Monday, February 2, 2009
Chaplains in Dialogue

Join the Co-Founders of the Center at this lively discussion of chaplains from various faith traditions. In this afternoon, chaplains representing four faith traditions are asked to share an authentic expression of their faith or practice. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic of "What I wish chaplains knew about my faith tradition."

The aspiration for this afternoon is to help people become more aware of religious diversity and engage the diversity in their own institutions better. We have representatives from Jewish, Catholic and Muslim traditions.

Presenters:

Robert Chodo Campbell, HHC, is a Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. He serves on the Core Faculty for the Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Programs. Chodo is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He is Co-Director of Contemplative Care Services for the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. Chodo brings his life experience and his Zen and psychoanalytic study to his teachings in the areas of: anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and contemplative approaches to care. He began formal Zen training in 1994 and currently he is a Soto Zen Buddhist Priest, at Village Zendo. He gives plenary addresses, workshops and retreats in a variety of settings from corporations to national healthcare conferences.

Chaplain Thomas Chirdo, a native of New York, earned a Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He worked for five years as an engineer at Nynex Mobile Communications Company in New York before pursuing a vocation in ministry. Tom received his Master of Divinity from Washington Theological Union, completed a CPE residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and is certified by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. For six years he served as the chaplain of Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Virginia. In 2005, he received a Diversity Leadership Certificate from the NTL Institute in Alexandria, Virginia. He joined HealthCare Chaplaincy in 2007 to pursue supervisory education and is certified as an ACPE Supervisory Candidate. He currently supervises CPE at North Shore University Hospital in New York.

Al-hajji Yusuf Hasan, BCC is the first board certified Muslim chaplain in the United States. He serves as a staff chaplain at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, both affiliated with HealthCare Chaplaincy….

Rabbi Naomi Kalish, BCC is an ACPE Supervisor at St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, affiliated with the HealthCare Chaplaincy. Previously she worked as a staff chaplain at Calvary Hospital, an acute care facility specializing in palliative care for patients in the final stages of cancer. Naomi also previously worked as the Educational Coordinator of the Center for Studies in Jewish Pastoral Care. Naomi serves on the board of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and is the Chair of its New York Region. She also serves as the Co-Chair of NAJC’s CPE Committee and on its Certification Commission. Naomi is the founding convenor of the ACPE Jewish Supervisors Network. Naomi was awarded ACPE’s Lenart Cedarleaf Award for her theology paper …, published in Reflective Practice… Currently Naomi is a doctoral student in Education and Jewish Studies at New York University.

Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. He serves as the Director of Training for the Center’s Buddhist Contemplative Care Programs. He is a ACPE Chaplain Supervisory Resident. Koshin is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. He is a co-founder of the Buddhist Psychotherapy Collective. Koshin is currently a Jungian Analyst Candidate at the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association. He is the Co-Director of Contemplative Care Services for the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center. Koshin began Zen practice over twenty years ago, and he is a Senior Soto Zen Buddhist Priest, at the Village Zendo. He gives plenary addresses, workshops and retreats on contemplative based approaches to leadership and care, and meditation in a variety of settings from corporations to national healthcare conferences.

We will spend an hour learning the basic skills of guided meditation to bring relief to physical and emotional pain. No previous meditation experience needed. Come with an open mind!