• FOR LIFE AND FAMILY

about Converging Roads

Where Health Care Ethics and Medicine Converge
Converging Roads is a regional conference series offering continuing education for health care professionals that equips them to practice the highest ethical and medical standards of their profession. To learn more about Converging Roads, click here.
    • Feedback from past attendees of Converging Roads:
    • "This was such a beautiful experience for me; I have attended many medical conferences and a number of personal spiritual retreats; never have I felt like I'm doing both at the same time!  The speakers were all phenomenal and there was a fantastic variety in topics.  I walked away refreshed as a physician, with a deeper understanding of the Church's teachings on some particularly tricky areas, and refreshed in my faith."
    • "This conference was much needed and buoyed up myself and my colleagues who attended."
    • "This was an excellent day and full of many graces. It was a gift to have mass and confession as well as this truly grounds our work-the sacraments save lives. The speakers were awesome and their joy for Christ and the pursuit of the truth was palpable! May the Holy Spirit continue to bless this apostolate and your work. Please know of my prayers."

REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT


In-Person Ticket Options:
  • Physicians/Physician Assistants: $159
  • Nurses/Nurse Practitioners: $139
  • General Admission*: $85
  • Medical residents, clergy, or religious*: $75
  • Student Scholarship Rate**: $15
Online Ticket Options:
  • Online tickets include access to the livestream on Saturday, April 1, as well as additional access to the recordings (from noon CT on Sunday, April 2, to 11:59 pm CT on Wednesday, April 5).
 
  • Physicians/Physician Assistants: $129
  • Nurses/Nurse Practitioners: $109
  • General Admission*: $55
  • Medical residents, clergy, or religious*: $45
  • Student Scholarship Rate**: $0
 
  • *Not eligible for CME/CNE credits, however, Chaplain certificates of completion can be requested upon registration for continuing education purposes.
  • **Not eligible for CME/CNE credits.

Exhibitor Opportunities:
Includes 1 exhibitor booth and admission for 1 organizational representative
  • Ministry/Non-Profit (including CME/CNE credits): $180
  • Ministry/Non-Profit (not including CME/CNE credits)*: $105
  • Vendor/For-Profit (including CME/CNE credits): $230
  • Vendor/For-Profit (not including CME/CNE credits)*: $155
 
  • *Not eligible for CME/CNE credits, however, Chaplain certificates of completion can be requested upon registration for continuing education purposes.

Sponsors:
  • If you and/or your organization is interested in joining our mission as supporting sponsors, please click here for the Sponsorship Form. You can also submit the form online by clicking here.
  • For questions or more information, please contact the conference coordinator at [email protected].

Student Scholarships:
  • Undergraduate, graduate, nursing, and medical students are eligible to register for Converging Roads at our scholarship admission rate. If you are a student currently enrolled in classes and would like to attend the conference, please complete our student scholarship form prior to registering for the conference (click here). If you feel called to contribute to our scholarship fund, you can do so at the time of registration.

Refund Information:
    • If you are no longer able to attend the conference, after purchasing your ticket, you may choose to transfer your registration fees to a student in need, or request a refund.
    • All refunds must be requested 2 weeks prior to the conference. The last day to request a refund is Friday, March 17. All refund requests made on or after March 18 will not be accepted, but the funds will automatically be transferred to a student in need. Please email [email protected] to transfer your registration or request a refund.

TOPICS

  • The Hippocratic Oath: Countering a Secularist Bioethics
  • Brandon P. Brown, MD, MA, FAAP
  •  
  • The Vocation of the Health Care Professional
  • Claudia R. Sotomayor, MD, DBe
  •  
  • Ethical Standards in the Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Sister Michaela Serpa, FSE, MA, PharmD, BCPS
  •  
  • Truth, Conscience, and Religious Liberty
  • Teresa Stanton Collett, JD
  •  
  •  
  • The Future of Catholic Health Care Ministries and Hospitals
  • Cody Feikles, MA, MTS
  •  
  • Freedom of Conscience, Collaboration, and Cooperation with Non-Catholic Partners
  • Brandon P. Brown, MD, MA, FAAP; Cody Feikles, MA, MTS; Claudia R. Sotomayor, MD, DBe
  •  
  • A Catholic Response to the Mental Health Crisis
  • Francie Broghammer, MD, FABPN
  •  

