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We are a community of Christian academic physicians and scientists who are committed to helping one another discern and live up to our faith-based calling. We endeavor to transform our academic communities through faith, fellowship, and scholarship.

WEBINAR SERIES 2026

** A Christian’s Walk in Academic Medicine will not be available as a recording. All webinars will be on Wednesdays at 5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

“A Christian’s Walk in Academic Medicine”

Drs. Tim & Maureen Gaul received their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Tim Gaul specializes in addiction medicine, and Dr. Maureen Gaul is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. She practiced pediatrics in multiple hospitals throughout Pennsylvania before transitioning to full-time service in North Macedonia.

In 2016, they were appointed Directors of the U.S. Physician Project in the Republic of North Macedonia, working in partnership with the Medical Chamber, hospital directors, department heads, and clinical chiefs across the country. What began as a six-month-per-year commitment became a full-time calling when they relocated to Skopje in September 2022.

Together, the Gauls manage the logistics and coordination of 15–30 visiting volunteer specialists each year, while also serving as full-time practicing physicians and medical educators within North Macedonia. Their work soon expanded beyond national borders, leading to their current role as Balkans Project Directors, supporting and strengthening medical training and partnerships throughout the region.

Dr. Tim Gaul’s honors include Intern of the Year at Flint Osteopathic Hospital (1986), the Faculty Teaching Award at UPMC McKeesport Family Medicine Residency (2017–2018), and the Excellence in Patient Experience Award (2019). Drs. Tim and Maureen Gaul have been members of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) since 2015.

Speaker Bio: Drs. Tim & Maureen Gaul

David Larson, MD retired from his position of 27 years as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  He is Board certified in both Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery and is the current Chairman of the MEI Advisory Council.

Moderator: David Larson, MD, MSc
Registration Closed

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

“Controversies in Medicine: The Ethics of Persuasion within the Moral Dynamic of Shared Decision Making in Healthcare”

Dr. Kaldjian directs the Program in Bioethics and Humanities at the Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa (Iowa City, USA), where he is also a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. He received a BA from Oxford University, an MD from the University of Michigan, and an MDiv and PhD in Christian ethics from Yale University, where he also completed his residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. His research interests include ethics education, end of life decision making, goals of care, disclosure of medical errors, religious and philosophical beliefs in medical ethics, practical wisdom in medicine, and conscientious practice. His work has been published in a variety of journals, and he is the author of Practicing Medicine and Ethics: Integrating Wisdom, Conscience, and Goals of Care. At the Carver College of Medicine, he directs the Biomedical Ethics curriculum and serves on the Ethics Committee and Ethics Consult Service. He also co-directs Scholars in Ethics and Medicine, a program sponsored by the Hyde Park Institute for students at the University of Chicago.  

Speaker Bio: Lauris C Kaldjian, MD, PhD

Dr. Kim-Lien Nguyen is Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radiology, Bioengineering, and Biomedical Physics at the University of California Los Angeles. She earned a medical doctorate at UCLA, completed her internal medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and her cardiology fellowship at UCLA. After postdoctoral research training at the National Institutes of Health, she was recruited to UCLA and has been on faculty since 2013. Dr. Nguyen’s clinical areas of interest include cardiovascular imaging in vascular, congenital, and ischemic heart disease as well as heart failure. Her research interests include development and translation of magnetic resonance imaging methods for visualization and multiscale modeling of cardiovascular disease, specifically novel contrasts and motion-resolved methods to characterize tissue composition, mechanics, and its interactions with blood flow dynamics. Her current research focuses on USPIO-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Dr. Nguyen has received research grants from the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and Veterans Health Administration. She has served as Principal Investigator or Multiple Principal Investigator on these awards. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and has been an invited speaker throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her lab trains both MD and PhD candidates.

