34th Annual Conference of the Professions

Divisive Times: Trust and Cooperation in Professional Relationships

Friday, April 30, 2021
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

This event was hosted virtually - click here to view the event agenda

After a year of disaster and interpersonal turbulence, clergy, lawyers and physicians have a unique challenge and an important role in confronting misinformation and rebuilding individuals’ faith and trust in our most critical institutions, including our own. On April 30 we explored techniques to create space for intellectual humility and conviction in order to restore trust and rebuild relationships of mutual respect.

Keynote Speaker and Facilitator

Jill DeTemple, PhD, is the chair of SMU's Religious Studies Department and professor of Anthropology. Dr. DeTemple is an expert in reflective structured dialogue practices, with her research recently featured in theDallas Morning NewsandTEDxSMU.

Panel Speakers

Padmaja Reddy, MD: Assistant Professor of Palliative Care at Parkland Health and Hospital System and UT Southwestern

Rabbi David Stern, MA: Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El

Sakina Rasheed Foster, JD: Partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP

The Conference of the Professions brings together members of law, medicine, and theology in the Dallas area to discuss common challenges—ethical and otherwise—facing these professions. The conference is a joint effort and collaboration between the Dallas County Medical Society, Dallas Bar Association, SMU Maguire Center for Ethics & Public Responsibility, SMU Dedman School of Law, SMU Perkins School of Theology and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Event Steering Committee: Candy Crespo, Nancy Kasten, Kristina Kastl, Steve Long, George Mason, Tom Mayo, Evelyn Parker, Jon Roth, and John Sadler

Clergy: This activity has been approved for .3 continuing education units (CEUs) for clergy and religious professionals.

Legal Professionals: This activity has been approved for 3 CLE credits.

Physicians: The Texas Medical Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

About the Conference

The annual Conference of the Professions is sponsored by the SMU Dedman School of Law, the Dallas County Medical Society, the Dallas Bar Association, the SMU Perkins School of Theology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and, since 1995, SMU’s Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility. Each year an ethical issue of common interest is identified. A noted expert in the field presents a keynote address, and a distinguished panel of local professionals discusses a related case that poses practical issues for law, medicine, the clergy, and other professions.

Past Conferences

Past conference titles along with the keynote speakers are listed below.

Crossing Borders - 05/24/2019

Time's Up for the Professions? Power, Sex and the Way Forward - 05/11/2018

Responding to Racial Conflict: Responsibilities of the Professions - 05/26/2017

Coming Home: The Professions Supporting Veterans - 04/22/2016

Supersizing the Professions: Ethical Issues Facing Mega-Churches, Law Firms and Medical Practices - 04/17/2015

Agony and Ecstasy: How Your Emotions Affect Practice - 05/09/2014

Shortcuts and High Roads: Everyday Morality and the Professions - 04/26/2013

Professional Ethics and Social Media: Like? - 10/14/2011

A Lawyer, a Priest, and a Doctor walk into a bar... The Ethics of Humor in the Professions - 10/14/2010

Generational Expectations and the Professions - 02/17/2009