Conference of the Professions
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, Faith Commons, and 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.
| Governmental Conflict with Standards and Professional Judgment: Case Studies in Texas - 10/7/23 |
| Mis- and Disinformation in the Professions: Vaccines, Voting, and Virtue - 5/27/22 |
| Divisive Times: Trust and Cooperation in Professional Relationships - 04/30/21 |
| 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 |
| What in God's Name Am I Doing? - 02/11/2008 |
| Preparing for Disaster: Fire, Flood, and the Flu - 03/30/2007 |
| Apology and the Professions - 03/01/2006 |
| Healthcare for the Uninsured - 10/06/2004 |
| Sexual Misconduct Within the Professions: Restoring Public Trust - 11/13/2003 |
| Information Privacy and the Professions - 10/17/2002 |
| Honor Thy Children? The Challenge of a Child-Centered Practice - 11/15/2001 |
| Technology and the Environment: Promise of Benefits, Risks of Harm - 10/19/2000 |
| Engineering of Human Tissue - 10/01/1999 |
| Challenges to Diversity in the Professions - 10/22/1998 |
| Politics and the Professions - 11/21/1996 |
| The Human Genome - 10/17/1995 |
| The Professions and Violence in the Family - 10/25/1994 |
| Money and the Professions - 10/28/1993 |
| Chemical Dependency - The Professional's Responsibility to Each Other and to the Community - 03/14/1992 |
| The Role of the Professional in the Community - 03/27/1991 |
| Women and Men in the Professions: A Question of Balance in the 21st Century - 1990 |
| The Socialization of the Professional and Mid-Career Burnout - 1989 |
| AIDS, The Emerging Crisis - 01/20/1988 |
| Self Regulation for the Professions - 12/09/1986 |
| The Meaning of Professional Responsibility Today - 10/24/1985 |