Moderator: Kim-Lien Nguyen, MD
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Monday, March 16, 2026

“A Christian’s Walk in Academic Medicine: Suffering and God’s Glory”

Christine is an assistant professor in the department of Family Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas Texas, practicing full-spectrum Family Medicine and OB.  She was a medical missionary to East Asia, where she taught in an international Family Medicine residency, helped to start a mobile clinic for victims of human trafficking, led short recurrent short-term trips to rural and disaster regions of East and Southeast Asia. She completed an obstetric fellowship at UT Dell (formerly Breckenridge).  Christine has found joy in caring for the underserved in community clinics, exploring spirituality and medicine in research, mentoring med students and residents, and staying active in Southwestern Christian Fellowship (CMDA campus ministry).  She seeks to share Christ with her patients and is now focusing especially on caring for special needs patients and their families.

Speaker Bio: Christine Liu, MD

David Larson, MD retired from his position of 27 years as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  He is Board certified in both Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery and is the current Chairman of the MEI Advisory Council.

Moderator: David Larson, M.D.
Registration Closed

Outline:

  • Story of Christine‘s son Micah, who is severely handicapped and fully ADL-dependent, and the faithfulness of God in their lives.
  • How God has used their family story to reach out to those who do not know him yet, within and outside of medicine.
  • How Christine has begun to understand more of God‘s heart and his glory through her son.
  • Social and spiritual care for special needs families.

Saturday, April 11, 2026

“Controversies in Medicine: Update on the Impact of AI On Medical Practice”

John Wyatt is Professor Emeritus of Neonatal Paediatrics, Ethics and Perinatology at University College London, UK. He worked as a clinical neonatologist, educator and research scientist for more than 25 years. He is now engaged in researching, teaching and writing on the ethical implications of advances in biomedical and information technology, including AI. He is current President of the UK Christian Medical Fellowship. He has a personal website johnwyatt.com and hosts a weekly podcast with his son Tim on medicine, science and ethics, entitled Matters of Life and Death.

Speaker Bio: John Wyatt

David Larson, MD retired from his position of 27 years as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  He is Board certified in both Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery and is the current Chairman of the MEI Advisory Council.

Moderator: David Larson, MD, MSc
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Wednesday, May 20, 2026

"Controversies in Medicine: Conquering the Epidemic of Loneliness: Psychological and Spiritual Answers”

Dr. Krishna DasGupta was born and raised in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin. She received her BA in Molecular Biology from UW-

Madison and attended medical school at UW-Madison where

she received her MD in 1982. She completed her psychiatry

residency at Northwestern University in 1987, then returned to

UW-Madison as a faculty member in the Department of

Psychiatry for 6 years. In 1993, she began working in the private

practice of psychiatry providing diagnostic evaluations and

pharmacological management for adults suffering from

psychiatric illness for 30 years until she retired in October 2023.

She now volunteers as a psychiatrist at Lake Area Free Clinic in

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and Life’s Connection, a pregnancy

help center in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She is on the board of the

Milwaukee Guild of the Catholic Medical Association.

She and her husband Dr Franklin Smith, a retired urologist and

current president of the Milwaukee Guild of the Catholic Medical

Association, have been married for 42 years and have 2 children

and 4 grandchildren all living in the Milwaukee area. They have

been members of St Jerome Catholic Parish in Oconomowoc for

28 years.

 

Speaker Bio: Krishna DasGupta, MD

Dr. Lee is Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Chief of Staff in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communications Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine.  His academic focus is related to cancer detection in low resource and global health settings as well as professional and leadership development. He is a certified professional coach (ACC)  and serves as the faculty advisor for the Duke School of Medicine Student Chapter.  He married to Julia and has 3 sons and 1 daughter.

Moderator: Walter Lee, MD
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Wednesday, June 17, 2026

“Artificial Gametes, Synthetic Embryos, and Ectogenesis: Where is our Technology Taking Us?"

