Saint Gianna Medical Professionals Conference
5th Annual Conference: December 4-5, 2026
Accompanying the Vulnerable: Catholic Bioethics in a Time of Technological Change
Under the intercession of our patroness, Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, we at the Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences seek to serve the health care needs of the people in this region and beyond by preparing participants of this conference to uphold the dignity of the human person through compassionate, courageous, ethical, and joyful care.
Featured Speakers
Associate Professor Emerita of Bioethics
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Dr. Marilyn Coors recently retired from a robust career in bioethics at the Center for Bioethics and Humanities and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus, where she taught and researched ethical issues in clinical and behavioral genomic research. Coors has served extensively as a board member for many organizations, including past service to the Augustine Institute, National Catholic Bioethics Center, Saint John Vianney Seminary, and the Gates Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Currently, she serves as a board member to ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women), Marisol Health, and From Silence to Saved.
Coors received her undergraduate education from Cornell University where she majored in biological sciences. She then attended the University of Denver, earning a Master of Science in Cytogenics, a Master of Arts in Ethics and Religion, and a Ph.D. in Bioethics. She and her husband, Peter, have six adult children and fifteen grandchildren. The couple recently received the Benemerenti Medal, a Papal honor, for distinguished service to the Catholic Church.
Director, Center for Technology and Human Dignity
Assistant Professor of Moral Theology, Benedictine College
Mariele Courtois is the Director of the Center for Technology and Human Dignity and an Assistant Professor of Moral Theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Her research interests include biomedical ethics, technology ethics, disability theology, and the works of St. Edith Stein. She earned a Ph.D. with distinction in Moral Theology & Ethics (2022) and a Master of Philosophy in Theology and Religious Studies from the Catholic University of America. She is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education’s AI Research Group and a contributing author of “Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations” (2024) and “Reclaiming Human Agency in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” (2026). She is currently working on a manuscript about the ethics of genetic engineering technologies at the beginning of life.
Palliative Medicine Physician
Dr. Natalie King is a palliative medicine physician who specializes in caring for patients with serious illness and nearing the end of life. She is originally from Indiana and attended the University of Notre Dame. While in medical school at Tulane University, she founded the Catholic Medical Association Student Section. She completed internal medicine residency at the University of Utah and palliative medicine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She later completed a master’s degree in bioethics from The Ohio State University, with a focus on improving education around palliative care for Catholic laity. She has organized a forum for the Catholic Medical Association on end-of-life issues and has also worked with helping to advise USCCB and CCCB efforts. Based on questions she has received at presentations she has given and from patients and their families, she recently wrote a book titled “Intensive Caring: A Practical Handbook for Catholics about Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care.” She is currently writing a prayer companion for Catholics facing terminal illness called "Lean on the Lord," that is slated to be out in fall 2026. Dr. King lives with her family in Utah.
President, CEO & Founder, Institute of Reproductive Grief Care
Assistant Clinical Professor, Creighton Medical School
Michaelene Fredenburg, LHD, hc, is the founder, President, and CEO of the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care. An author, speaker, and internationally recognized thought leader, she is widely acknowledged as a leading authority and innovator in reproductive grief care.
Under her leadership, the Institute has emerged as a global leader in reproductive grief research and education, publishing in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Cureus, Frontiers in Pediatrics, Frontiers in Psychology, Newborn, Nursing for Women's Health, and PEC Innovation, while also contributing chapters to the textbook Principles in Neonatology.
Fredenburg led the development of the Institute's Compassionate Care Designation, a certification program that guides health care organizations through the implementation of evidence-based best practices in reproductive grief care. She also directed the creation of RGCare5™, the first validated reproductive grief screening tool designed to identify patients at risk for complicated grief and connect them with appropriate support.
In 2021, Fredenburg received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Divine Mercy University in recognition of her lifetime of scholarship, research, and visionary leadership. Most recently, she was honored as San Diego Magazine's Pioneer of the Year for her innovative contributions to maternal mental health and her leadership in expanding reproductive grief care nationwide.
Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Tara Feil is a clinical psychologist passionate about helping people grow in resilience, well-being, and meaningful human connection. She began her career working alongside mentors at The Catholic University of America, the American Association of Suicidology, and the National Institute of Mental Health, studying the lives of suicidal individuals and their families. That work sparked a lasting interest in understanding what helps people flourish and what makes life worth living.
Dr. Feil has taught psychology courses at the University of Kansas, presented her research nationally and internationally, and been featured as a TEDx speaker. Drawing from clinical psychology and resilience research, she speaks and writes about the habits, relationships, and perspectives that help people navigate challenge, strengthen well-being, and remain present and connected in a rapidly changing world.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Family Nurse Practitioner
Jacob (Jake) Knudsvig-Partida is a recent graduate of the University of Mary’s DNP program who now works for Sanford Health in Bismarck, ND, alongside Dr. Benjamin Axtman. Originally from California, Knudsvig-Partida came to Minot, ND, for his undergraduate studies and fell in love with the values and lifestyle associated with ND and decided to launch his career there. He worked in many different areas of nursing prior to starting his role as a nurse practitioner, including vascular access, flight nursing, and emergency nursing.
He is married to his wife, Amy, and they have two children: Asher (3) and Hayden (1) as well as three dogs. Knudsvig-Partida enjoys academia, trauma care, snowboarding, and travel.
Dean, Hamm School of Engineering
University of Mary
Dr. Terry Pilling earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Physics/Mathematics at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada in 1995, and his Master of Science in Nuclear Physics at the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory in 1998 with research on the near threshold photoproduction of pi-mesons and chiral perturbation theory. Pilling completed his Ph.D. in Theoretical High Energy Particle Physics at NDSU in 2002. He then worked as Scientific Editor at House of Knowledge Publishing Company in London in 2002 before going to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia in 2003 as a research associate. He joined NDSU as a professor from 2004 to 2008 and during that time also worked at the Joint Astronomy Center on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. In 2009, Terry joined Crownbutte Windpower, Inc., as its Chief Operations Officer, building the first wind farms in the Dakotas and Montana until 2014 when he returned to teach at NDSU. In 2015, Terry joined the University of Mary to start the new engineering program and is currently the Dean of the Hamm School of Engineering at Mary.
Chair, Theology
University of Mary
Father Gregory Crane grew up in the Twin Cities and came to North Dakota after college to work at the University of Mary for Monsignor Shea. After discerning a call to the priesthood, he studied philosophy at the Catholic University of America and theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, Italy. Ordained in 2019, he served for four years as Chaplain and teacher at Bishop Ryan Catholic School in Minot, ND, and then as the Parochial Administrator of three small parishes in Crosby, Noonan, and Portal, ND. He obtained his Licentiate in Sacramental Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL in 2024, and was recently appointed to the University of Mary at the Chair of the Theology Program in June of 2026.
Independent Consultant and Software Engineer
Nicholas Kramer is an independent software engineer, technical director, and inventor who is passionate about emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and open-source and decentralized systems. Before beginning his independent consulting and engineering position, Kramer served for 15 years as Web Development Director at Agency MABU, where he led engineering teams and delivered hundreds of websites for organizations from every sector. A co-founder of InnovatAR, Kramer invented and launched Yondar.me, an augmented reality application built on Nostr. He has developed decentralized metaverse protocols and placed first at the 2023 Nostr Hackathon. An active writer and international speaker, he has presented at global industry conferences, including Nostrasia Tokyo, Thank God for Bitcoin, Nostr Valley, and Bit Block Boom. Kramer is driven by a commitment to building technology that respects the dignity of the human person.
