May 10 – 12, 2012

Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C. CANADA

Welcome to the 3rd Faith and Nursing Symposium, hosted by Trinity Western University School of Nursing. This international symposium gathers nurses and other caregivers from across practice and academic settings to discuss the interface between religion, spirituality, nursing and healthcare ethics.

Friday, May 11th, 7 p.m. - Public Welcome (no fee) --

Public Panel: "A MultiFaith Dialogue on Diversity and Health Care Services"

Trinity Western University, Northwest Building Auditorium

We welcome the university community and the public to join us for this public panel discussion.  The four panelists are leaders in their respective organizations, and will speak to how healthcare services accommodate various faith beliefs and practices.

Plenary Speakers:

Marsha Fowler (Azusa Pacific University, CA)
Sonya Grypma (Trinity Western University, BC)
Elizabeth Johnston Taylor (Mary Potter Hospice, Auckland, New Zealand; Loma Linda University, CA)
Donal O’Mathuna (Dublin City University, Ireland)
Rani Srivastava (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto)

The symposium features esteemed plenary speakers, concurrent presentations, a public panel (Friday evening), roundtable discussions with leading thinkers in the field, and a celebration of the newly published books Religion, Religious Ethics, and Nursing (edited by Marsha Fowler, Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, Elizabeth Johnston Taylor, and Richard Sawatzky, 2011, Springer Publishers) and Religion: A Clinical Guide for Nurses (Elizabeth Johnston Taylor, 2012, Springer Publishers).

Several recent social trends have rekindled the recognition of the relevance of religion to ethics and nursing. Global migration has resulted in unprecedented religious diversity. At the same time, alternative spiritualities that emphasize personal quests for meaning are increasingly stressed. These social trends have resulted in what are referred to as a post-secular societies, and present an urgent need to acknowledge and draw upon religion and theology from multiple faith traditions in nursing and healthcare ethics. The inclusion of religious perspectives into ethics is needed “at the bedside”, as well as in health ethics and policy in relation to regional, national and global health, with particular emphasis placed on disadvantaged, disvalued and marginalized populations.

Please consider joining us for this remarkable forum for collegial and scholarly exchange.

The conference committee is grateful for support for the conference from  the Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust/Foundation and the TWU Internal Grants program.