William B. Hurlbut is a physician and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University Medical Center.  His primary areas of interest involve the ethical issues associated with advancing biomedical technology, the biological basis of moral awareness, and studies in the integration of theology and philosophy of biology.  He has worked with NASA on projects in astrobiology and on Chemical and Biological Warfare at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. He has co-chaired three interdisciplinary faculty projects at Stanford: “Becoming Human: The Evolutionary Origins of Spiritual, Religious and Moral Awareness,” “Brain Mind and Emergence,” and (ongoing) “The Boundaries of Humanity: Human, Animals, and Machines in the Age of Biotechnology.”  In addition, he was Co-leader, with Professor Jennifer Doudna (2020 Noble Laureate), of “The challenge and opportunity of gene editing: a project for reflection, deliberation and education.” From 2002-2009 Dr. Hurlbut served on the President's Council on Bioethics.

Speaker Bio: William B. Hurlbut, MD

Dr. Lee is Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Chief of Staff in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communications Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine.  His academic focus is related to cancer detection in low resource and global health settings as well as professional and leadership development. He is a certified professional coach (ACC)  and serves as the faculty advisor for the Duke School of Medicine Student Chapter.  He married to Julia and has 3 sons and 1 daughter.

Moderator: Walter Lee, MD
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Abstract:  As progress in genomics moves on to the era of developmental biology, technological advances are opening new possibilities for interventions at the very foundations of human life.  Beyond issues related to the fundamental dignity and sanctity of human embryos, these technologies raise profound considerations relevant to the Human future.  Together with emerging powers for precise genetic editing, we will need to confront question about our proper role in monitoring and managing developing life. While much of our current bioethical reflection (and controversy) relates to matters of personal choice and governing policies, beneath these issues lie fundamental questions related to natural human variation, individual suffering, and the limitations our our medical prerogative for altering the very foundational frame of natural reproduction.

August 24, 2026

“A Christian’s Walk in Academic Medicine”

Gregory A. Brent, MD is Professor of Medicine and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Senior Executive Academic Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine. He is past Chair of the Department of Medicine at VA Greater Los Angeles and past Chief of the UCLA Division of Endocrinology. Greg received his clinical endocrinology training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and completed a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. His laboratory studies the mechanisms of thyroid hormone action in metabolic regulation and neural differentiation and his clinical research focuses on hypothyroidism and thyroid diseases in pregnancy. He is an elected member of the ASCI and AAP. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring at all levels, was a long-term second year medical student curricular chair, fellowship program director and continues as a mentor for NIH K awardees and an NIH T32.

 

Greg's wife of 49 years is a pediatrician and he and Dina have 5 adult children, 3 in-law children, and 5 grandchildren. He enjoys serving in his church and leading small groups, spending time with his family, traveling, swimming, and running. He has recently completed half marathons with his oldest son, youngest daughter and both son-in-laws. He is hoping to keep running long enough to win his age group!

Speaker Bio: Gregory A. Brent, MD

Dr. Kim-Lien Nguyen is Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radiology, Bioengineering, and Biomedical Physics at the University of California Los Angeles. She earned a medical doctorate at UCLA, completed her internal medicine residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and her cardiology fellowship at UCLA. After postdoctoral research training at the National Institutes of Health, she was recruited to UCLA and has been on faculty since 2013. Dr. Nguyen’s clinical areas of interest include cardiovascular imaging in vascular, congenital, and ischemic heart disease as well as heart failure. Her research interests include development and translation of magnetic resonance imaging methods for visualization and multiscale modeling of cardiovascular disease, specifically novel contrasts and motion-resolved methods to characterize tissue composition, mechanics, and its interactions with blood flow dynamics. Her current research focuses on USPIO-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Dr. Nguyen has received research grants from the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health, and Veterans Health Administration. She has served as Principal Investigator or Multiple Principal Investigator on these awards. She has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and has been an invited speaker throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her lab trains both MD and PhD candidates.

Moderator: Kim-Lien Nguyen, MD
Register Today!

Monday, September 14, 2026

“Controversies in Medicine: Living Unashamed of One’s Faith in the World of Academics”

Biography Coming Soon...

