CMA Members Encounter Hope at SEEK25 Conference
January 10, 2025
By Conaire Bradfield
It was an incredible experience to begin 2025 reaching out to aspiring medical and other health professional students at SEEK25. The hope I encountered from this next generation of authentically Catholic trainees settled deeply into my heart as I was walking out of the conference center on the last day.
The annual Fellowship of University Student (FOCUS) conference was held in Salt Lake City January 1-5, 2025 and drew just shy of 20,000 attendees. Over the course of the five-day conference we encountered over 500 people at the CMA booth staffed by physicians Drs. Emily Krach and Luis Raez and medical students Bailey Mirmelli, Maisie Rivera and myself, Conaire Bradfield. We shared the booth with Joe Zalot of the National Catholic Bioethics Center as well, a CMA partner.
Various health professions students, priests and religious, campus ministers, and even physicians stopped by to learn more. There were many visitors who referred friends and family to CMA, excited and amazed that this organization exists. We shared about the many amazing opportunities offered through the Catholic Medical Association such as MedCon 2025 for pre-health students, the Medical Student and Resident Boot Camp, the mission trip opportunities offered through Novus Medicus and CMA’s Annual Educational Conference. We also emphasized the opportunities for networking and mentorship offered through participation in the local CMA guilds.
The students’ excitement was phenomenal to see. They were grateful to know that CMA could offer a community to help them navigate the various stages of medical training. Many students signed up for CMA membership as well as MedCon, the Harlingen mission trip, and some even plan to attend the Boot Camp in June!
CMA also led a breakout session that drew about 400 students. Dr. Wes Ely gave a talk titled “Christ the Physician of Body and Soul- How to Bridge Faith and Medicine and Discern Your Occupational Vocation in Healthcare,” in which he shared many impactful stories from his experience through medical school into his career as an ICU physician. An open Q&A session followed, where we were able to field extremely thought-provoking questions from students in the audience.
This session was particularly inspiring to me. It felt like a room full of hope for the future of Catholic medicine. And that feeling is how I left the conference. Despite all the pressures and fears of a medical culture and environment often hostile to Catholics, these students are choosing to valiantly follow the Lord to deeply pursue this “lowercase v”- vocation into health care.
Conaire Bradfield is a third year medical student at Des Moines University and is interested in family medicine. He is a In a member of the SEEK Committee, the Education Committee and a regional director for Novus Medicus, the medical student and resident outreach of CMA. He is also a past president of the CMA student chapter at Des Moines University.
