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This 25^th year of the conference brings together the professional communities of law, medicine, and clergy to address issues facing all three professions and to focus on solutions.  Registration opens at 12:30 p.m. and we will begin at 1:00 p.m.

Our keynote speaker is Phillip Freeman, M.D., D.M.H., a practicing psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, author, and theatre/film consultant at Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (BPSI).  Dr. Freeman is also a member of the faculty of the Departments of Psychiatry at both the Harvard Medical School and the Boston University School of Medicine.

We laugh at jokes, suffer from them, and tell them.  So do the physicians and clergy.  We use, and some abuse, humor as we practice our professions.  Our keynote speaker and distinguished (funny) panelists from each profession will discuss the effective, and the noxious, use of humor.  You who attend will have the opportunity to discuss, or confess, examples that produce a belly laugh or embarrassment and apology.

Keynote Speaker

Phillip Freeman, M.D., D.M.H., is a member of the faculty of the Departments of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine. He is also a training and supervising psychoanalyst at Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. Dr. Freeman received his M.D. from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition to his teaching, he maintains a private practice in psychiatry and psychoanalysis, belongs to many national professional associations and organizations, has held leadership roles at Harvard and Boston University schools of medicine, and has published many articles over the years. Many of his recent academic presentations address such topics as ritual, drama, and psychoanalysis; theatre, psychoanalysis and the virtual stage; the music of fear, love, and transformation; and constructing and deconstructing illusions.

Panelists

Fred Ciarochi, M.D., is a private-practice physician specializing in internal medicine and endocrinology and a former president of the Dallas County Medical Society, the fourth largest county medical society in the USA. He is a graduate of St. Vincent College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has co-authored many professional articles and holds membership the Texas and the American Medical Associations, the Endocrine Society, and the American College of Physicians. For several years, D Magazine has named Dr. Ciarochi as a “Top Doctor.” In his spare time, he volunteers his services with Project Access Dallas.

Rhonda F. Hunter, J.D., is a trial attorney board certified in Family Law and a past president of the Dallas Bar Association. A graduate of the University of Texas and °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â School of Law, she frequently teaches and lectures at venues throughout the state. She gives countless hours to pro bono work, especially as choreographer for the “Bar None” variety show, a fundraiser for law school scholarships. She has served on the boards of directors for the Child and Family Guidance Centers, the Young Audiences of Greater Dallas, and the North Texas Food Bank. Ms. Hunter is well known for developing and executing initiatives to address the needs of the law profession and the public.

Alyce McKenzie, M.Div., Ph.D., is a Professor of Homiletics at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÔ¤²â’s Perkins School of Theology. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Divinity School of Duke University, she received her Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Rev. Dr. McKenzie is an ordained elder in the North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and has served several local congregations. Her special interests include preaching on biblical wisdom, preaching on the sayings and parables of Jesus, and the role of imagination in crafting sermons. She is the author of many articles and books including Preaching Proverbs: Wisdom for the Pulpit (1996), Preaching Biblical Wisdom in a Self-Help Society (2002), Novel Preaching: Fiction Writing Strategies for Sermons (2010) and the forthcoming What Not to Say: Practical Advice for Provocative Preaching.