SCHEDULE

           
7:30 AM
Check-in Begins
8:00 AM
  • Mass
9:15 AM
Opening Remarks
9:30 - 10:30 AM
The Hippocratic Oath: Countering a Secularist Bioethics  
10:35 - 11:35 AM
The Vocation of the Health Care Professional  
11:50 AM - 12:50 PM
Ethical Standards in the Pharmaceutical Industry  
12:50 - 2:30 PM
Hippocratic Oath Luncheon
1:25 - 2:25 PM
Truth, Conscience, and Religious Liberty  
2:50 - 3:50 PM
The Future of Catholic Health Care Ministries and Hospitals  
3:55 - 4:55 PM
Freedom of Conscience, Collaboration, and Cooperation with Non-Catholic Partners  
5:05 - 6:05 PM
A Catholic Response to the Mental Health Crisis  
6:10 - 6:45 PM
Wine & Cheese Reception
 

Speakers

FRANCIE BROGHAMMER, MD, FABPN
Psychiatrist; Clinical Director, Minnesota Department of Human Services

Francie Broghammer, MD, FABPN, is a Board-Certified Psychiatrist and a Clinical Director of Inpatient Mental Health for the State of Minnesota. She completed her residency training at the University of California, Irvine, including a two-year tenure as Chief Resident. Her academic and clinical interests lie in medical ethics, education, and human flourishing. She is a former Leonine Fellow, an American Psychiatric Association Leadership Fellow and is a board member for Pepperdine University’s American Project. Dr. Broghammer played Division I Women’s Lacrosse at the University of Notre Dame, and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Science Pre-Professional Studies and Portuguese Language & Brazilian Studies. She attended the University of California, Irvine for medical school and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Medical Honor Society. She resides in Minnesota with her husband and their three children.

CLAUDIA R. SOTOMAYOR, MD, DBe
Clinical Ethicist and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Georgetown University

Dr. Claudia Sotomayor, is the Chief of the Clinical Consultation Service of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics, a Cura Personalis Fellow and an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine of GUMC. She holds an M.D. from Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua, in Chihuahua, Mexico and a Doctorate in Bioethics from Loyola University in Chicago Il, USA. Claudia also completed a fellowship in Clinical Bioethics at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston TX. (USA). She has been a Research Scholar for UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights since 2012 where she has worked in the area of Multiculturalism, Bioethics and Religion. She has also served as a member of the Ethics committee in different hospitals in the USA. Before coming to the USA, she worked in different hospitals in Mexico as a primary care physician, and was the health committee coordinator for FUNDESPEN, a non-profit that provides medical care to Mayan communities in rural areas of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

SR. MICHAELA SERPA, FSE, MA, PharmD, BCPS

Sister Michaela Serpa, FSE, MA, PharmD, BCPS is a clinical pharmacist licensed to practice pharmacy in four states, a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist, a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) where she serves on the Ethics in Pharmacy Committee. Sister Michaela received her B.A. Psychology from Carroll College, Helena, MT, an M.A. Theology with emphasis in Bioethics from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Cromwell, CT in conjunction with a certificate in bioethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), and her PharmD from Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID. Sister Michaela was a member of the adult ethics committee at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, CT for 12 years.

MOST REV. BERNARD A. HEBDA
Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

The son of the late Bernard and Helen Clark Hebda, the Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda was born on September 3, 1959, in Pittsburgh, PA.  Bernard Hebda attended Resurrection Elementary School in Brookline, PA, and then graduated from South Hills Catholic High School in Pittsburgh in 1977. He continued his education at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 followed by a juris doctor degree from the Columbia University School of Law in 1983. He was admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1983 and worked in Pittsburgh as an associate in the law firm of Reed, Smith, Shaw and McClay.  In 1984, he enrolled at St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh and pursued the required studies in philosophy at Duquesne University before being sent to the North American College in Rome in 1985 where he completed his theological studies and earned his S.T.B. from the  Pontifical Gregorian University in 1988.  He was ordained a deacon on April 6, 1989, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and was ordained to  the priesthood on July 1, 1989, in St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh. After his ordination, he  served briefly as Parochial Vicar at Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Elwood  City, PA, before returning to Rome to complete his licentiate in canon law, which he received in  1990 from the Pontifical Gregorian University.   Upon returning to Pittsburgh, Fr. Hebda first served as his bishop’s secretary and master of  ceremonies, and as a judge in the Diocesan tribunal. He then served in team ministry at Prince  of Peace on Pittsburgh’s South Side before being named director of campus ministry at the  Slippery Rock University Newman Center.  In 1996, he was appointed to work at the Vatican in the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts,  which was responsible for the interpretation of the Church’s laws, especially the Code of Canon  Law. In 2003, St. John Paul II named him Undersecretary of the Council. While in Rome, he also served as an adjunct spiritual director at the North American College  and as a confessor for the postulants of the Missionaries of Charity (founded by Saint Teresa of  Kolkata) and for the Sisters of that community working at a home for unwed mothers.   He was named Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord in Michigan on October 7, 2009, by  Pope Benedict XVI. His Episcopal ordination took place on December 1, 2009.  On September 24, 2013, Pope Francis named Bishop Hebda Coadjutor Archbishop of the  Archdiocese of Newark. While serving in Newark, Archbishop Hebda lived in a dormitory at  Seton Hall University and renewed his interest in campus ministry.  On June 15, 2015, Pope Francis named him Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of  Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in addition to his responsibilities in Newark.  On March 24, 2016, Pope Francis named him Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He  was installed on May 13, 2016, in the Cathedral of Saint Paul. As Archbishop, he serves as  Chairman of the Board of Saint Paul’s Outreach, a national movement based in the Archdiocese  that strives to build communities that witness to the Gospel on college campuses.

