• 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.
        • CLICK BELOW TO REGISTER
  • Feedback from past attendees of Converging Roads:
  • "Overall, a tremendous spiritual and professional blessing! Thank you. Excited about the next conference."
  • "This one was my first, but I can't say enough about how meaningful it was to me as a professional , but also personally in helping me make decisions for myself and my family."
  • "This was a wonderful conference and a blessing to have participated. I gained valuable insight that will contribute to my career as a [health care professional] and a practicing woman of faith!"
 

REGISTRATION

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

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, August 26, as well as additional access to the recordings (from noon CT on Sunday, August 27, to 11:59 pm CT on Wednesday, August 30).
 
  • 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 a supporting sponsor, 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 the discounted rate above through the Dr. Mini Vettical Scholarship. 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 are interested in providing a scholarship for a student to attend Converging Roads, you can do so at the time of registration or by clicking here.
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, August 11. All refund requests made on or after August 12 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

  • Vocation of the Health Care Professional
  • Faculty TBA
  •  
  • The Ethical and Religious Directives on the Beginning of Life
  • Rafael Flores, MAPL
  •  
  • Dignity and Disability in Medicine
  • Mark Bradford
  •  
  • Affirming the Dignity of Women in Medicine
  • Susan Caldwell, MD, CFCMC; and more!
  •  
  • A Catholic Response to the Mental Health Crisis
  • Anthony Isacco, PhD
  •  
  • Navigating Challenging Prenatal Diagnoses
  • Tracy Winsor, MPA
  •  

SCHEDULE

     
7:30 AM
 Check-in Begins
8:00 AM
  • Mass
9:15 AM
 Opening Remarks
9:25 - 10:25 AM
 Vocation of the Health Care Professional
10:25 AM
 Break
10:35 - 11:35 AM
 The Ethical and Religious Directives on the Beginning of Life
11:35 AM
 Break
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
 Dignity and Disability in Medicine
12:45 - 2:20 PM
 Hippocratic Oath Luncheon
1:15 - 2:15 PM
 Affirming the Dignity of Women in Medicine
2:20 PM
 Break
2:40 - 3:40 PM
 A Catholic Response to the Mental Health Crisis
3:40 PM
 Break
3:50 - 4:50 PM
 Navigating Challenging Prenatal Diagnoses
5:00 - 5:45 PM
 Wine & Cheese Reception

Speakers

MOST REV. MICHAEL G. DUCA
Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, LA

Michael Gerard Duca, a native of Dallas, Texas, was ordained a priest on April 29, 1978, for the Diocese of Dallas.  On December 20, 2004, he was conferred the Title of Reverend Monsignor.  He was called to the order of bishop on April 1, 2008, for service in North Louisiana.  On May 19, 2008, he was ordained and installed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport.  On June 26, 2018, he was appointed as Bishop-designate for the Diocese of Baton Rouge and installed as the 6th Bishop on August 24, 2018. Bishop Duca attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas from 1970 to 1978 and also studied in Rome from 1994 to 1996 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas-Angelicum University where he received his License in Canon Law. During his active ministry as priest and prior to his appointment as diocesan bishop, Bishop Duca served in many different parishes in the Dallas area, including:  All Saints Catholic Church, St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Luke Catholic Church.  He also previously served on a diocesan level in the Diocese of Dallas as Vocations Director, member of the Personnel Board, Campus Minister at Southern Methodist University, member of the Presbyteral Council, member of Board of Consultors, and Director of Ongoing Formation of Priests.  From 1996 to 2008, he served as Rector at Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas. Bishop Duca presently serves as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops and Immediate Past President of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference.  He serves as a trustee to Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans and St. Joseph Seminary, Covington, LA, as well as serving on the University of Dallas Board of Trustees.  He is a member of the St. Francis Medical Center Board of Directors, Monroe, LA, the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI) Board of Directors, Miami, FL, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Knights of Columbus-Fourth Degree, and the Knights of Peter Claver-Third & Fourth Degree.  In 2008, Bishop Duca received the Bishop Lynch High School Alumnus of the Year Award; in 2013 he received the University of Dallas’ Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2018 he received the Bishop Lynch High School Legacy Award.

