Georgina Fierro Keene had worked as a physician assistant in the Duke University Health System for 23 years when her daughter invited her to attend the Conference on Medicine and Religion. There, Keene first encountered and interacted with faculty from the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative (TMC) and Duke Divinity School. Listening to their presentations at the intersection of theology, medicine, and mental health—which she recalls as beautifully weaving together scholarship and faith—resonated deeply with Keene’s professional interests and personal passions. She realized she was not alone in wondering how Christian faith might shape the practice of health care and the meaning of vocation. 

“I have found my people! Where have they been?” she remembers thinking.

a woman in glasses talks with others at a table
Georgina Keene speaks with other clinicians at a TMC community dinner in 2023.

After introducing herself and speaking with TMC co-director Farr Curlin, he encouraged her to consider the TMC Fellowship. At first, Keene imagined she might apply a couple of years later, after her daughter graduated from college. But within months, she changed course, deciding to retire early and submit her application for the one-year Certificate in Theology and Health Care and the fellowship.

“My goodness, was it transformative!” Keene says, reflecting on her time as a TMC Fellow in 2020. “There were limitations to not being in person full time, but it was deeply meaningful to experience the COVID-19 pandemic in community, while grappling with practical ethical questions regarding human dignity and healthcare from a theological perspective.”

“The TMC Fellowship taught me to think, speak, and reflect theologically. I gained a new lens and a whole new framework, which I now carry with me—not only as a Christian in health care, but also as a member of my faith community and a creature within God’s creation.”

Keene went on to complete her Master of Divinity in 2024. Soon afterward, she and her husband began making annual gifts to TMC. “We support TMC out of gratitude to God and to the TMC community for my own personal formation. Studying theology with TMC was an opportunity to reflect on my career and my faith, to be formed for a new season of life.”

The TMC Fellowship taught me to think, speak, and reflect theologically. I gained a new lens and a whole new framework, which I now carry with me—not only as a Christian in health care, but also as a member of my faith community and a creature within God’s creation.

Georgina Keene, P.A., M.Div., TMC Fellow '21

Keene sees her giving as an investment that extends beyond her own experience. “I find it important to support something that is not just for me but that invests in future generations,” she says. “TMC is a gem of a program that has a profound impact not only on those training in healthcare, but also on those who are already immersed in it or who are seeking to reimagine their vocations as I have—transitioning from a career in direct patient care to serving as a hospital chaplain.” Partnering financially with TMC “is an investment in the Kingdom of God. It is an opportunity to join with God in the good things God is doing in the world.”

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