November 2, 2019 | Baton Rouge, LA | Converging Roads

ARLAND K. NICHOLS
President, St. John Paul II Foundation

Arland K. Nichols is president and founder of the St. John Paul II Foundation. Early in his career, as an educator and non-profit executive, he became a popular speaker and successful writer while he established the groundwork for the initiatives that would become the St. John Paul II Foundation. Arland launched the St. John Paul II Foundation in 2014 and he is author of the 4th edition of the Handbook on Critical Life Issues published in 2024 by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Arland earned a B.A. in philosophy from Texas A&M, an M.Div. in Theology from University of St. Thomas, and pursued doctoral studies in bioethics at Regina Apostolorum in Rome. With the generous support of his wife, Cindy, and their ten children, Arland is blessed to lead the St. John Paul II Foundation as it serves, educates, and supports medical professionals, married couples, and clergy.

JOHN MEINERT, PhD
Assistant Professor of Theology, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

John Meinert, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Theology at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University where he teaches Moral Theology, Catholic Social Thought, Bioethics, and Spirituality. He holds a B.A. in Theology from Benedictine College, an M.A. in Theology from the University of Dallas, and a Ph.D. in Moral Theology/Ethics from The Catholic University of America. He has two published books and numerous scholarly and popular articles concerning Moral Theology, St. Thomas Aquinas, Grace, and Spirituality. He is currently a member of the Louisiana State Board of Ethics (appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards), the founder and director of FranU’s bioethics lecture series, and a member of multiple theological organizations (ACT, SCE, and CTSA).

JOHN S. GRABOWSKI, PhD
Ordinary Professor of Moral Theology/Ethics, Catholic University of America

Dr. John Grabowski earned his B.A. in theology at the University of Steubenville and his Ph.D. at Marquette University. For the last twenty-eight years he has been on the faculty of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he is currently Ordinary Professor of Moral Theology/Ethics. Dr. Grabowski has published works in the areas of moral theology, marriage, sexuality, and bioethics. His articles have appeared in scholarly journals such as Nova et Vetera, The Thomist, The Heythrop Journal, and the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly as well as popular journals such as America, Commonweal, The Living Light, and Share the Word. His books include Sex and Virtue: An Introduction to Sexual Ethics (CUA Press, 2003), Transformed in Christ: Essays on the Renewal of Moral Theology (Sapientia Press, 2017), One Body: A Program of Marriage Formation for the New Evangelization with Claire Grabowski (Emmaus Road Press, 2018), A Catechism for Family Life with Sarah Bartel (CUA Press, 2018), and Raising Catholic Kids for Their Vocations with Claire Grabowski (TAN, 2019). He also wrote the Foreward to the 1997 English edition of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.

MICHAEL L. ROLFSEN, MD, FACP,
Internal Medicine Physician, Baton Rouge Clinic

Michael L Rolfsen received his medical degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1982 and obtained a Masters in Bioethics and Health Care Policy from Loyola University Chicago in 2008. He serves on the hospital ethics committees at Our Lady of Lake Hospital, Woman's Hospital, and as chairman of the committee at Baton Rouge General Hospital. In 2012 he developed and began teaching a Medical Bioethics course at LSU in both the Philosophy Department and Honors College. He is currently a full time practicing physician in Internal Medicine at the Baton Rouge Clinic where he also serves as medical director for quality. Dr. Rolfsen has been married for 36 years and is the father of 5.

CYNTHIA HUNT, MD
Psychiatrist and Chair of Catholic Medical Association National Opioid Task Force

Dr. Cynthia Hunt is a graduate of Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and Board Certified practitioner in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, which includes a year of fellowship training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She currently maintains an active practice at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, where she is the Chief of the Department of Psychiatry. She is also an Adjunct Faculty Member of St. Patrick’s Archdiocesan Seminary in Menlo Park, CA . She has been privileged to serve the Catholic Church over the last 12 years in the Exorcism and Deliverance ministry as psychiatric consultant to priests, exorcists and Bishops and is on the Advisory Board for the Pope Leo XIII Institute. She has been invited to give presentations on this topic in many settings including Priest/ Clergy Days, Deaconate Training, National Meetings of the Catholic Medical Association and the Catholic Psychotherapy Association as well as conferences with laity and SCRC. Dr. Hunt has also worked within the Catholic Medical Association for many years and has served as President of the Fresno Guild, member of the FIRE Committee, and as a speaker for CMA national and local conferences. She is currently a CMA Board Member and is Chair of the national CMA Opioid Task Force, meeting with Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. Recently she participated in representing North America at an International Meeting on Addictions at the Vatican through the Dicastery of Integral Human Development. An accomplished pianist, Lay Carmelite, and member of the Board of the Foundation of Prayer for Priests, she has been blessed with her husband of 27 years and their three children.

JANZLEAN LAUGHINGHOUSE, PhD, LCSW
Clinical Director for Addiction Recovery Services, Capital Area Human Services

Jan Laughinghouse is a licensed clinical social worker who serves in the capacity of Clinical Director for Addiction Recovery Services at Capital Area Human Services. She has over 20 years of experience in substance abuse treatment and has worked extensively with women, veterans, individuals who with co-occurring disorders, and those who have experienced trauma and chronic homelessness. A North Carolina native, Dr. Laughinghouse received her B.A. in Psychology from Bennett College, a Master of Social Work from the joint degree program at North Carolina A & T State University and The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Laughinghouse has served on the faculty at Guilford Technical Community College, Bennett College, and Southern University. She has successfully married her love of education with her clinical skills to promote understanding of substance use disorders and reduce stigma by presenting to audiences at the LSU School of Social Work, UNC-Greensboro, Partners Ending Homelessness Academy, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, East and West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Offices, West Baton Rouge Probation and Parole, Rubicon/Huntsman, Nova Chemical, OHCC OPEN TALKS Conference, and faith-based opioid forums.

