KEYNOTE SPEAKER

The Right Reverend Gerasim, Bishop of Fort Worth, Auxiliary to the Diocese of the South (OCA)

MEDICAL PLENARY

Rev. Dn. Sampson (Ryan) Nash, MD, MA, The Hagop S. Mekhjian, MD, Endowed Chair in Medical Ethics and Professionalism & Director of The Ohio State University Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities

PSYCHOLOGICAL PLENARY

Pia Chaudhari, PhD, Founding Co-Chair of the Analytical Psychology and Orthodox Christianity Consultation

THEOLOGICAL PLENARY

Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Calinic Berger, PhD, Archiepiscopal Vicar for the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese and Adjunct Professor of Dogmatic Theology at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology

The campus of University of Saint Mary of the Lake was an ideal location to host our 2023 and 2024 conferences. The OCAMPR Executive Board and Conference Planning Committee spent time researching and connecting with other conference venues before deciding that returning to the same location in 2025 would be the best decision for the upcoming annual conference for many reasons including:

Staying in the Chicago area allows us to apply for a grant from the Hellenic Foundation. We are excited to note that we have received a grant for the 2025 conference, which will help us meet our goal to break even on the conference budget.

Positive feedback

The vast majority of conference attendees provided feedback about how much they enjoyed the 2023 and 2024 conference location.

Geographically central

With Chicago O’hare being a hub for most airlines, travel is convenient with a direct flight from most locations in the US and even from abroad.

Familiarity of the location

As the conference is planned and executed by a volunteer committee, it is beneficial to return to a familiar location. This allows the volunteer committee simply to replicate much of the work that went into the planning.

By not having to spend time on basic planning, the OCAMPR Conference Committee can spend time on growing and improving the conference in meaningful ways for conference attendees.
Familiarity is a benefit for returning attendees. 2024 Attendees noted that they felt more comfortable with the layout of the meeting rooms and boarding facilities. Some shared that it felt like “returning home.”