Dr. Noel R. Peterson Founders Lecture Series

The annual Dr. Noel R. Peterson Founders Lecture Series is a free, local forum for healthcare providers and other community members to discuss issues including healthcare reform, bioethics, the impact of philanthropy, and other important issues in healthcare.

The Founders Lecture Series was established through an endowment gift from OMC past president Dr. Noel Peterson and his wife, Ann, in 2006. It is supported by annual gifts from many OMC clinicians, employees, and community members.

Lecture Topic for 2025

The annual free Dr. Noel R. Peterson Founders Lecture Series for OMC employees and community members was held on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, from 6:00-7:30 PM, at J.Powers at Hilton - Third Floor (10 East Center Street, Rochester, MN 55904). 

Christopher Wong Michaelson, PhD, Professor of Ethics & Business Law at University of St. Thomas and Author of Is Your Work Worth It?, presented on “What Makes Healthcare Work Worth It - Or Not?”

What are our reasons for doing the work we do — and what are the ethical risks and rewards of the reasons we work? Through stories and the science of wellbeing, this session engaged participants in philosophical reflection on what makes their work worth it — or not.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this session, participants were able to:

• articulate and prioritize their reasons for the work they do
• assess the ethical risks and rewards of healthcare work
• apply identified values and ethics to interactions with patients and colleagues.