieged by the many evolving cultural and scientific developments,” said Arland K. Nichols, President of the St. John Paul II Foundation. “And all this happens in a rapidly changing environment with respect to medical reporting, laws, and remuneration. They want to serve families and patients well, but they are now confronted with a host of new expectations that they often haven’t had time to think through yet. That’s where we come in, and why we named the conference series Converging Roads, the point where health care ethics and medical advances meet and move forward.”
With the theme “Ethical Challenges in Health Care: A Practical Approach,” this year’s conference aims to provide continuous education deeply rooted in the Hippocratic and Catholic ethical tradition with various presentations from Catholic leaders and medical experts.
“We help professionals to understand the issues, and we give them tools to think through the multiplying ethical challenges in a careful and systematic way, “Nichols added. “Families are relying on them to not only know their core practices, but to be able to advise them on the best and most morally sound way forward.”
This year’s keynote speakers include Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, who will be presenting on the “Rights of Conscience and Religious Liberty in the Midst of Consumer Driven Medicine”; Sarah E. Hetue Hill, PhD, who will be talking about “Proportionate and Disproportionate Care: When Medical Decision-Making is Shared Responsibility”; Paul Hruz, MD, PhD on “Gender Dysphoria in Children and Adults: Science and Ethics,” among others. There will also be a presentation focused on “The Duty to Care When Facing Personal Risk” which will dive into some of the everyday realities that our health care professionals are facing with the ongoing pandemic.
“Those who actively participate in the conference will leave with a clearer view of the principles that we, as Christians, bring to the art and practice of medicine and how these principles can be applied in their everyday work of healing and counseling,” Nichols said.
Participants will have the opportunity to earn up to SEVEN credit hours of continuing education for both online and in-person attendees. The conference will conclude with a vigil Mass celebrated by Archbishop Aquila, followed by a reception for those attending in person.
“I would like to invite and encourage any health care professional who is looking for an enriching and educationally stimulating event, to join us on April 10,” Nichols concluded. “I have no doubt that our expert faculty will provide new and practical ways for you to integrate your faith into your practice of medicine, so that you may be strengthened in this amazing, yet sometimes daunting, task of caring for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.”
For more information and registration, visit convergingroads.com or email amelia@forlifeandfamily.org.