SUSAN CALDWELL, MD, CFCMC
Primary Care/Naprotechnology Physician, East Jefferson General Hospital

Susan Caldwell, MD, CFCMC, is a mother of three and a primary care physician specializing in women’s health working at East Jefferson General Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Caldwell received her MD from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans in 1999 where she also completed her Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency in 2005.  In 2013, she began her studies at the St. Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction to eventually become a Certified Naprotechnology Medical Consultant in 2016.  She is a member of the Catholic Medical Association where she has served as State Director.  She also enjoys writing and speaking about authentic femininity and reproductive health that upholds the dignity of all human life and aligns with the teachings of the Catholic Church.  She is currently enrolled in the Certification Program at the Theology of the Body Institute in Pennsylvania.  Her work has been published in the Linacre Quarterly and National Catholic Register.  She blogs about topics in women’s health at drsusancaldwell.com.

ANTHONY ISACCO, PhD
Professor, Director of Training for PsyD Program, Chatham University

Anthony Isacco, PhD, is a professor of Graduate Psychology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA and Director of Training for the PsyD in Counseling Psychology program. He is a licensed psychologist in PA and authorized to provide telepsychology services in approximately 30 states.  He maintains a small private practice with a niche focus on the psychological assessment of clergy candidates to the Catholic Church.  Dr. Isacco has published widely through his books, popular press articles, and academic journals on the psychological health of seminarians, fatherhood, and the psychology of men and masculinity. He sits on the Advisory Board of Saint Paul Seminary, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Formation Team of Saint Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh Byzantine Eparchy. He is a proud graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville (BA, '02), Boston College (MA, '04), and Loyola University Chicago (PhD, '09).  He is married to Celeste and has four daughters, Sophia, Claire, Gianna, and Monica.

MARK BRADFORD
Author at Word on Fire, Venerable Jerome Lejeune Fellow

Mark Bradford was appointed to the Venerable Jerome Lejeune Fellowship at the beginning of 2023. For over 20 years, he has been blessed to serve in leadership positions in various church ministries, including the National Catholic Bioethics Center and Catholic Social Services for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In 2012, he became the founding president of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation in the U.S. Mark and his wife Denise have 7 children and are parents to Thomas, their 6th child (and first son), who happens to have been gifted with an extra 21st chromosome. Mark is a passionate advocate for those born with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. He especially advocates against the threat of abortion following a prenatal diagnosis at every opportunity. The Bradfords reside in the Philadelphia suburbs.

RAFAEL FLORES, MAPL
Director of Mission Integration, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Rafael Flores graduated from Spring Hill College with a B.A. in Theology, has a Masters in Pastoral Leadership from Notre Dame Seminary, and is currently in training for a Master's in Bioethics from the Ohio State University. He began his career in education and parish ministry, spending eight years as a theology teacher at St. Scholastica Academy, and lay minister for St. Peter Parish in Covington, LA. He currently is the Director of Mission Integration for Our Lady of the Angels Hospital and the Northshore Region of FMOL Health System. In this role he aids the healthcare ministry live out its Catholic identity across its regional and operations, and assists as the regional bioethics resource and Ethics Committee Chair for Our Lady of the Angels Hospital.

TRACY WINSOR, MPA
Co-Founder and Parent Program Director, Be Not Afraid, Inc.

Tracy Winsor, MPA, is the co-founder of Be Not Afraid (BNA) a case management support service for parents carrying to term following a prenatal diagnosis. BNA has welcomed over 300 infants since its founding fourteen years ago, and Tracy has overseen all aspects of program management. Tracy has presented and written extensively on the topic of prenatal diagnosis to include providing presentations for the U.S. Bishops, the International Association of Catholic Nurses, and the Catholic Social Workers National Association. She also authored a chapter in the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) text, Catholic Health Care Ethics: A Manual for Practitioners, Third Edition. Tracy’s implementation this year of an online training program to support the development of BNA-modeled services is part of a national prolife collaborative addressing prenatal diagnosis.  The BNA model of care is unique in that it is parent-centered, research-based, trauma-informed, and rooted in Catholic ethics. Tracy has been married to her husband, John, for thirty-seven years and is the mother of eight children, and four grandchildren. Her own experiences of pregnancy loss, acute neonatal intensive care, and medical disability inform the insight she brings to the topic of prenatal diagnosis.

SPONSORS

Venue

The Tracy Center

1800 S Acadian Thruway
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

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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