Can Emotional Awareness Lead to Better Healthcare?

By Tom Peteet
As a resident in the ICU, I’ve spent 160 hours over the last two weeks treating pneumonia, respiratory failure, alcohol withdrawal, and dozens of other diagnoses. I have spent less than precious few of these hours in reflection, discussion with families, or thinking hard about the underlying reasons my patients are admitted to the hospital. Oddly enough, in healthcare, the more emotionally charged the work, the less time and attention is given to responding to emotions and thinking effectively. Is this because highly technological fields require less emotional competency – or that emotions have no role in treatment? To frame the issue more broadly, what is the role of emotions in clinical decision making? Read more here.

How do you solve a problem like Fred?

By Jason Tippitt
Reportedly, the Rev. Fred Phelps, the longtime head of the Topeka, Kan.-based hate group the Westboro Baptist Church, is in hospice care [Phelps passed away on Mar. 19th ed.]. His son Nathan Phelps, one of several Phelps children and grandchildren to escape the controversial group best known for its offensively named website and its picketing of funerals, has posted that the elder Phelps was recently excommunicated from the unaffiliated church.

Some have reacted to the news of Fred Phelps' final days with glee. There have been jokes about whether the WBC would picket his funeral in a final act of meta commentary/irony/absurdity; others have said that his is the only funeral they'd ever want to picket. And, as when the Rev. Jerry Falwell exited the stage, others have voiced a general relief at his upcoming absence from the national discourse. Read more here.

Staff Transitions at State of Formation

It is with gratitude and thanks that we announce the departure of our Managing Director, Honna Eichler. After nearly three years of working to increase the capacity of the forum and establishing sustainable internal processes, Eichler will conclude her leadership position on May 31, 2014. Benjamin Barer is assuming the role of Managing Editor and Esther Boyd is slated to become the new Communications Assistant in April.

“Being part of State of Formation these past four years, both as a Contributor and staff member, has been a truly a remarkable experience,” said Eichler. “I am grateful to the initiative’s advisors, my colleagues, fellow contributors, and readers for all working to make State of Formation what it is today. I am thrilled to see where it will go next.” Eichler plans to focus more her new position as Grants Manager for the Golden Apple Foundation in Chicago, IL.

As we said when our Founding Managing Director, Chris Steadman, transitioned from his role: we believe that a transition of leadership is firmly in line with the vision of this project. As a community and forum dedicated to housing and supporting emerging voices, State of Formation ought to provide opportunities for new voices to facilitate its progress.

In that respect, we are excited for the future of State of Formation. Our new Managing Editor, Benjamin Barer, enters this role after being on staff at State of Formation for the past year. During his time as Editor at Large, Barer reviewed all submitted posts to State of Formation and worked to host the first annual State of Formation Workshop at the American Academy of Religion. He also is employed at CIRCLE (the Center for Inter-Religious and Communal Leadership Education, jointly hosted by Andover Newton Theological School and Hebrew College) and the Center for Global Judaism, at Hebrew College.

“I am excited to be taking on more of a leadership role at State of Formation, a project that I find very fulfilling, and one with great potential for growth,” Said Barer. “State of Formation continues to offer a unique and exciting blend of passionate voices of emerging interfaith leaders from around the world, and I consider myself lucky to be a part of such a venture.”

Additionally, we are pleased to welcome Esther Boyd as the new Communications Assistant. Boyd is a humanist working in multifaith chaplaincy at Johns Hopkins University. She holds an M.A. in Religion and Literature from Yale Divinity School and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Colby College. “As Communications Assistant, I look forward to bringing the great work of State of Formation to students and scholars engaging in interfaith work around the world with enthusiasm, humor, and thoughtful reflection,” said Boyd. “I'm excited and honored to help take on this challenge as State of Formation moves forward.” Read more here.