The Institute to Co-Host 13th Annual Collective Soul Symposium with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, George Fitchett to Receive 2024 Steve Thorney Lecture in Spiritual Care Award
Media Alert
Who:
The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center (the Institute) is partnering with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) to present the 13th Annual Collective Soul Symposium: Being a Channel of Peace and Hope for Those in Suffering: Spiritual Care in our Daily Practice. The Institute invites community-based healthcare providers, physicians, hospital chaplains, ministers, clergy, and other interested healthcare professionals to learn about the palliative care process. Register here for this two-day virtual conference.
Dr. Marvin Delgado-Guay, palliative care physician, visionary director of this conference, and the Institute’s board member, will present the 2024 Steve Thorney Lecture in Spiritual Care Award. This year’s recipient is George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, a professor and director of research in the Department of Religion, Health and Human Values at Rush University Medicine Center in Chicago, Illinois. Fitchett is a board-certified chaplain (Association of Professional Chaplains) and certified pastoral supervisor (Association for Clinical Pastoral Education). In 1990, he developed the research program for the Department of Religion, Health, and Human Values, one of the first such programs in any chaplaincy department. His research has examined the relationship between religion and health in a variety of community and clinical populations.
This event will also feature 13 MD Anderson speakers and 16 guest speakers. The full list of speakers is available here.
“The Institute’s history is deeply rooted in the concept that humans are spiritual beings and that spirituality plays a vital role in health and healing. Our Center for Aging and End of Life expands on our legacy of establishing the first nationally accredited hospital chaplaincy training program in the world,” commented Leah Adams Pruitt, vice president of engagement at the Institute. “Through our dedication to continuous education and our long-standing collaboration with MD Anderson, this symposium enables us to educate professional caregivers who serve those at the end of life, and to honor the shared calling to alleviate suffering in palliative care.”
What:
The Collective Soul Symposium: Being a Channel of Peace and Hope for Those in Suffering: Spiritual Care in Our Daily Practice
This virtual educational event will provide a better understanding of the palliative care team’s role in enhancing the human spirit and relieving patients’ bio-psychosocial and spiritual suffering. Attendees will learn the principles of palliative care and hospice, state-of-the art of physical, emotional, and spiritual symptom management; effective communication with patients and families at the end of life; and the integration of spiritual care into the palliative care practice.
“Our role as the palliative care team (The Collective Soul) is to alleviate physical, emotional and spiritual suffering of people living with advanced and terminal illness and their caregivers. By providing interdisciplinary compassionate care, a sacred space is created that is a channel of peace and hope for those in suffering. We invite you to participate in this profound and meaningful symposium sharing the journey of the Collective Soul,” commented Dr. Delgado-Guay.
In support of improving patient care, MD Anderson designates this live activity 11.0 Nursing Contact Hours. Social Work Credit will also be awarded totaling up to 10.50 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). MD Anderson is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Where:
This conference is available online only. Register to attend here.
When:
Friday, March 1 through Saturday, March 2, 2024
*All times listed are Central Time.
The two-day Collective Soul Symposium will begin on Friday, March 1, 2024, with opening remarks at 8:00 a.m. and will adjourn for the day at 5:00 p.m. The Symposium will reconvene on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. and adjourn at 1:00 p.m.
About the Institute
The Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center is an independent, interfaith organization established in 1955. A founding member of the Texas Medical Center, it has introduced and cultivated spiritual awareness and cultural humility in healthcare settings for nearly seven decades. Today, its programs continue to innovate around the role spirituality plays in health and healing.
The mission of the Institute is to enhance well-being by exploring the relationship between spirituality and health, accomplished through education, research, and direct service programs, and guided by its Four Centers of Excellence: the Rabbi Samuel E. Karff Center for Healthcare Professionals, the Center for Body, Spirit, and Mind, the Center for End of Life and Aging, and the Center for Faith and Public Health.
For more information about The Institute, visit https://www.spiritualityandhealth.org/.
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