Letter from the President and CEO September 2025

Dear Reader,

Labor Day has come and gone, which means we are moving into the fall season. Here at the Institute, we are preparing to host a flurry of programs coinciding with the beginning of the academic year and stretching into the holidays.

First, this very afternoon, we will kick off the inaugural Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Healthy Faith Community cohort, which is comprised of representatives of ten diverse faith communities from the Greater Houston region who are embarking on a two-year journey to strengthen the capacity for their faith home to engage in health-promoting programs and initiatives. The Institute and its collaborators are so excited to walk alongside these teams as they learn and grow. We are most grateful to Novo Nordisk for supporting this important work.

Second, our fall conferences are around the corner. The 32nd Annual Spirituality in Nursing Conference and the 34th Annual Psychotherapy & Faith Conference will bring nationally renowned scholars and healthcare professionals together to examine pressing issues of our time, as reflected in the themes, "Skills at the Intersection of Spiritual and Mental Wellbeing" and "Tools for Building Resilience in Uncertainty."

Third, our response to the tragic July 4th Texas Hill Country floods will continue as we launch additional mind-body skills groups, workshops, and trainings. To date, we have reached hundreds of individuals through skills-building workshops in local community-based settings, including churches and schools. As we help the community move through the devastating experience of trauma, acute stress, and sudden loss, our hearts are with anyone who was impacted by this tragedy - please know we stand with you in recovery.

Finally, while it doesn’t occur until the spring, I am very pleased to reveal the theme of the 2026 Conference on Medicine and Religion, “The Prophetic Voice: Healing, Imagination, and the Public Witness of Medicine and Religion.” The conference will be held in Houston from March 22-24, and we invite scholars, clinicians, faith leaders, and others to explore the public witness of medicine and religion - their capacity not only to critique but also to creatively reimagine. How do religious and medical voices speak prophetically to today's critical issues: institutional collapse, medical workforce shortages, scientific distrust, moral injury, and emerging technologies? How do cultural, musical, textual, and artistic expressions from religious traditions help communities hold grief, envision justice, and rekindle hope?

As you can see, the relationship between spirituality and health remains a dynamic and multilayered one. We are fortunate to be able to serve in these ways, and I look forward to seeing you soon. In the meantime, peace and blessings!

Warmly,
Stuart

Stuart C. Nelson
President & CEO
Loise Henderson Wessendorff Chair