International Conference

Christina Puchalski, MD, OCDS, is the founder and Executive Director of the George Washington University’s Institute for Spirituality and Health (GWish) and Professor of Medicine at The George Washington University in Washington, DC.  She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.  Through her innovative curricular development including the development of the widely used spiritual history tool FICA she continues to break new ground in the understanding and integration of spiritual care in healthcare settings as an essential element of whole-person care which has led to the development of Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC).  Dr. Puchalski is author of Time for Listening and Caring: Spirituality, Care of the Seriously Ill and Dying, and co-author of Making Health Care Whole and The Oxford Textbook of Spirituality and Health.In 2018, Dr. Puchalski was named as one of “30 Visionaries” in the field by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Professor Vhumani Magezi is a distinguished scholar and thought leader in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at North-West University (NWU), South Africa. He also serves as a Visiting Research Fellow at Oxford University's Institute of Population Ageing in the United Kingdom, where his research focuses on the intersection of religion, public health, and youth sexual reproductive health.​  Holding two doctoral degrees—one in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care from Stellenbosch University, and another in Social Science with a focus on the Sociology of Health—Prof. Magezi brings a robust interdisciplinary perspective to his work. His academic foundation is further strengthened by three master's degrees, including an MA in Health Development. Recognized for his scholarly contributions, he holds a C2 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa.

Professor Louw has extensive experience in Clinical Pastoral Care and Hospital Care. He holds a Doctorate in Theology (DTh), a Doctorate in Philosophy (DPhil), a Masters in Theology (MTH), and a Masters in Philosophy (MPhil), all earned cum laude. He was a lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch and the Dean at the Faculty of Theology. As Dean, he was responsible for awarding scholarships to students, and he also served on the Ethics Committee of the South African Medical Research Council. He is co-author and editor for Guidelines on Ethics for Medical Research: Use of Biohazards and Radiation from the Medical Research Council. He was President of the International Council for Pastoral Care and Counselling (ICPPC). His specialized field of research include pastoral care and counselling; pastoral anthropology and human dignity; hospital care; and the human quest for meaning in suffering. He wrote several scientific accredited articles and supervised numerous master’s and doctoral degrees.

Harold G. Koenig, MD, MHSc. Dr. Koenig received his undergraduate education at Stanford University, medical school training at the University of California, San Francisco, and geriatric medicine and psychiatry training and master of health science degree in clinical research from Duke University. He is board certified in general psychiatry, and formerly board-certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and geriatric psychiatry. Dr. Koenig now serves as Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Health Systems. He has over 800 scientific peer-reviewed academic publications, book chapters, and books. Dr. Koenig is the lead author of the Handbook of Religion and Health, 3rd edition, 2024, with professors Tyler VanderWeele (TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University) and John Raymond Peteet (Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School). In 2022 and 2024, Dr. Koenig was ranked #1 in the world (lifetime) among highly ranked scholars in the academic discipline of spirituality and health, and 29 th in psychiatry. In June 2023, Dr. Koenig was ranked 10 th in the world by Research.com in the overall category of Best Social Sciences and Humanities Scientists
and was ranked 7 th best in the United States.