Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative

Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative, College & University, 407 Chapel Drive, Durham, NC.

The TMC Initiative creates opportunities for students, clergy, and health care practitioners to reimagine and to re-engage contemporary practices of health care in light of Christian tradition and the practices of Christian communities.

Meet Lisa Vickers! Lisa, a mental health track student in our hybrid Certificate in Theology and Health Care, serves as ...
05/08/2026

Meet Lisa Vickers! Lisa, a mental health track student in our hybrid Certificate in Theology and Health Care, serves as a chaplain, bringing the good news of Christ to elderly patients and those living with dementia.

During her year with TMC, she developed a more nuanced, faith-rooted approach to care—one that honors the dignity of every person she encounters.

Her favorite moment? “Our January spiritual retreat, which was so filled with
peace, wisdom, and community that I often find myself wishing I could transport myself
back there to live it all over again!”

Learn more about our programs at divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/tmc



Meet Mark Landon, a mental health track student in our Certificate in Theology and Health Care program! Mark works along...
04/30/2026

Meet Mark Landon, a mental health track student in our Certificate in Theology and Health Care program!

Mark works alongside immigrant and refugee families, helping them find the resources and relationships that support life and belonging in their communities. Through the hybrid CTHC, his vocational vision is continuing to take shape: “I work at a community clinic, and TMC has been transformational in how I see and do things there.”

His favorite aspect of the hybrid CTHC? “It’s the depth of conversations we have had, and also the abundant laughter we’ve shared.”

Meet Sam Pullen, MD!Sam (pictured on the left) is a hybrid student in the mental health track. Sam works in behavioral h...
04/28/2026

Meet Sam Pullen, MD!

Sam (pictured on the left) is a hybrid student in the mental health track. Sam works in behavioral health, helping ensure the fair and equitable distribution of state resources for people navigating mental health and substance use challenges.

Reflecting on his time in the hybrid CTHC program, Sam shares: “It's really helped to give me a Christian framework through which to see my role in managing populations and state resources.”

When asked about the highlight of this year, his answer was immediate:
“By far and away our immersive weeks, especially when we’ve gathered at someone’s home and had fellowship with classmates and faculty.”

Learn more about our programs at divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/tmc

Meet Kimberly Stephens, Th.M., a hybrid student in our Certificate in Theology & Health Care program! Kimberly walks alo...
04/22/2026

Meet Kimberly Stephens, Th.M., a hybrid student in our Certificate in Theology & Health Care program!

Kimberly walks alongside Veterans navigating mental illness and substance abuse — wounds so often tied to the weight of their military service.

Like many who study with TMC, she found that the relationships formed in the program were just as formative as the coursework itself. Connecting with a cohort of fellow practitioners who share her hunger to do God's will in health care was a highlight she didn't anticipate.

As for the impact of her time with TMC, she writes: "Studying with TMC has enhanced my knowledge of God, strengthened my confidence in my work, and affirmed how God has called me to serve in the world."

We're grateful to have walked alongside Kimberly this academic year!

Learn more about our programs at divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/tmc

"The question was never whether he would survive. The real question was: how did this man have to die? Why was he requir...
04/22/2026

"The question was never whether he would survive. The real question was: how did this man have to die? Why was he required to endure the full weight of medical intervention before anyone helped his family face what was already evident? Why do we wait to bring palliative care to the bedside until all interventions have been exhausted—until patients are dying not just from their
illness, but from the very burdens of care we impose?"

TMC alumna, Bindu Thota, is a surgical resident in the Department of Surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Her experience during residency illuminated a counterintuitive reality—that cardiac surgeons were taking on aspects of palliative care. Read more in her essay, "The End of the Line: The Role of Cardiac Surgery in Palliative Care," published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

🔗 Read at the link in our bio

04/16/2026

What does it look like to bring your whole self — your faith, your values, your vocation — into medicine? 🩺✨��Dr. Giang Ha, a TMC Fellowship alumna, shares how Duke Divinity’s Theology, Medicine, and Culture program transformed her sense of belonging, deepened her calling as a physician, and changed the way she shows up for her patients.��If you’re a clinician, student, or healthcare leader longing to integrate faith and vocation into your practice—this community is for you.��🔗 Learn more on the TMC website. Link in bio.��

What does it look like to bring your whole self — your faith, your values, your vocation — into medicine? 🩺✨Dr. Giang Ha...
04/16/2026

What does it look like to bring your whole self — your faith, your values, your vocation — into medicine? 🩺✨

Dr. Giang Ha, a TMC Fellowship alumna, shares how Duke Divinity's Theology, Medicine, and Culture program transformed her sense of belonging, deepened her calling as a physician, and changed the way she shows up for her patients.

If you're a clinician, student, or healthcare leader longing to integrate faith and vocation into your practice—this community is for you.

🔗 Learn more on the TMC website. Link in bio.

So excited to share recent work by TMC alumna, Kayal Parthiban! 🎉Now a 3rd-year medical student at UMass Chan Medical Sc...
04/16/2026

So excited to share recent work by TMC alumna, Kayal Parthiban! 🎉

Now a 3rd-year medical student at UMass Chan Medical School, Kayal recently co-authored a study with the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health: "Bridging Systems of Care: Experiences of Faith Leaders Supporting Community Mental Health in Worcester, Massachusetts."

Through qualitative interviews with faith leaders across diverse religious traditions in Worcester, MA, they found that faith leaders serve as accessible, comprehensive, and deeply relational mental health supports for the people they serve. The study also surfaces the real challenges these leaders face: outdated referral resources, limited formal training, emotional burden, and gaps in engagement from healthcare systems.

This is the kind of work that shows how integrated health care, community care, and religious care can be.

Read the full paper at the link in our bio.

Duke Divinity Alumni Kayal Parthiban

Meet Jeremiah Gress, MD, a current student in the TMC hybrid Certificate in Theology and Health Care cohort.Gress seeks ...
04/15/2026

Meet Jeremiah Gress, MD, a current student in the TMC hybrid Certificate in Theology and Health Care cohort.

Gress seeks to bring Christ-centered, individualized care to marginalized and at-risk folks in his community through his work in emergency and addiction medicine and by leveraging community resources to meet their tangible needs.

Over this past year in the hybrid CTHC, He has experienced transformation in his walk of faith: “My imagination for how God continues His loving work in a broken and beloved world has been expanded by studying with TMC. Through the faithful witness of new friends at Reality Ministry in Durham, my knowledge of God’s loving character has been deepened.”

Gress has also experienced transformation in his work in the emergency department: “I am learning to see the opportunities to participate in loving Christ through the care of my neighbor, helping them to 'assume their illness' even when I cannot cure it, and to look for the love of God throughout it all.”

We are grateful for his presence among us this year!

Learn more about our programs at divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/tmc

01/12/2026

Last week, TMC welcomed hybrid students from across the country for the second on-campus immersive of the academic year at Duke Divinity School. A time of learning, worship, and community-building, it was a reunion of longtime friends and colleagues, and an opportunity for emerging connections and ideas.

Wondering how theological education and spiritual formation could shape your calling in health care? Let’s talk! Send us a message—we’d love to explore what’s possible together.

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407 Chapel Drive
Durham, NC
27708

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