ANGELA FRANKS, PhD
Professor of Theology, St. John’s Seminary

Angela Franks, Ph.D., has a doctorate in theology and an M.A. in philosophy. She is a full-time professor of theology at St. John’s Seminary and the mother of six. Angela is in demand as a speaker, author, and teacher. An experienced speaker, she has spoken at numerous conferences, including the International Theology of the Body Congress, and on EWTN, FOX News, and many other outlets. She has been published in America Magazine, First Things, Public Discourse, Church Life Journal, The Plough, and academic journals, in addition to contributing chapters to edited books. She has written two books on sexual ethics and the history of eugenics: Contraception and Catholicism and Margaret Sanger’s Eugenic Legacy. She lives with her family in Boston. You can find her on the web at www.angelafranks.com.

LANDON ROUSSEL, MD, MBE
Owner & Chief Medical Officer, Communitas Primary Care

Dr. Landon Roussel is the owner and founder of Communitas Primary Care. He earned his M.D. from Cornell Medical College in New York City, a master’s degree in bioethics summa cum laude through the Erasmus Mundus program in Universities of Leuven (Belgium), Radboud (Netherlands), and Padova (Italy), and bachelors’ degrees magna cum laude in biochemistry and Hispanic studies from Rice University in Houston. Dr. Roussel trained as an intern and resident in Internal Medicine specializing in Primary Care through Harvard Medical School at the Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 2013-2016. Dr. Roussel is very passionate about service through excellent and ethical patient care. In 2010, he was a member of the inaugural medical cohort for Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE) through the Museum of Jewish Heritage. There he studied medical ethics through the lenses of the Holocaust. Dr. Roussel serves as an Adjunct Professor at Franciscan University in Baton Rouge, where he teaches graduate-level bioethics. When he is not practicing medicine, Dr. Roussel enjoys his involvement as a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus, writing, and hiking. He is married to his college sweetheart Amanda and has two young children.

DIANA HAMER, PhD, MSc
Academic Research Director, LSUHSC Internal Medicine Residency Program, Our Lady of the Lake RMC

Diana Hamer received her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from Tulane University and a Masters of Science in Molecular Biology from Erasmus MC. She currently holds the position of Academic Research Director at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. In this role, she is responsible for the fostering and developing scholarly activity for the LSUHSC Internal Medicine Residency Program and supervises residents’ research projects. Diana’s research interest focus on population health and healthcare access and utilization. At Our Lady of the Lake, Diana has developed and supports research centered on utilizing patient population data and geographic information systems to address healthcare challenges encountered in most urban, underserved communities in the United States.

8:00 AM	Check-In/Registration Begins Mass
9:15 AM	Opening Remarks
9:25 - 10:20 AM	Care for the Sick and Dying: Rooted in Catholic Social Doctrine
10:25 - 11:25 AM	Dignity of the Person and Human Ecology
11:25 - 11:40 AM	Break
11:40 AM - 12:40 PM	Religious Liberty, Health Care, and Human Flourishing
12:40 - 2:15 PM	Hippocratic Oath Luncheon: Women's Health Care
2:15 - 2:30 PM	Break
2:30 - 3:30 PM	A Catholic Response to the Opioid Crisis
3:35 - 4:35 PM	Access to Health Care for the Poor
4:35 - 4:50 PM	Break
4:50 - 5:50 PM	Human Suffering and Hastening Death
5:50 - 6:45 PM	Wine & Cheese Reception

about Converging Roads

Where Health Care Ethics and Medicine Converge

REGISTRATION

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TOPICS

Care for the Sick and Dying: Rooted in Catholic Social Doctrine

Dignity of the Human Person & Human Ecology

Religious Liberty, Healthcare, and Human Flourishing

Women’s Healthcare

A Catholic Response to the Opioid Crisis

Access to Healthcare for the Poor

Human Suffering & Hastening Death

SCHEDULE

8:00 AM

9:15 AM

9:25 - 10:20 AM

10:25 - 11:25 AM

11:25 - 11:40 AM

11:40 AM - 12:40 PM

12:40 - 2:15 PM

2:15 - 2:30 PM

2:30 - 3:30 PM

3:35 - 4:35 PM

4:35 - 4:50 PM

4:50 - 5:50 PM

5:50 - 6:45 PM

Speakers

ARLAND K. NICHOLS President, St. John Paul II Foundation

JOHN MEINERT, PhDAssistant Professor of Theology, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

JOHN S. GRABOWSKI, PhDOrdinary Professor of Moral Theology/Ethics, Catholic University of America

MICHAEL L. ROLFSEN, MD, FACP,Internal Medicine Physician, Baton Rouge Clinic

CYNTHIA HUNT, MDPsychiatrist and Chair of Catholic Medical Association National Opioid Task Force

JANZLEAN LAUGHINGHOUSE, PhD, LCSWClinical Director for Addiction Recovery Services, Capital Area Human Services

ANGELA FRANKS, PhDProfessor of Theology, St. John’s Seminary

LANDON ROUSSEL, MD, MBEOwner & Chief Medical Officer, Communitas Primary Care

DIANA HAMER, PhD, MScAcademic Research Director, LSUHSC Internal Medicine Residency Program, Our Lady of the Lake RMC

SPONSORS

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Venue

The Tracy Center

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