• 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:
    • "Converging Roads is a refreshingly unique kind of medical conference. It offers a wealth of information about how health care is called to serve within the context of the faith, and it provides a break from the burden of secular humanism that has overcome mainstream medical practices. I have participated in three Converging Roads conferences and I continue to be more impressed with each successive conference!"

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, April 11, as well as additional access to the recordings (from noon CT on Sunday, April 12, to 11:59 pm CT on Wednesday, April 15).
 
  • 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, March 27. All refund requests made on or after March 28 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

    • Conscience, Moral Cooperation, and Human Flourishing
  • Matthew Shea, PhD
  •  
  • The Primacy of Virtue and Navigating Moral Cooperation in Medicine
  • Matthew Shea, PhD; Mariele Courtois, PhD; and Cara Buskmiller, MD, MS
  •  
  • Restorative Reproductive Medicine and the Flourishing of the Person
  • Tracey Parnell, MD, MRM, CCFP
  •  
  • Dr. Jérôme Lejeune: A Model of Integrating the Spiritual Life
  • Pilar Calva, MD
  •  
  • Technology and the Mental Health Crisis
  • Anthony Isacco, PhD
  •  
  • The Benefits and Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care
  • Mariele Courtois, PhD

SCHEDULE

 
7:30 AM
 Check-In Begins
8:00 AM
  • Mass
9:15 AM
 Opening Remarks
9:25 - 10:25 AM
  • Conscience, Moral Cooperation, and Human Flourishing
 
10:25 - 10:35 AM
 Break
10:35 - 11:35 AM
  • The Primacy of Virtue and Navigating Moral Cooperation in Medicine
 
11:35 - 11:45 AM
 Break
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
  • Restorative Reproductive Medicine and the Flourishing of the Person
 
12:45 - 2:35 PM
 Hippocratic Oath Luncheon  
1:30 - 2:30 PM
  • Dr. Jérôme Lejeune: A Model of Integrating the Spiritual Life
 
2:35 - 2:55 PM
 Break  
2:55 - 3:55 PM
  • Technology and the Mental Health Crisis
 
3:55 - 4:05 PM
 Break  
4:05 - 5:05 PM
  • The Benefits and Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care
 
5:05 - 5:15 PM
 Closing Comments
5:15 - 6:00 PM
 Wine and Cheese Reception

Speakers

ANTHONY ISACCO, PhD
Fellow, St. John Paul II Foundation

Anthony Isacco, PhD, a Fellow for St. John Paul II Foundation, is program director, professor, and head of clinical research in the MS in Clinical Psychology Program at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. He is a licensed psychologist and is the principal of Puritan Psychological Services, a  small private practice focused on helping clergy, seminarians, and women religious live healthy, holy, and happy lives in their vocations.  Dr. Isacco is a generalist, with areas of expertise in the psychology of men and masculinity, clergy mental health, fatherhood, psychological assessment, and religious/spiritual integration in psychology. He sits on the Advisory Board of Saint Paul Seminary, Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Formation Team of Saint Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Seminary, Eparchy of Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville (BA), Boston College (MA), and Loyola University of Chicago (PhD). Dr. Isacco lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and four daughters.

MARIELE COURTOIS, PHD
Director, Center for Technology and Human Dignity, Benedictine College

Mariele Courtois, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Moral Theology and Director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity at Benedictine College. She earned her Ph.D. with distinction from the Catholic University of America and writes on technology and healthcare ethics. She is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education’s AI Research Group and a contributing author of their book Encountering Artificial Intelligence. She is a Fellow for the USC’s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies Generations in Dialogue Program on medical ethics and transhumanism and a member of the International Association for the Study of the Philosophy of Edith Stein. She is currently working on a manuscript that draws from Edith Stein’s work on individuality for addressing genetic engineering ethics at the beginning of life.

MATTHEW SHEA, PHD
Assistant Professor, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine

Matthew Shea, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medical Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine and a practicing Clinical Ethicist at Houston Methodist Hospital. He received a PhD in philosophy from Saint Louis University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical ethics at the UCLA Health Ethics Center. He specializes in moral philosophy and bioethics, and his current research focuses on the philosophical foundations of bioethics and ethical issues related to vulnerable patient populations.

TRACEY PARNELL, MD, MRM, CCFP
Director of Communications & Development, IIRRM Board of Trustees

Dr. Tracey Parnell, MD, MRM is a board-certified Canadian physician and researcher who serves as Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia, Global Director of Communications & Development for the International Institute for Restorative Reproductive Medicine, and as a managing editor of the Journal of Restorative Reproductive Medicine. Her training includes a Master of Reproductive Medicine with Excellence from the University of New South Wales and a certificate in Reproductive Health Research from the World Health Organization and Geneva University. Dr. Parnell maintains her own RRM clinical practice in Canada and is medical director of the RRM Education (RRMed) group, which brings together leading experts to provide advanced RRM training and education.

