In the Gospel of Matthew, we learn that “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35). Repeatedly in the Gospels, Jesus demonstrates compassion by healing the sick, showing God’s heart for the suffering. Yet in the U.S., healthcare access remains unequal. Deep differences remain in health care along racial and economic lines. Mental health needs are more widely acknowledged than ever before, yet solutions and treatments remain elusive amid an epidemic of loneliness. What does it take to bring healing and hope to such a tragic situation? How does a Christian witness relate to justice in health care? How might healthcare professionals work for change in health care and health justice while avoiding burnout themselves? For those outside of the healthcare industry, what is our role in living a healthy lifestyle and in encouraging more just healthcare policies? Can for-profit health care be considered ethical and fair? Join us as we discuss these topics and more.

Conference Speakers

Dr. Patrick T. Smith

Dr. Patrick T. Smith is associate research professor of Theological Ethics and Bioethics at Duke Divinity School. In addition, he serves as the director of the bioethics program for the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities, and History of Medicine and associate professor in population health sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Duke University Medical School. Professor Smith was named a 2016-17 Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology, was the recipient of the 2019 Paul Ramsey Award for Excellence in Bioethics, and in 2022 received the Edmund Pellegrino Medalist Award in healthcare ethics. Professor Smith previously served as a lecturer at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine. He served as core faculty for the Master of Bioethics program offered through Harvard’s Center for Bioethics. He also was a principal faculty member for the Initiative on Health, Religion, and Spirituality, an interfaculty initiative across Harvard University that aims to be a research catalyst for an integrated model of spirituality, public health, and patient care in dialogue with spiritual communities.

Dr. Bob Cutillo

Dr. Bob Cutillo is a retired family physician who dedicated most of his career to providing faith-based healthcare to underserved populations in the United States. In addition, he spent several years in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) as a medical missionary in urban primary health care. He has taught at several academic institutions, most recently as adjunct faculty at Denver Seminary and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Cutillo has written and taught on the how a biblical view of health can inform our culture’s view of life and death, leading to a wiser and more just healthcare system and is the author of Pursuing Health in an Anxious Age (Crossway, 2016).

Dr. Cutillo received a B.S. from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., an M.D. from Columbia University in New York, and completed his family medicine residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

A life-long partner in mission, his cherished wife Heather died in 2023 after a three-year journey with cancer. Bob lives in Denver and has two married children, Kate and Steve, four grandchildren, and an affectionate cat named Samwise Gamgee.

Curt Thompson, MD

Curt Thompson, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, author, speaker, and co-host of The Being Known Podcast. He has been in private practice for over 30 years in Falls Church, Virginia, graduated from Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine, and completed his psychiatric residency at Temple University Hospital. He strives to help patients develop flourishing lives by telling their stories more truly, to become more deeply known, to create beauty and goodness in the world. With conviction and humor, he trains clinicians and speaks at workshops, retreats and conferences, integrating neuroscience, human relationships, and Christian faith. Curt’s latest book is The Deepest Place, where he asks whether it is possible to live with hope in the face of personal and global suffering. Curt and his wife, Phyllis, live outside of Washington DC and have two adult children.

Contact:
Jason Woodman, director of Public Engagement for The Gospel Initiative, is available before, during, and after the event to answer questions.