University of Mary’s Saint Gianna Conference to Explore Bioethics and the Future of Health Care

University of Mary's Saint Gianna Medical Professionals Conference brings diverse voices to Catholic bioethics, human dignity and the future of health care

BISMARCK, N.D. - As artificial intelligence, genetic technologies and other innovations rapidly reshape health care, the University of Mary's fifth annual Saint Gianna Medical Professionals Conference will ask a question that technology alone cannot answer: How do health care professionals ensure the vulnerable person remains at the center of care?

The Dec. 4-5 conference, titled "Accompanying the Vulnerable: Catholic Bioethics in a Time of Technological Change," will bring together health care professionals, educators, clergy, students and others for two days of interdisciplinary discussion focused on human dignity, ethical decision-making and compassionate care.

"Advances in medicine and technology must always serve the person, especially those who are most vulnerable," said Dr. Mary Dockter, dean of the College of Health Professions at the University of Mary. "While our graduates must be competent in technological advancements, our hope is that they always ask themselves, just because we can do something, should we?"

The conference features nine speakers with backgrounds spanning bioethics, moral theology, medicine, nursing, psychology, engineering and technology. Their presentations will address some of the most pressing questions facing health care today, including artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, end-of-life care, reproductive loss, mental health, resilience and the relationship between technology and human dignity.

Featured speakers include Dr. Marilyn Coors, associate professor emerita of bioethics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Dr. Mariele Courtois, director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity and assistant professor of moral theology at Benedictine College; Dr. Natalie King, a palliative medicine physician; Michaelene Fredenburg, LHD, hc, president, CEO and founder of the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care and assistant clinical professor at Creighton Medical School; Dr. Tara Feil, a clinical psychologist; Jacob Knudsvig-Partida, DNP, a family nurse practitioner and University of Mary graduate; Dr. Terry Pilling, dean of the University of Mary's Hamm School of Engineering; Rev. Gregory Crane, S.T.L., chair of theology at the University of Mary; and Nicholas Kramer, an independent consultant, software engineer and inventor focused on emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

The conference is designed not only for bioethics specialists, but for professionals confronting difficult decisions in everyday patient care.

"Every health care professional encounters ethical questions every day," Dockter said. "This conference opens their eyes to issues they may not have even considered and offers practical insights that can strengthen decision-making and confidence in addressing difficult situations with compassion and integrity."

Rachel Lawlor, MHA, RN, FACHE, vice president of clinical operation at Essentia Health in Bismarck, said opportunities for interdisciplinary dialogue benefit both professionals and the patients they serve.

"The St. Gianna Medical Professionals Conference brings healthcare professionals together for thoughtful dialogue, shared learning, and connection across disciplines," Lawlor said. "Opportunities like this strengthen professional relationships and ultimately support the work we do to provide excellent care to the people and communities we serve."

Kate E. Huber, EdD, OTD, OTR, dean of the College of Community and Health Sciences and Occupational Therapy director at Marian University, attended last year's conference and says the experience continued to resonate with her afterward.

"Last year's Saint Gianna Medical Professionals Conference stayed with me long after I left Bismarck. The sessions challenged me to think more deeply about my own vocation, but it was the networking that truly set this conference apart - the conversations I had with fellow health care leaders and educators were some of the most meaningful of my year. I'm already looking forward to what this year's conference will bring," Huber said.

Continuing education is available for several health professions, including nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physicians, speech-language pathology and others.

Dockter hopes participants leave with more than additional professional knowledge.

"I hope participants leave inspired, renewed, and better equipped to provide compassionate, ethical, patient-centered care," she said. "Professionally, I hope they gain new knowledge; personally and spiritually, I hope they rediscover the profound privilege of serving others through health care."

Registration is now open for the fifth annual Saint Gianna Medical Professionals Conference.