Adam Marks obtained his MD and MPH at the University of Wisconsin before coming to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he completed a combined internal medicine pediatrics residency, followed by a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine. He is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine at the University of Michigan. In addition, he serves as section head of the adult palliative medicine program at Michigan Medicine, the director of education for the palliative medicine program, and as a hospice physician for Elara Hospice. Since 2016, he has also worked as a faculty ethicist within the clinical ethics service at Michigan Medicine. His work focuses on caring for both adult and pediatric patients living with serious illness. His clinical interests include symptom management at the end of life, clinical ethics, and effective communication around goals of care and advance care planning.

Andrew Ikhyun Kim (he/they) is a physician, peacebuilder, and chaplain-in-training at Upaya Zen Center who is planting the seeds for his dreams of creating a nature-based hospice. He was the director of policy in the UCSF Center for Global Health Diplomacy, where he coordinated global health policy engagements for the UN High Level Meetings on Tuberculosis, and he served as the co-secretariat for the Lancet Commission on TB. Prior to that he served as a White House Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget and the White House COVID-19 Response Team. He earned his Medical Doctorate from Harvard Medical School, his Master of Philosophy in International Development at the University of Cambridge, and Bachelor of Arts from Brown University. As an integral balance to his professional work, Andrew enjoys thru-hiking, trail running, volunteering as an adaptive ski instructor for skiers with disabilities, and exploring mystical contemplative traditions across world religions.

Arlene MacDougall is a psychiatrist and the Director of Research and Innovation for Mental Health Care at St. Joseph's Health Care London in London, Ontario. She is an Associate Professor and Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University. She leads trans-disciplinary and cross-sectoral innovation initiatives tackling complex mental health and addiction system challenges. She conducts mental health services research on access to emergency psychiatric care, the collaborative care model, and early psychosis intervention. Dr. MacDougall is also the founder and CEO of the Global MINDS Collective, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to building capacity in mindfulness, social-emotional learning, and mindful social innovation. She has been recognized as a global young physician leader by the International Inter-Academy Partnership. 

Brian Zikmund-Fisher, PhD is Professor of Health Behavior and Health Equity and Research Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the academic journals Medical Decision Making and MDM Policy & Practice. Dr. Zikmund-Fisher's career blends his training in decision psychology and behavioral economics with his personal experiences having to make multiple major medical treatment decisions. He designs and evaluates methods of making health data more intuitively meaningful to patients, the public, and policymakers. He studies the impact of people’s consistent preferences for more versus less health care on over- and underutilization of care. And he explores the power of narrative as a tool for sharing patient experiences. He also teaches courses on designing clear and memorable messages to non-scientist audiences and explores the use of improvisational theater games as tools for building health and science communication skills.

Dale Nikkel, PhD, MDiv is the Manager of Spiritual Care at St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, Ontario, Canada. Dale is a Canadian Association for Spiritual Care Certified Supervisor-Educator and a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. He earned a PhD in Interdisciplinary Research in Social Issues focusing on the intersection between bioethics and theology with a focus on Advance Care Planning.

A former schoolteacher, writer and musician, Dale draws on his own life experiences to help deepen reflection regarding spiritual health in the healthcare environment. Originally from Winnipeg, he now lives in southern Ontario with his family including a dog named Penny.

Heather Gilmartin is a nurse practitioner and research health scientist at the Denver/Seattle Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, located within the Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Health Administration Medical Center. She is the Associate Director of the Denver Center of Innovation and co-Director of the Denver VA Advanced Research Fellowship for Health Services Research. She serves as a Clinical Associate Professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy, and is the Associate Director of the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Dissemination & Implementation Research Core. Dr. Gilmartin is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, providing executive leadership coaching to VA clinical leaders through the VA Leadership Coaching Cadre.

Jinae Stoudemire is a graduate of Oakland University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Science. She has worked at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System for 16 years in a variety of roles and currently serves as an Administrative Officer. She is also the creator and host of The Honest Room, a space centered around authentic conversation, emotional safety, and human connection. Jinae is passionate about personal growth, self-trust, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued.

Kenneth Pargament is a professor emeritus of psychology at Bowling Green State University and adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor Medical College. He has authored over 300 refereed articles on the relationship between religion and mental health. He is Editor-in-Chief of the two-volume APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. With Julie Exline, he has authored Working with Spiritual Struggles in Psychotherapy: From Research to Practice. He was Distinguished Scholar at the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center. His awards include the Oskar Pfister Award, the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Professional Chaplains, the first Outstanding Contribution to the Applied Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Award from Division 36 of APA, and an honorary doctor-of-letters from Pepperdine University in 2013. He was named One of the 50 Most Influential Living Psychologists. 

Kristin Collier received her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed her internship, residency, and chief medical residency at the University of Michigan hospitals. She is currently an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. There she serves as the Director of the Medical School's Program on Health, Spirituality, and Religion, as well as Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency, where she oversees the primary care track. Her academic interests are in the overlap of spirituality, religion, and medicine, and her peer-reviewed work has been published in high-impact journals such as JAMA Internal Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the British Medical Journal. She also has had writings published in Notre Dame's Church Life Journal, Theopolis, America Magazine, and Public Discourse. She is also a wife and the proud mother of four sons. 

Naomi Zikmund-Fisher, LMSW is a clinical social worker in private practice specializing in the aftereffects of trauma and emotional neglect. Therapist is her second career, having been a special education teacher and then a school principal until age 40. She has earned three Master's degrees.

Outside of work, Naomi is an avid storyteller and 4-time Moth StorySLAM winner. She is an active volunteer with the National Lawyer’s Guild, fighting fascism in Michigan and nationally. She is the author of Across the Chasm: A Caregiver’s Story, a book she wrote about her experiences during her husband, Brian’s bone marrow transplant 26 years ago. Together, Naomi and Brian live in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area and are the proud parents of two adult children and a cat named Turtle.

Rajesh Mangrulkar is the Marguerite S. Roll Professor of Medical Education and Professor of Internal Medicine and Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is a practicing primary care physician whose work centers on organizational leadership and innovation, transforming education at scale. Having served as Associate Dean for Medical Student Education for 10 years, he was then charged in 2021 with building an education innovation community of practice across three University of Michigan campuses. He now serves as Director of the Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education and RISE, an education innovation initiative that he founded. In 2022, he was awarded the Robert J. Glaser Award for Distinguished Medical Teaching by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. In 2024, he was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice. 

Rev. Mary Myoku Remington is a Buddhist Chaplain and Director of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program at Upaya. For 7 years, she was Director of the Spiritual Care Department at Good Samaritan Hospital, as the first non-theist chaplain holding that leadership role within their Catholic Ministries system. She began her relationship with Zen Buddhism through the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care in 2007, where she was General Manager of the Center for 10 years, working closely with the co-founders to develop the organization from the ground up. Mary brings a wealth of experience of contemplative practice as it relates to spiritual caregiving within healthcare. She completed her Clinical Pastoral Education in large medical centers in New York. A significant portion of her direct chaplaincy supports those with addiction, disability, and persons approaching end of life. She also holds a private practice in spiritual care counseling and support.