March 28, 2020 | Houston, TX | Converging Roads

CHRISTOPHER KACZOR, PhD
Professor of Philosophy, Loyola Marymount Univeristy

Dr. Christopher Kaczor (rhymes with razor) is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University. He received appointments as a member of the James Madison Society of Princeton University, the Pontifical Academy for Life of Vatican City, and a Consultor to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He graduated from the Honors Program of Boston College and earned a Ph.D. four years later from the University of Notre Dame. He has written more than 100 scholarly articles. A Fulbright Scholar and an award winning author, his fifteen books include Disputes in Bioethics, Abortion Rights: For and Against, 365 Days to Deeper Faith, The Gospel of Happiness, The Seven Big Myths about Marriage, A Defense of Dignity, The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church, The Ethics of Abortion, O Rare Ralph McInerny: Stories and Reflections on a Legendary Notre Dame Professor, Thomas Aquinas on the Cardinal Virtues; Life Issues-Medical Choices; Thomas Aquinas on Faith, Hope, and Love; The Edge of Life, and Proportionalism and the Natural Law Tradition. Dr. Kaczor’s views have been in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, National Review, NPR, BBC, EWTN, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, MSNBC, TEDx, and The Today Show.

LEONORA BUTAU, PhD
Associate Fellow, St. John Paul II Foundation

Dr. Leonora Butau is an Associate Fellow at the St. John Paul II Foundation. Leonora moved to Houston from England, where she taught Christian Ethics and Christian Spirituality at St. Mary’s University, London, for eight years, and where she led efforts to empower Catholic couples, educators and young adults in St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. While in London, she also worked for Caritas Social Action Network, the charitable agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. She earned a B.A. in Theology and Religious Studies and an M.A. in Bioethics and Medical Law from St. Mary’s University, London, and has a Ph.D. in Bioethics from the University of Surrey, (England). Leonora is blessed to be married to Rufaro and to enjoy the gift of their two sons, Jesse and Louis.

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.

JOSEPH MEANEY, PhD
President of The National Catholic Bioethics Center

Dr. Joseph Meaney is the President of The National Catholic Bioethics Center. He received his Ph.D. in Bioethics from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. His doctoral program was founded by the late Cardinal Sgreccia and linked to the Medical School and Gemelli teaching hospital. His dissertation topic was Conscience and Health Care: A Bioethical Analysis. Dr. Meaney earned his Masters in Latin American Studies focusing on Health Care in Guatemala from the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated from the University of Dallas with a B.A. in History and a concentration in international studies. The Benedict XVI Catholic University in Trujillo, Peru awarded Dr. Meaney an honorary visiting professorship. Dr. Meaney was director of international outreach and expansion for Human Life International (HLI) and is a leading expert on the international pro-life and family movement, having travelled to eighty-one countries on pro-life missions over the last 25 years. He founded the HLI Rome Office in 1998 and lived there for nine years where he collaborated closely with dicasteries of the Holy See, particularly the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Academy for Life. He is a dual US and French citizen and is fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and English. His family has been active in the health care and pro-life fields in Corpus Christi, Texas, and France for many years. Dr. Meaney was the General Editor of the English Edition and co-author with his father, Dr. Michael Meaney, of a chapter in the Pontifical Council for the Family’s Lexicon: Ambiguous and debatable terms regarding family, life and ethical questions and has published in a number of scholarly journals. He has also written many popular articles and has been interviewed by newspapers, radio and television in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. His popular articles have appeared in the National Catholic Register, Crux, Inside Catholic, Crisis Magazine, Inside the Vatican, and many other publications. Dr. Meaney, his wife, Marie, and their young daughter, Thérèse moved to Pennsylvania from Paris in the summer of 2019.

STACY A. TRASANCOS, PhD
Executive Director, St. Philip Institute of Evangelization and Catechesis

Stacy A. Trasancos, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization founded by Bishop Joseph Strickland in the Diocese of Tyler, TX. She is a Fellow for the Word on Fire Institute and an international speaker for Catholic Answers. Dr. Trasancos received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Pennsylvania State University and her M.A. in Dogmatic Theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. Dr. Trasancos has published several books on the intersection of theology and science and teaches online courses on the subject at Seton Hall University. She has also published a booklet, "20 Answers: Bioethics", and writes a science column for the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly.

PAUL J. CARSON, MD, FACP
Professor, Management of Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Public Health, North Dakota State University, and Professor in the Dept. of Internal Medicine at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine

Dr. Paul Carson is a physician who has practiced medicine as an infectious disease specialist in MN and ND for over 25 years. He has held past roles at Sanford Health, a large integrated health system in the Upper Midwest, as Chair of the department of infectious diseases, Director of Clinical Research, and past Chief Quality Officer. He is a Professor at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, in the Dept. of Internal Medicine. In 2013, he joined the faculty of North Dakota State University in the Dept. of Public Health where he now teaches on management of infectious diseases in the Master of Public Health graduate program, and directs the Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE). His research is focused on barriers to vaccination and vaccination policy. He is the immediate past President of the Fargo Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. He is married to Janine, who he met in medical school. Together they have 4 children, including one in obstetrical training, one currently in her first year of medical school, one who is a missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, and one who is an engineer.

