Human dignity at center of Catholic university’s upcoming medical conference – OSV News

Report on the St. Gianna Medical Professionals Conference

Introduction: Aligning Healthcare with Sustainable Development Goals

The fourth annual St. Gianna Medical Professionals Conference, hosted by the University of Mary, is scheduled for December 4-6. The event will convene over 500 healthcare professionals, educators, and students to address the theme, “Mission-Driven Healthcare in a Profit-Driven World.” The conference’s core objective is to promote a healthcare model centered on human dignity, directly supporting the principles of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Conference Objectives and Thematic Focus

The conference is designed to equip attendees with the skills and ethical framework necessary to navigate the complexities of modern medicine. Its agenda is structured around key areas that are critical to achieving sustainable and equitable health outcomes for all.

Key Discussion Areas and SDG Linkages

1. Upholding Human Dignity and Reducing Inequalities (SDG 10): A foundational principle of the conference is to build healthcare systems around the most vulnerable populations. Keynote speaker Dr. Ashley K. Fernandes emphasized that an ideal society is constructed from the needs of the vulnerable, a concept that directly addresses the goal of reducing inequalities within and among countries.
2. Ensuring Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3): The conference directly contributes to SDG 3 by focusing on the quality and ethics of healthcare delivery. Specific topics include:
   • The moral and ethical dimensions of healthcare business practices.
   • Bioethical debates on emerging genetic technologies and artificial intelligence.
   • End-of-life care and the ethical definition of death, as discussed by Dr. Christopher DeCock in his session on the Uniform Declaration of Death Act.
3. Promoting Decent Work and Supporting the Health Workforce (SDG 8 & SDG 3): Recognizing the risk of professional burnout, the conference includes sessions on self-care for medical professionals. James Link’s talk, “Healing the Healers,” focuses on providing faith-inspired strategies to prevent burnout, thereby promoting decent work conditions and ensuring the sustainability of the health workforce, a key target within SDG 3.
4. Fostering Quality Education and Strong Institutions (SDG 4 & SDG 16): As an interprofessional educational event, the conference provides a platform for lifelong learning for medical professionals. By fostering dialogue on ethical, compassionate, and mission-driven care, it aims to strengthen healthcare institutions from within, making them more just, accountable, and aligned with the principle of serving the human person above profit.

Conclusion: A Framework for Sustainable Healthcare

The St. Gianna Medical Professionals Conference provides a critical framework for advancing a healthcare model that is both ethically sound and sustainable. By prioritizing the dignity of the individual, especially the most vulnerable, the event champions a vision of healthcare that is integral to achieving global targets for health, equality, and institutional integrity as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. The central takeaway is that a healthcare system structured around the human person is essential for fostering a just and healthy society.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article is centered on healthcare, discussing a conference for medical professionals. It explicitly mentions the provision of care by Catholic hospitals to millions of patients (“A total of 645 U.S. Catholic hospitals assist with nearly 90 million patients every year”), the challenges faced by healthcare providers such as burnout, and the overall goal of ensuring the well-being of patients by upholding the “dignity of the human person.”

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The article focuses on the “fourth annual St. Gianna Medical Professionals Conference,” an educational event designed to prepare attendees and provide them with skills and tools. It aims to educate healthcare professionals, educators, and students on topics like ethical care, new technologies (AI, genetic technologies), and self-care, which constitutes professional development and lifelong learning.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The conference’s theme, “Mission-Driven Healthcare in a Profit-Driven World,” and its focus on creating a healthcare system “situated around the human person as the primary end” point to the development of effective and ethical institutions. The discussion on bioethics, moral meaning, and building a society around the “most vulnerable person” directly relates to building just and inclusive institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Targets under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. The article highlights the significant scale of care provided by the Catholic health network (“1 in 6 patients nationwide receives care in a Catholic hospital”), which contributes to the broader goal of accessible healthcare services for the population.
• Target 3.c: Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States. While the context is the U.S., the principle of supporting the health workforce is central. The article addresses the need to prevent “burnout in Medical Professionals” and focuses on “Healing the Healers,” which is crucial for the retention and well-being of the health workforce.

Targets under SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. The conference is designed to give attendees “tools that I’m going to be able to use as a provider.” It aims to equip over 500 professionals and students with skills to navigate modern challenges like AI and genetic technologies and to be “outstanding providers.”

Targets under SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The article discusses the need to structure the healthcare system around a moral compass and the “dignity of the human person” rather than purely profit motives. This reflects an effort to build healthcare institutions that are effective, accountable to patients, and transparent in their ethical commitments.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 3 Targets

• For Target 3.8: The article provides direct quantitative data that can serve as an indicator of service coverage: “A total of 645 U.S. Catholic hospitals assist with nearly 90 million patients every year, and 1 in 6 patients nationwide receives care in a Catholic hospital.”
• For Target 3.c: An implied indicator is the well-being and retention of the health workforce. The conference’s focus on “self-care to prevent burnout” suggests that the rate of burnout among medical professionals is a key metric for measuring the health and stability of the workforce.

Indicators for SDG 4 Targets

• For Target 4.4: A direct indicator for participation in professional skills development is mentioned: “Organizers expect that the event… will attract more than 500 health care professionals, educators, clergy, religious sisters and students from across the country.” The number of attendees serves as a measure of professionals receiving further training.

Indicators for SDG 16 Targets

• For Target 16.6: The article implies a qualitative indicator related to institutional accountability. The existence and promotion of events like this conference, which focus on establishing and reinforcing a “moral compass” and ethical frameworks (e.g., bioethics debates) within healthcare, can be seen as an indicator of the development of more accountable and ethically-grounded institutions.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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