BRANDON P. BROWN, MD, MA, FAAP
Tenured Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine

Brandon Brown earned degrees from Indiana University in medicine and philosophy. He is tenured Professor in the departments of Radiology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Philosophy, and Medical Humanities at Indiana University, and he teaches in the School of Medicine. His clinical research investigations are focused on placental perfusion imaging, and the use of MRI in pregnancies with complex fetal anomalies. Dr. Brown serves on the section on bioethics for the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was the Berlin Scholar for Ethics and Professionalism in 2018. He has delivered more than 100 invited lectures on the topics of medical and fetal ethics, medical professionalism, and moral injury among physicians, in addition to fetal and placental MR imaging. He practices medicine as a fetal and pediatric radiologist at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.

CODY F. FEIKLES, MA, MTS, HEC-C
Regional Director of Ethics, Christus Health South Texas

Cody F. Feikles is the Regional Director of Ethics for Christus Health - South Texas, a Catholic Healthcare System with presence in Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. In this role he regularly handles complex clinical ethics consultations, provides ethics education to medical residents, nurses, staff, and students, and manges their ethics policies. He is also the Managing Editor for the academic journal, Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, an international forum for interdisciplinary studies in the ethics of health care and in the philosophy of medicine. Cody is also working toward his Ph.D. in Bioethics with the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum in Rome. Cody completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from Gannon University, his Master of Theological Studies degree from Boston College, his Master of Arts degree in Catholic Clinical Ethics from The Catholic University of America and Georgetown University, and his Healthcare Ethics Consultant Certification with the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. Cody is very interested in academic debates within Catholic moral theology and bioethics as well as practical issues within Catholic clinical bioethics. The topic of “The Unique Mission of Catholic Health Care within a Secular Culture” is of particular interest given Cody’s academic and clinical background and present involvement.

TERESA STANTON COLLETT, JD
Professor of Law and Director of the Prolife Center, University of St. Thomas (MN)

Teresa is a Professor of Law and Director of the Prolife Center at the University of Saint Thomas in Minnesota. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a member of the Academic Advisory Council to the Catholic Bar Association, as well as a member of the Texas and Oklahoma state bars and admitted to practice in several federal courts including before the US Supreme Court. Professor Collett earned both her BA and JD degrees from the University of Oklahoma.  She has regularly testified before state and federal legislative committees and represented public officials seeking to uphold conscience rights and other abortion regulation.

SPONSORS

CONTINUING EDUCATION

 

Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) and St John Paul II Foundation. Christian Medical & Dental Associations is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit
The Christian Medical & Dental Associations designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistant
AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ by an organization accredited by the ACCME or a recognized state medical society. Physician assistants may receive up to 7 credits for completing this activity.

Nurse Practitioner
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME. Individuals are responsible for checking with the AANPCP for further guidelines. Nurse practitioners may receive up to 7 credits for completing this activity.

Nursing
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the Georgia Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Activity ID #40198 has been approved for 7 contact hours.

Click here for full CME/CNE details


Chaplains
The National Association of Catholic Chaplains has approved this program for 7.25 Continuing Education Hours. Please select the General Admission or Clergy/Religious (if applicable) ticket option and request a certificate of completion on your registration form.

 

Venue

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

2540 Park Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404

For More Information:
Sydney Vacek, Conference Coordinator
832.779.1070
[email protected]

CONTACT US

  • PHONE

    832.779.1070

  • PHYSICAL ADDRESS

    1177 W Loop South, Ste. 940
    Houston, TX 77027

  • MAILING ADDRESS

    P.O. Box 5927
    Katy, TX 77491

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