CHARLETA GUILLORY, MD, MPH, FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine; Director, Neonatal Perinatal Public Health Program, Texas Children’s Hospital; and Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy and Congressional Fellow

Charleta Guillory, MD, MPH, FAAP, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Section of Neonatology at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Neonatal-Perinatal Public Health Program. She earned her doctor of medicine degree from Louisiana State University Medical School, completed her pediatric residency at Louisiana State Medical Center and the University of Colorado. She received her post-doctoral fellowship training in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and is board certified in both pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine. She received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Her primary research focus addresses the issue of decreasing black infant mortality and morbidity. Dr. Guillory was one of six physicians nationally to receive the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows Award from The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences for Outstanding Health Science Professionals. As a recipient of the award, she served as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate (office of Senator John B. Breaux D-LA) promoting both health policy legislation and programs. Dr. Guillory presently serves as Chair of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Newborn Screening Advisory Committee, Co-Chair of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mother and Babies (TCHMB)-Neonatology Committee and Co-Chair of the AAP Texas Pediatric Society Fetus and Newborn Committee. Recently, Dr. Guillory received the Sidney Kaliski Award for her many years of continuing leadership on the TPS Committee on Fetus and Newborn, her dedication to caring for both healthy newborns and critically ill premature babies, her passion for promoting public health, and her role as an advocate in elevating the many issues affecting these vulnerable populations. The Sidney Kaliski Award recognizes a member of the Texas Pediatric Society who has served as an advocate for children and has made a substantial contribution to both the health and welfare of the children of Texas. In February of 2019, she received the American Academy of Pediatrics President’s Cup Award, in recognition of her contributions to improve access to healthcare for children, during the Committee of Federal Government Affairs Meeting in Washington, DC.

GEORGE D. SANTOS, MD
Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD

George D. Santos, MD, is a general psychiatrist in private practice in Houston, Texas. He is Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the public mental health system, and has served as President of the Harris County Medical Society, Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians, and Houston Psychiatric Society. He has served for over 20 years on the Harris County Mental Health Needs Counsel and has been a mental health advocate in the legislature for almost 30 years. He obtained his BS Degree from the University of Notre Dame and his MD degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He also attended his General Psychiatry Residency program at the University of Texas Medical School Department of Psychiatry. He has also worked as a contractor and consultant to the Department of Homeland Security in developing local-based mental health programs for immigration detainees from youths to adults. He was part of the initial team developing the emergency psychiatric response for the hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort at the Reliant Center and then subsequently was Director of the emergency psychiatry response clinic at the NRG Center for hurricane Harvey. He has been an advocate for access to mental health care for all populations.

9:30 AM	Prayer & Opening Remarks
9:35 - 10:30 AM	Care for the Sick and Dying: Rooted in Catholic Social Doctrine
10:35 - 11:30 AM	A Catholic Response to the Opioid Crisis
11:35 AM - 12:05 PM	Access to Health Care for the Poor: Mental Health
12:05 PM - 12:25 PM	Break for Lunch
12:35 - 1:35 PM	Religious Liberty and Care for Patients: A Challenging Case
1:40 - 2:40 PM	The Future of Catholic Health Care
2:45 - 3:15 PM	Access to Health Care for the Poor: Preventive Care and Maternal-Fetal Medicine
3:20- 4:20PM	Medical Marijuana and CBD Oil: In Conflict with Hippocratic Medicine?
4:25 - 5:25 PM	Vaccine Ethics: A View through Catholic Social Teaching
5:25 - 5:30 PM	Closing Remarks

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

A Catholic Response to the Opioid Crisis

Access to Health Care for the Poor: Mental Health

Religious Liberty and Care for Patients: A Challenging Case

The Future of Catholic Health Care

Access to Health Care for the Poor: Preventive Care and Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Medical Marijuana and CBD Oil: In Conflict with Hippocratic Medicine?

Vaccine Ethics: A View through Catholic Social Teaching

SCHEDULE

9:30 AM

9:35 - 10:30 AM

10:35 - 11:30 AM

11:35 AM - 12:05 PM

12:05 PM - 12:25 PM

12:35 - 1:35 PM

1:40 - 2:40 PM

2:45 - 3:15 PM

3:20- 4:20PM

4:25 - 5:25 PM

5:25 - 5:30 PM

Speakers

CHRISTOPHER KACZOR, PhDProfessor of Philosophy, Loyola Marymount Univeristy

LEONORA BUTAU, PhD Associate Fellow, St. John Paul II Foundation

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

JOSEPH MEANEY, PhD President of The National Catholic Bioethics Center

STACY A. TRASANCOS, PhDExecutive Director, St. Philip Institute of Evangelization and Catechesis

PAUL J. CARSON, MD, FACP Professor, Management of Infectious Diseases, Dept. of Public Health, North Dakota State University, and Professor in the Dept. of Internal Medicine at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine

CHARLETA GUILLORY, MD, MPH, FAAP Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine; Director, Neonatal Perinatal Public Health Program, Texas Children’s Hospital; and Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy and Congressional Fellow

GEORGE D. SANTOS, MD Vice Chairman of Board of Trustees at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD

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Venue

St. John Paul II Foundation

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