49th ABS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

9:00am MDT

"When Medicine is Perfected": Past, Present, and Future

Saturday August 2, 2025 9:00am - 10:15am MDT

We live in a time of rapid advancement in science, technology and medicine, yet, the more advanced we are, the higher are the rates of chronic disease, cancer, neurological disease, anxiety and depression. There is a growing dissatisfaction towards the medical establishment, insurance companies and pharmaceutical compnies. In the light of the Baha'i writings, we explore the medicine of the past, medicine in the present times and new developments concerning possible future in medicine on the science of nutrition, microbiome, mind/body medicine, spirituality and more.

Speakers

Rebecca Eshraghi

Dr. Sherry is a Board Certified PhD and Doctor in Natural Medicine and a Certified Functional Medicine Clinician. Currently she works as a Assistant Research Scientist at the Nova Southeastern University. Former faculty at the Quantum University for Integrative Medicine. She has authored... Read More →

Adrien Eshraghi

draeshraghi@gmail.com

Saturday August 2, 2025 9:00am - 10:15am MDT
Glen 209 South building - 2nd level

Health & Mental health, Breakout

10:30am MDT

Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Globalization: A Baháʼí Perspective

Saturday August 2, 2025 10:30am - 11:45am MDT

Glen 209

This presentation shares unique insights into discourses in the scientific and lay communities from a Baháʼí perspective on the issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic utilizing the “lessons learned” and highlighting the “missed opportunities” for fostering stronger bonds of unity and global solidarity. This highly interactive presentation, encouraging participation from the audience, explores the implications of the Baháʼí teachings applied to current and future pandemics through relevant discourses in public health, behavioral, and political sciences based on the underlying principle of the agreement between science and religion and the important roles of each of the three protagonists.

Speakers

Robert Kim-Farley

Dr. Kim-Farley currently serves as a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and on the affiliated global faculty of the BIHE. He has previously served as the Director of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health... Read More →

Saturday August 2, 2025 10:30am - 11:45am MDT
Glen 209 South building - 2nd level

Health & Mental health, Breakout

2:00pm MDT

Abdu'l-Bahá and Evolution: Bringing 21st Century Evolutionary Biology into the Discourse

Saturday August 2, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT

Glen 209

The harmony between science and religion is central to the Bahá'í Faith, especially concerning human evolution. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's statements on evolution have inspired reflection for over a century but this discourse remains rooted in 19th-century Darwinian concepts, reflecting the scientific understanding of His time. To engage meaningfully with contemporary, science-literate thinkers, the subject must be framed within the context of current science. This presentation seeks to bridge the latest advancements in evolutionary biology with 'Abdu'l-Bahá's relevant statements—not to reinterpret them, but to demonstrate that modern evolutionary biology aligns with His comments.

Speakers

Douglas Perry

A Bahá'í since 1968, Douglas Perry holds a Ph.D. in cell biology. Now retired, his primary affiliation as a federally funded research scientist was as a tenured professor in School of Medicine at Indiana University. He co-teaches the course, Science, Religion, and the Bahá'í Faith... Read More →

Saturday August 2, 2025 2:00pm - 3:15pm MDT
Glen 209 South building - 2nd level

Science & Technology, Breakout

3:30pm MDT

Understanding Neuroscience in an Age of Transition

Saturday August 2, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm MDT

Glen 209

Neuroscience findings shape society’s understanding of human nature. Studies linking prejudice, violence, and rebellious behavior to brain function are often accepted as evidence that our lower nature is hard-wired and inescapable. However, the conceptual framework of the Bahá’í community situates humanity in an age of transition, emerging out of adolescence and advancing towards collective maturity. In this light, neuroscientific findings can be viewed as snapshots in time, and reflections of current culture, rather than immutable features of brain function. This presentation explores how neuroscience can be aligned with our framework, deepening our understanding of human potential.

Speakers

Tara Raam

Tara Raam is a neuroscientist and research fellow at UCLA. Her research examines how social groups coordinate their behavior together to respond to environmental challenges, as a model to understand the relationship between the individual and the collective. She is broadly interested... Read More →

Saturday August 2, 2025 3:30pm - 4:45pm MDT
Glen 209 South building - 2nd level

Science & Technology, Breakout