Jennie McLaurin and Bem Culiat: Designed to Heal

"I would love for us to be a people who promoted healing with justice, healing with hope, healing with love and inclusion." — Dr. Jennie McLaurin

Can we learn to repair relationships by observing God's design for healing in our bodies? Join our conversation with Dr. Jennie McLaurin and Dr. Bem Culiat as we explore this topic and their new book.

Let me invite you into a conversation I had with Dr. Jennie McLaurin and Dr. Bem Culiat, two women in science who have written a book together entitled Designed to Heal. This book is a fascinating exploration of the human body’s framework for healing — delving deeply into the science of healing on a cellular level — and envisioning how this healing process can offer lessons for the healing needed in relationships, community, and society. This book showcases each of the author’s expertise in medicine and science, weaves it together with very personal stories of healing in their own lives, and and then fuses this all together with spiritual wisdom and understanding. I love the way that Jennie and Bem are working hard to integrate science into their faith language, and I love their vision for the possibility of real healing in our society. The book itself is very inspiring, and this conversation was rich and joyful. I think you’re going to enjoy getting to know these two friends. You can read their bios below to get a sense of their background. So have a listen! We’re so glad you’re here.

— Ann Boyd

You can listen on iTunes or at All Shall Be Well: Conversations with Women in the Academy and Beyond. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

Further resources for this interview:

Designed to Heal: What the Body Shows Us about Healing Wounds, Repairing Relationships, and Restoring Community
by Jennie A. McLaurin and Cymbeline Tancongco Culiat
JennieMcLaurin.com — learn more about these two authors at Jennie's website
Jennie’s interview at Psychology Today
Jennie’s article at BioLogos

Image by Mahmoud Ahmed from Pixabay.

Tags:

medicine | STEM

About the Author

Jennie A. McLaurin

Dr. Jennie A. McLaurin is a writer, pediatrician, and educator with degrees in medicine, public health, and theology. A national expert in community health programs, she has been involved in caring for those in migrant communities, inner cities, indigenous Hawaiian clinics, homeless settings, centers for at-risk adolescents, and clinics for children with special needs. Jennie loves getting to know people from diverse backgrounds, celebrating the image of God she finds in the variety of portrayals. Her writing reflects understandings gleaned from the intersections of science, faith, medicine, and culture. Jennie and her husband, Andrew, live in the Pacific Northwest and are parents to five adult children. Jennie’s book, Designed to Heal, which was co-authored by Dr. Cymbeline T. Culiat, released from Tyndale Momentum in August 2021.

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Cymbeline T. (Bem) Culiat

Dr. Cymbeline T. (Bem) Culiat is a scientist, teacher, and entrepreneur. Bem earned degrees in cell biology and genetics from the University of the Philippines at Los Baños and received a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory–University of Tennessee. Her postdoctoral work involved identifying the functions of genes sequenced in the Human Genome Project, where she discovered the role of a novel signaling protein in tissue formation during early development and in the healing of tissues after severe injuries or disease. Bem has taught at the university level and cofounded two biotechnology start-up companies. She has a passion for bringing the world of science to people of faith. Dr. Culiat lives with her husband, Julio, and their son, Caleb, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Bem’s book, Designed to Heal, which was co-authored by Dr. Jennie A. McLaurin, released from Tyndale Momentum in August 2021.

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Ann Boyd

Ann is the Women Scholars and Professionals Podcast host and the interim editor for The Well. She has worked for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship since 1997, exploring her interests in community, spiritual formation, and writing. Ann has a BM in Music Education from Northwestern University and lives in Chicago, Illinois with one husband, two spunky teenage daughters, and three snuggly cats. You’ll often find Ann baking sweet treats in the kitchen while listening to a podcast or audiobook.

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Jennie McLaurin and Bem Culiat: Designed to Heal

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Jennie McLaurin and Bem Culiat: Designed to Heal

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