PILAR CALVA, MD
Professor of Bioethics, University Lumen Gentium

Pilar Calva, MD, is an international speaker on life issues and thanatology as well as a professor on bioethics issues with a clinical practice on Genetics and Bioethics, end-of-life coaching, and  fertility/infertility management. She obtained her M.D in the School of Medicine. After training with Professor Jérôme Lejeune at the Hopital des Enfants Malades in Paris, France, she received her certification on cytogenetics from the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1987. She received her Master's in Bioethics in 2005 from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City, Mexico. Dr. Calva currently teaches at the Catholic University Lumen Gentium (Seminary of the Archdiocese of Tlalnepantla) in addition to short courses in several seminaries across Latin America. She has been teaching Natural Family Planning (Ovulation Method and FEMM) since 1985. She leads the Bioethics Community on Catholic.net, and has lectured at various national and international congresses. Dr. Calva is also a Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life (2002-2012), the Bioethics Council of the Mexican Episcopal Commission for the Family (2004), and the Mexican Academy of Bioethics.

REV. STEPHEN B. REYNOLDS
Pastor, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church

Fr. Stephen B. Reynolds was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on May 20, 1989. During his time in seminary formation, he earned two degrees through the University of St. Thomas: Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.). After ordination, Fr. Reynolds has served as Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart parish in Conroe (1989-1992) and then at St. Ambrose in Houston (1992-1994). His subsequent appointment to lead the parish of Christ the King in Houston (1994-2001) was his first assignment as Pastor. Later, he was named pastor of St. Theresa parish in Sugar Land, where he served for fourteen years (2001-2015). In 2015, Fr. Reynolds was asked by Cardinal DiNardo to accept the pastorate at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the largest parish in the Archdiocese. In addition to his parish assignments, Fr. Reynolds has exercised several other apostolates. He is the founding chaplain of the Houston chapter of Legatus, an organization of Catholic businessmen; he served for many years as a Spiritual Director for Youth2000, a Eucharistic retreat movement for youth. Fr. Reynolds has served on the Board of Directors of the University of St. Thomas (2014-2020), of Gratia Plena Counseling, and of other organizations. He was for a time the chaplain to the Lay Missionaries of Charity in Houston. He has also given retreats, days of recollection, and spiritual conferences to many groups including priests and seminarians. He directed the canonical retreat for the most recent priestly ordination class of St. Mary Seminary, where he serves as Adjunct Spiritual Director. Over the years, Fr. Reynolds has been appointed Vicar Forane (Dean), and has served on various Archdiocesan committees and commissions. He has been elected by his peers to serve on the Priest’s Personnel Board and on the Presbyteral Council, on which he currently serves and of which he was chairman from 2022-2024. He is also a member of the Archdiocesan Review Board and of the Archdiocesan Committee for the Ongoing Formation of Priests. Fr. Reynolds once served as chaplain to the local chapter of the Knights of Malta, and is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the Order of St. Lazarus, and is a Fourth-Degree Knight of Columbus.

CARA BUSKMILLER, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Buskmiller is a board-certified OB/GYN and a board-certified maternal-fetal medicine physician practicing in fetal intervention full-time at Texas Children's Hospital North Austin campus. Her research interests focus on device innovation in fetal surgery. Fetal intervention has very few instruments as a field, and most tools are co-opted from neighboring fields in medicine and surgery. Her interests in optimizing patients’ experiences prompts her to study on clinical outcomes related to surgery, ultrasound, and device design. With collaborators at Baylor College of Medicine, she holds a patent in vaginal stent design and is currently working on optimizing tools for fetal surgery. Her clinical focus is on fetal diagnosis, fetal surgery, and perinatal palliative care. She has a masters degree in ethics and a personal interest in device design and clinical optimization of care, including psychosocial and palliative aspects of fetal intervention. Her research in fetal anomalies, fetal interventions, and reproductive loss spans a decade of research, beginning in 2013 with a nationwide survey of maternity group homes. She is developing a brief tool to screen for complicated grief after reproductive loss in partnership with IU and the Institute for Reproductive Grief Care. Dr. Buskmiller regularly contributes to ethical literature and collaborates with a wide variety of co-authors for robust perspectives. Throughout her career, Dr. Buskmiller has engaged in public speaking to scientific and lay audiences, and has also developed peer review skills in ethical and medical literature.

SPONSORS

CONTINUING EDUCATION

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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
The Christian Medical & Dental Associations designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the 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 6 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 6 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. Determination of credit is pending.

Click here for full CME/CNE details

 

Chaplains
The National Association of Catholic Chaplains has approved this program for 6 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. 

Social Workers and Counselors
If you are seeking Social Worker or Counselor continuing education credits, we can provide you with a certificate which states that you completed 6 hours. Please select the General Admission ticket option and request a certificate of completion on your registration form. For questions, please email Conference Coordinator Nancy Ariza at [email protected]

Venue

St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church

1801 Sage Road
Houston, TX 77056

For More Information:
Nancy Ariza, 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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