the Conference of the professions
In 1985 SMU's Dedman School of Law and Perkins School of Theology began "The Conference of the Professions" -- a unique collaboration with the Dallas Bar Association, the Dallas County Medical Society, the University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center, and (beginning in 1995) the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility.
The idea behind the series was simple: While the traditional "learned professions" are unique in many ways, they face some of the same ethical issues -- both from internal forces as well as from societal changes. The Conference of the Professions is the result of our collective judgment that much can be learned and accomplished by addressing these issues together.
2009-2010 Conference of the Professions
"The Downturn and the Professions:
Stories of Successful Service"
Register here
| Date: | Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | |
| Time: | 8:00 a.m. (registration & continental breakfast) - 11:30 a.m. | |
| Where: | The Great Room, Prothro Hall, SMU Perkins School of Theology (click here for interactive campus map) | |
| Keynote speakers: | Cecil Williams, M.Div., author, activist, Pastor Emeritus, Founder, and Minister of Liberation at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, and Janice Mirikitani, Founding President of the Glide Foundation |
This year's Conference of the Professions focuses on how the medical, legal
and clerical professions have and can respond effectively to those they serve in
time of economic crisis.
Our keynote speakers will share narratives of their innovative work with the
poor and marginalized in that city’s Tenderloin District. The historical Glide
Church and its foundation have a history of extensive and cooperative social
ministry and were recently featured in the film "Pursuit of Happyness," which
starred Will Smith as Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman turned stockbroker who
turned to Glide for support. Williams and Mirikitani briefly played themselves
in the film.
a legacy of collaborative inquiry
| Year | Topic | Keynoter |
| 1985 | The Meaning of Professional Responsibility Today | William F. May, Ph. D. |
| 1986 | Self-Regulation for the Professions | |
| 1988 | AIDS, The Emerging Crisis | |
| 1989 | The Socialization of the Professional and Mid-Career Burnout | Laura Nader, Ph.D. |
| 1990 | Women and Men in the Professions | The Honorable Deanell R. Tacha |
| 1991 | The Role of the Professions in the Community | Rev. Zan Holmes, Jr. |
| 1992 | Chemical Dependency | David E. Smith, M.D. |
| 1993 | Money and the Professions | William F. May, Ph.D. |
| 1994 | The Professions and Violence in the Family | M. Joycelyn Elders, M.D. |
| 1995 | The Human Genome Project | Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. |
| 1996 | Politics and the Professions | George C. Shipley, Ph.D. |
| 1997 | Death and Dying | Kathleen A. Nolan, M.D. |
| 1998 | Challenges to Diversity in the Professions | Christopher Edley, Jr., J.D. |
| 1999 | Engineering of Human Tissue | R. Alta Charo, J.D. |
| 2000 | Technology and the Environment | Christopher D. Stone, J.D. |
| 2001 | Honor Thy Children: The Challenge of a Child-Centered Practice | Barbara Bennett Woodhouse, J .D. |
| 2002 | Information Privacy and the Professions | Latanya Sweeney, Ph.D. |
| 2003 | Sexual Misconduct Within the Professions: Restoring Public Trust | Karen Lebacqz, Ph.D. |
| 2004 | Health Care for the Uninsured | Kenneth I. Shine, M.D. |
| 2006 | Apology and the Professions | Aaron Lazare, M.D. |
| 2007 | Preparing for Disaster: Fire, Flood, and the Flu | John Carlo, M.D. |
| 2008 | Faith in the Professions: What in God’s Name Am I Doing? | Daniel W. Foster, M.D. |
| 2009 | Generational Expectations and the Professions | Cynthia S. Pladziewicz, J.D., Ph.D. |