2022

January 4, 2022


 

Remembering Rabbi Twerski—A Man of Wisdom and Humor: Healing vs. Curing in Addiction Medicine

Rev. Dr. Wm. “Jay” Geisler, DM, MA
Recovery Ministries for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh

This lecture in honor of Doctor and Rabbi Abraham Twerski will examine his life experience as a psychiatrist, as a man of the ancient Rabbinic Tradition, and as a student of the “12 steps” of addiction recovery. Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski was the scion of an Hassidic dynasty, the author of numerous books, and the founder of Gateway Rehab, the largest drug rehabilitation and addiction recovery network in the greater Pittsburgh region.

Image: Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski from Time Magazine

February 1, 2022


 

Our Brains, Mind and God: Do you know where they are?

Paul J. Friday, PhD
Chief of Clinical Psychology
Shadyside Hospital of UPMC

Understanding the ‘location-function’ of the human brain leads us to postulate the source and existence of both our minds and of God. Through the integration of linguistics, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, time concepts, and astrophysics we can arrive at the ultimate psycho-philosophical construct expressed 100 years ago by Wittgenstein in his Tractatus Logico Philosophicus in its 7th Proposition, which will be the conclusion of this Healthcare and Religion program.

Image by Pascal Bernardon on Unsplash of “Clash of Mind” 

March 1, 2022


 

Shaken to the Core: Addressing Spiritual Struggles in the Context of Healthcare

Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Psychology
Bowling Green State University

Major life stressors affect people spiritually, psychologically, socially, and physically. This presentation will introduce the growing body of research and practice on spiritual struggles (i.e., tensions and conflicts about sacred matters with the supernatural, other people, and within oneself). It will note that spiritual struggles are not at all unusual, take a variety of forms, and hold important implications for health and well-being. More practically, this presentation will consider how spiritual struggles can be assessed and addressed in healthcare. It will underscore the importance of multi-disciplinary cooperation and collaboration in working with spiritual struggles.

Image by Rick Whittle on Unsplash

April 5, 2022


Referring to Chaplaincy in Serious Illness: How Data Support the Practice

Natalie C. Ernecoff, PhD, MPH
Associate Policy Researcher
RAND Corporation

Although many patients and their families view religion or spirituality as an important consideration near the end of life, such concerns are infrequently screened for and addressed in clinical settings. It is important for clinicians to understand when to screen and how to refer to chaplaincy or spiritual care services. Dr. Ernecoff will revisit the data she presented in summer 2021 demonstrating that palliative care research supports routine screening for spiritual care needs by clinicians. She will discuss the broad skillset of spiritual care providers and chaplaincy to meet spiritual, religious, and existential needs of people with serious illness, including those near the end of life.

Image: RAND Corporation Logo

May 3, 2022

The Unavoidable Priority of Values in Medical Decision-Making: Why Ethics Always Precedes Religion and Science

Jeremy R. Garrett, PhD
Research Faculty, Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center
Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Adjunct Associate Professor of Philosophy
University of Missouri-Kansas City

Ethics, religion, and science frequently compete for priority in medical decision-making and thus can create conflicts among clinicians, patients, and families. The diverse range of religious beliefs and scientific facts that emerge can obscure a fundamental insight: each of us is forced to make a prior fundamental value judgment about which of these facts and beliefs to regard as authoritative and how best to interpret and apply each to concrete medical decisions. Using a mix of case examples and philosophical analysis, this presentation will analyze this insight and explore its practical ramifications. Recognizing the priority of values in decision-making and taking responsibility for navigating value judgments provides a practical tool for managing conflict and making progress toward consensus among all parties.

Image by Shutterstock 

June 7, 2022


 

Common Misconceptions about Catholic Healthcare

Valerie B. Satkoske, PhD
VP Ethics UPMC and UPMC PUH/SHY
VP Mission Effectiveness, Spiritual Care, and Ethics UPMC Mercy

Every day one in seven patients across the US is cared for in Catholic hospitals. To provide health services in a manner which is consistent with the Catholic Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person, Catholic health entities seek guidance from the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERD), published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and from their diocesan bishop.  This session will provide an overview of the ERD, considerations for professionals who work in or with a Catholic health entity, and common misconceptions about Catholic healthcare.

Image by Photologic

September 13, 2022

Narrative in Jewish Medical Ethics

Alan Jotkowitz, MD, MHA 
Professor of Medicine 
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Abstract: Jewish medical ethics has traditionally been grounded in the ancient Jewish texts and traditions and scholars look to these sources for guidance and wisdom. But in recent years ethical problems in medicine which the sages of previous generations could never have imagined have become more common. To develop an authentic Jewish position on these moral dilemmas one needs to look at the narratives and stories of the Jewish tradition. 

Image: Cover of book by Jonathan K. Crane​

October 4, 2022


 

From Monasteries to Hospitals: Institutional History of Care for the Insane in East Asia

James Robson, PhD 
James C. Kralik and Yunli Lou Professor 
of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
Harvard University

Abstract: There has been much recent attention paid to the relationship between Buddhism and medicine, especially in regard to numerous studies of the application of mindfulness as an efficacious therapy for everything from depression to schizophrenia. Despite the many comprehensive surveys of Buddhist medical literature across Asia, there remains a paucity of studies on the history of the institutional connections between Buddhist monasteries and the care for the “insane” from the premodern period to the present. This talk aims to introduce the long hidden history of the role monasteries played in this care up through the birth of modern mental institutions in East Asia. 

Image by Irena Carpaccio

November 1, 2022


 

The Influence of Early Muslim Physicians and Classical Islamic Scholars on the Development of Modern Psychiatry

Rania Awaad, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Stanford University

Abstract: The first psychiatric hospitals in the world were established as early as the 8th century during the Islamic Renaissance. Despite the emergence of a highly sophisticated and interdisciplinary system of understanding the human psyche in early Islamic history, most students of modern psychology are unfamiliar with this rich history. This lecture will provide an historical and contemporary review of the Islamic intellectual heritage as it pertains to modern behavioral science and how mental illness was historically perceived and treated in the Muslim world. 

Image by Nick Fewings

December 6, 2022


 

Spiritual Madness: Race, Psychiatry, and African American Religions

Judith Weisenfeld, PhD
Agate Brown and George L. Collord Professor of Religion
Princeton University

Abstract: This talk will explore late nineteenth and early twentieth-century psychiatric theories about race, religion, and the “normal mind.” It will demonstrate how white asylum doctors drew on works from popular and scientific racial discourse as well as History of Religions scholarship to make racialized claims about African Americans’ “traits of character, habit, and behavior.” This history of the intersections of psychiatry and African American religions sheds light on how ideas about race, religion, and mental normalcy shaped African American experience in courts and mental hospitals and the role of racialization of religion played more broadly in the history of medicine, legal history, and the history of disability.

For access to the lecture recording for personal viewing, contact bioethics@pitt.edu

Image: Set design by Claire DeLiso from House of the Negro Insane