Man of Science, Man of Faith (with Dr. Francis Collins)

The Doctor's Art

Henry Bair and Tyler Johnson

Medicine, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Philosophy

5 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 September 2022

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Human Genome Project was a 13 year long international effort to map and sequence all of the genes in the human genome. Leading this ambitious endeavor was Dr. Francis Collins, who was also Director of the National Institutes of Health from 2009 to 2021. His work has had a far-reaching impact on our understanding of diseases and the development of new therapies. In addition to being one of the foremost physician scientists of our time, Dr. Collins is also well known for his bold defense of his Christian faith and for his steadfast promotion of dialogue between science and religion. His book, The Language of God, was an international bestseller. In this episode, Dr. Collins joins us to share his remarkable path in medicine, the origins and evolution of his faith, and his perspectives on the moral mission of medicine.

In this episode, you will hear about:

A close personal look at Dr. Collins’ career, leading to his directorship of the Human Genome Project - 1:56
The mission and implications of the Human Genome Project - 10:02
The cultural upheaval that has occurred during Dr. Collins’ lifetime and the way popular culture tends to pit science and faith against each other - 15:25
The origin of BioLogos and its mission to foster a community that strives to harmonize science and Christian faith - 24:47
A brief discussion of Intelligent Design, a movement that aims to prove the existence of God through science, and how it differs from BioLogos - 28:26
Dr. Collins’ reflections on the reconciliation between his faith in God and the human suffering he has witnessed throughout his career - 32:42
Advice on finding meaning and fulfillment in both life and work, and how community can help combat burnout - 40:38

Dr. Francis Collins is the author of The Language of God and the founder Biologos.org.

Dr. Collins references The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewisas being particularly enlightening to his personal worldview

Dr. Collins was recently interviewed by Science.org about his time leading the National Institutes of Health

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Henry Bear.
0:03.4	And I'm Tyler Johnson.
0:04.8	And you're listening to the Doctors' Art, a podcast that explores meaning in medicine.
0:09.9	Throughout our medical training and career, we have pondered, what makes medicine meaningful?
0:15.2	Can a stronger understanding of this meaning create better doctors?
0:18.8	How can we build healthcare institutions that nurture the doctor-patient connection?
0:23.1	What can we learn about the human condition from accompanying our patients in times of suffering?
0:28.0	In seeking answers to these questions, we meet with deep thinkers working across healthcare,
0:33.1	from doctors and nurses to patients and healthcare executives, those who have collected a career's worth of harder and wisdom.
0:40.2	Proving the moral heart that beats at the core of medicine, we will hear stories that are by turns heartbreaking,
0:45.6	amusing, inspiring, challenging, and enlightening.
0:49.3	We welcome anyone curious about why doctors do what they do.
0:52.9	Join us as we think out loud about what illness and healing can teach us about some of life's biggest questions.
1:03.5	The Human Genome Project was a 13-year-long international effort to map and sequence all of the genes in the human genome.
1:10.5	It was one of the most ambitious and exciting scientific research endeavors in human history,
1:15.1	with wide-ranging applications on our understanding of diseases and the discovery of new therapies.
1:20.6	Leading the project was Dr. Francis Collins, who was also director of the National Institutes of Health,
1:26.2	from 2009 to 2021.
1:29.3	In addition to being one of the foremost physician scientists of our time,
1:33.0	Dr. Collins is also well-known for his bold defense of his Christian faith
1:37.0	and for his steadfast promotion of dialogue on the relationship between science and religion.
1:41.9	His book, The Language of God, was an international bestseller.
	...

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