Saint Gianna Medical Professionals Conference

Dr. Paul Carson is a physician who is board-certified in the specialties of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and has practiced medicine in MN and ND for over 30 years, most of which was at Sanford Health in Fargo, ND.  He received his medical degree from the University of North Dakota and internal medicine and infectious disease specialty training at the Universities of Nebraska and Minnesota.  At Sanford, he served in previous roles as the Chair of the Dept. of Infectious Disease, the Director of Infection Prevention, the Director of Clinical Research, and the Chief Quality Officer.  Throughout his 25+ years in ND, he has held an academic appointment with the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he still teaches and is a Professor in the Dept. of Internal Medicine.  In 2013, he joined the faculty of North Dakota State University to help develop an infectious disease epidemiology track in their new graduate program in Public Health. During his time there, he developed and directed the NDSU Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE), and received the Mary J Berg Excellence in Teaching Award in 2020, and NDSU’s highest faculty honor, the NDSU Faculty Lectureship Award in 2022. 

He recently retired from NDSU in July of 2024, but remains on faculty as an Emeritus Professor.  Dr. Carson is also a longstanding member of the Catholic Medical Association, and the immediate Past President of the Fargo Guild of the CMA.

Ashley K. Fernandes, MD, PhD, is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Primary Care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and the Associate Director of the Center for Bioethics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He has become a national and international expert in pediatric bioethics and professionalism education, and currently serves as the Director of Resident Ethics Education at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. His other scholarly interests include Catholic and Christian Bioethics, clinical pediatric ethics, the philosophy of medicine and medical professionalism, and Medicine and the Holocaust studies. He has presented his work at international and national forums and is the author of scores of peer-reviewed publications and three book chapters. After 13 years practicing hospital pediatrics, he is now an active member of the Primary Care Division. 

Dr. Fernandes is a member of the Catholic Medical Association and the American College of Pediatricians. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and was an elected member of the AAP’s National Executive Committee on Bioethics. He is also a member of the AOA Medical Honor Society and a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, receiving the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award twice—in 2020 and 2010. In 2020, he was awarded The Ohio State University College of Medicine’s Professor of the Year Award, the highest teaching award bestowed by a graduating class. In 2022, he was elected by The Courage to Teach Society faculty as a Master Teacher.

Talk to Gianna Jessen for just a few minutes, and she’s likely to punctuate every sentence with a deep, infectious laugh. Talk to her for a while longer, and as her story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the constant joy has overcome unspeakable challenges. In many regards, her life has been a short path littered with obstacles at every turn: challenges, betrayal, and cruelty. But for every setback, there have also been invitations into the greatest halls of government. A life that was never meant to be has been used to inspire—even save—others. You see, Gianna Jessen was intended to die before she was born, just another one of the 1.2 million abortions each year in the United States. Instead of death, though, Gianna was bathed in a burning saline solution, but she overcame to enter the world. Two months premature and weighing just two and a half pounds, she spent her first couple of months in a hospital. Eventually, she entered the foster care system. The failed abortion had also provided the “gift” of cerebral palsy, as she calls it: “It allows me to really depend on Jesus for everything.”It also labeled her a hopeless case—an infant who was a ward of the state and for whom the expectations of achievement were extremely low. Doctors predicted Gianna would never even lift her head. She showed them: she began walking at three and has grown into a woman who has run marathons.

Mary McClusky is the Assistant Director for Project Rachel Ministry Development at the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, her third position over the past 22 years serving the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Mary assists dioceses with pastoral pro-life ministry development, in particular, developing their abortion healing ministries and assistance to pregnant women. She has spoken throughout the Americas to promote awareness of the Church’s efforts to assist those suffering after abortion. Her work and interests involve collaboration with those who address domestic and sexual violence, marriage, and family issues. Mrs. McClusky earned a bachelor of arts degree in Communications (Radio/TV) and a Human Life Studies Minor from Franciscan University of Steubenville and a Master of Arts degree in moral theology at Holy Apostles College & Seminary. She has worked at several pro-life and public interest groups in grassroots development, media, fundraising, and public education and advertising campaigns. She and her husband, Tom, reside in Virginia with a boxer named after St. Catherine of Siena.

Megan is a Physician Assistant with MyCatholicDoctor, a national Catholic telehealth organization. She attended the University of Portland Honors Program and completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in Neuroscience and Music. She received a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Oregon Health and Science University. 

After PA school, Megan started working in primary care within Providence Health and Services, a Catholic hospital system. She soon encountered resistance from within the Catholic hospital system to her plan to practice medicine with fidelity to Catholic teaching. This all came to a head when she was fired in 2019 for refusing to prescribe an abortifacient when it was requested by a patient.

Now, Megan is a restorative reproductive medicine provider, a NaProTechnology Medical Consultant, and a Creighton Model Practitioner, having received her training through the Saint Paul VI Institute. She has a passion for providing life-affirming women’s health care. She values the relational aspect of medicine and loves taking the time to listen to patients and learn their stories. She is honored to serve her patients and accompany them on their journey toward greater health and healing.