The Religious Student Program proudly presents

"In the Stars or in Our Genes: Languages of Fate and Moral Responsibility"

A Talk by Dr. Larry A. Churchill
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Friday, November 13, 2009
Reception at 5:00 PM
Lecture at 5:30 PM
Putah Creek Lodge

This lecture is made possible through the generosity of Paul A. and Marie Castelfranco.

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For directions to the Putah Creek Lodge:

• Interstate 80 to Hwy 113 north toward Woodland.
• Take Hutchison Road exit and turn right on Hutchison
• Road. Turn right on LaRue Road. Turn right on Putah Creek
• Road and continue to the Putah Creek Lodge Visitor Parking Lot

About the speaker:
Dr. Larry R. Churchill is the Ann Geddes Stahlman Professor of Medical Ethics, Department of Medicine, Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Educated at Rhodes College (BA, 1967, Phi Beta Kappa)) and Duke University (M.Div., 1970, summa cum laude; Ph.D., 1973), Churchill entered the field of medical ethics and humanities as a member of the first class of Fellows of the Institute for Human Values in Medicine during 1973-74. Prior to Vanderbilt Churchill was Professor and Chair, Department of Social Medicine, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where in 1999 he was cited for excellence in the teaching of medical students in the pre-clinical years.

Professor Churchill has published widely in several areas of medical ethics, including research with human subjects, end of life decision-making, and social justice and the ethics of U.S. health policy. His major works include a 1987 book Rationing Health Care in America (Univ. of Notre Dame Press), a 1994 book Self-Interest and Universal Health Care (Harvard Univ. Press, selected a Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Book for 1995), and, with Marion Danis and Carolyn Clancy, Ethical Dimensions of Health Policy (Oxford University Press) in 2002. His work in ethics and health policy was the basis for his election to the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences in 1991. Churchill also conceived, helped to edit and wrote an “Introduction” for Parting: A Handbook for Spiritual Care Near the End of Life, (Univ. of North Carolina Press) which in 2005 won a “Best of the Best Award” from university presses, and has been translated into several languages. His current projects include research on the interplay between religious and genetic understanding of human nature and personal choice, and a study on the distinguishing features of healing relationships in medicine.

In 2008, Churchill was elected to the Academy for Excellence in Teaching at Vanderbilt, for his work in developing a highly regarded humanities and social sciences curriculum for medical students.