Speaker Bio: James Tour, PhD

Kalon Ho, MD, MSc, is currently the Treasurer of the Christian Academic Physicians and Scientists (CAPS) Section of CMDA. A graduate of the University of California at San Diego, Harvard Medical School (HMS), and the Harvard School of Public Health, he is a member of the Interventional Cardiology Section at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston and the Medical Director for Quality for the Cardiovascular Division at the BIDMC. He has taught clinical epidemiology at HMS for nearly 25 years and specializes in complex hemodynamic studies in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. He has published on the epidemiology of heart failure, overseen clinical trials in interventional cardiology, evaluated the effects of public reporting of outcomes of coronary revascularization, and received awards from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions for designing clinical decision support tools. Kalon has participated in 10 MEI-sponsored medical education mission trips to North Macedonia since 2016.

Moderator: Kalon Ho, MD
Register Today!

Monday, October 19, 2026

“Controversies in Medicine: Agape Love as a Christian’s Imperative and Calling in Medicine and Bioethics: The Case of Paul Farmer’s Praxis”

Dr. Constantine or 'Kosti' Psimopoulos is a Kinesiologist & Harvard Medical School trained bioethicist. A Visiting Scholar in Medicine and co-Director, Program on Medicine and Religion at UChicago (25-26), he is on faculty at Harvard's Initiative on Health, Spirituality and Religion, and the Human Flourishing program, with another appointment at the Center for Bioethics (HMS). Constantine has authored four book chapters and recently published a meta analysis on the protective role of Spirituality in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Serving on the National Advisory Board of the Conference on Medicine and Religion, his interests lie on theological bioethics and AI, flourishing, and public health ethics. Dr. Psimopoulos was recently nominated for the International Expanded Reason Award, from the Vatican Foundation. Dr. Psimopoulos has co-designed and co-taught, a new graduate course in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Health at Harvard University. An alumnus of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, he was awarded the Inaugural HMS Dean's Scholarship. At HMS, Kosti was elected President of Harvard Medical School's Student Council. He gave the student (valedictorian) address at the HMS graduation entitled: “In pursuit of A Moral Awakening in Medicine & Healthcare: An ethics of Sympraxis.”

Speaker Bio: Constantine ‘Kosti’ Psimopoulos, PhD

Kalon Ho, MD, MSc, is currently the Treasurer of the Christian Academic Physicians and Scientists (CAPS) Section of CMDA. A graduate of the University of California at San Diego, Harvard Medical School (HMS), and the Harvard School of Public Health, he is a member of the Interventional Cardiology Section at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston and the Medical Director for Quality for the Cardiovascular Division at the BIDMC. He has taught clinical epidemiology at HMS for nearly 25 years and specializes in complex hemodynamic studies in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. He has published on the epidemiology of heart failure, overseen clinical trials in interventional cardiology, evaluated the effects of public reporting of outcomes of coronary revascularization, and received awards from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions for designing clinical decision support tools. Kalon has participated in 10 MEI-sponsored medical education mission trips to North Macedonia since 2016.

Moderator: Kalon Ho, MD
Register Today!

Wednesday, November 18, 2026

“Gender Affirming Care in Kids: When the Data Conflicts with Institutional Policies, Practice Guidelines and Biblical Anthropology”

Biography Coming Soon...

Speaker Bio: Steve Grcevich, MD

Dr. Lee is Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Chief of Staff in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communications Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine.  His academic focus is related to cancer detection in low resource and global health settings as well as professional and leadership development. He is a certified professional coach (ACC)  and serves as the faculty advisor for the Duke School of Medicine Student Chapter.  He married to Julia and has 3 sons and 1 daughter.

Moderator: Walter Lee, MD
Register Today!

Abstract: Dramatic increases in youth presenting for treatment of gender dysphoria in the presence of profound disagreement among Western medical institutions regarding appropriate, evidence-based treatment has led to highly politicized interventions into practice by state and federal officials in the U.S. In this session, participants will review the research on gender-affirming care in children and adolescents, with an emphasis on the findings of the British Health Service’s 2024 Cass Review, explore our duties as clinicians, teachers and leaders within academic medicine to advocate for ethical and evidence-based care practices and consider the uniquely Christian role academic physicians are called to in guarding the credibility of our profession, the mission of the institutions that employ us and the ability of like-minded colleagues to faithfully serve within the academic-medical complex.

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