Doctor now wants to help heal spirits with faith

"My first real feeling of closeness to God occurred at church camp one summer. It may have been a combination of being away from home, lots of hymns and prayers, or other factors that was associated with an intense feeling of something quite beyond my ability to explain. It was a feeling that was unmistakably different from previous experiences and convinced me that I have experienced something truly spiritual."
From Tampa cardiologist John Dormois' blog divinitymd.blogspot.com

On Friday, John Dormois ended a chapter in his life when he closed his Tampa medical practice.

For 35 years, the cardiologist loved his work. Now 65, he could have bid his patients goodbye and happily transitioned into retirement to enjoy passionate pursuits of a recreational nature.

But that would have surprised those who know Dormois well. He has passion, for sure, but he devotes it to the good of mankind.

This is a man who has served on mission trips in Haiti, Zaire (now Congo) in South Africa and India. He started a free health clinic in Hudson and volunteered at the Judeo Christian Health Clinic in Tampa. He served two years in the Navy.

He's also a marathon runner and an active member of Hyde Park United Methodist Church.

So no one can be surprised by his next journey.

He and his wife, Joan, are packing up their South Tampa condo and heading to Durham, N.C., where he will become a student for the next three years at the renowned Duke Divinity School.

"I've always been a risk-taker," Dormois says. "I seek adventure. I love challenges. I consider this next step to be both."

When he completes his degree, Dormois will be one of those rare doctors in the country who will have degrees in medicine and divinity. His plan: Combine both professions into one discipline.

He will have the credentials to treat both the body and spirit of patients - an intersection of religion and science that usually is divided by strong boundaries.

He's been thinking about of end-of-life care for about three or four years. Compassionate care often seems to take a back seat to the cold reality of impending death. As a physician, he has personally witnessed how patients, families, friends and even pastors don't handle the final stage of life very well.

Yet it is inevitable.

"So quite beyond my wildest dreams, I am now about to become a student in this school. I so anticipate acquiring a strong intellectual foundation in Christianity, but I also look forward to exploring my own faith and belief. Having focused almost exclusively on science as an undergraduate, it is exciting to know I will be exploring areas of ethics and philosophy of which I have little experience. Given the world class faculty at Duke, I know I will be richly rewarded."

Dormois' blog

He credits divine intervention for the genesis of this journey. It started in 2007 when he was asked to participate in a Forum on Faith sponsored by the divinity school at Duke. Dormois had an instant rapport with neuro-oncologist Richard Payne, director of the school's Institute of Care at End of Life. The two men joined a team creating a manual for churches to use in dealing with end of life issues.

That led to Dormois spending time at Suncoast Hospice to learn more about hospice care. He also was invited to join the board of directors at Project Grace, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping people with advance directives.

In September 2009, the doctor who loves challenges took another big step: He was accepted into the Clinical Pastoral Education program at Tampa General Hospital. The eight-month course required 18 hours a week of classroom and clinical experience as a chaplain.

Bernie Lieving, congregational care pastor at Hyde Park, urged Dormois to enroll in the program. He knew of the cardiologist's interest in medicine and spirituality.

"John lives what he believes," Lieving says. "He's long felt this call in his life, and he's always open for God to use him. Sometimes that call isn't easy or convenient, but John is not the type to let that get in his way."

"The CPE experience was valuable beyond description. Having always seen medicine from the perspective of a physician, it was a very different reality when my badge read 'chaplain' instead of physician. It became immediately clear that when (a patient was) visited by a chaplain, an entirely different mindset was present. I could inquire about the medical circumstances of their admission, but it was obvious that they were sharing feelings and concerns with the chaplain that had not been shared with their physicians."

Dormois' blog

Dormois continued his exploration by taking a Duke course online. His writings on his experiences in moving to the other side of patient care - the spiritual side that is so neglected - caught the attention of the dean of the divinity school.

Duke administrators saw in Dormois something they sorely wanted: a man who could help develop a stronger relationship between the university's medical and divinity schools. They were willing to be flexible and creative in developing a curriculum that fit his needs and fulfilled their mission.

"Everything just fell into place," Dormois says. His application for admission was quickly accepted. In August, he begins the first class for his master's degree in divinity. He's got the support of his five grown children. Even more important, he's got Joan, who worked as his office manager, by his side. She shares his zest for adventure and spiritual zeal.

The couple don't know where they will end up after he graduates. He envisions a teaching position, where he's no longer constricted by those boundaries set forth in his profession. He would like to be a part of changing how medicine handles end-of-life issues, at least from a spiritual perspective.

As he leaves for campus life, Dormois takes with him a quote he read in a book that serves as an inspiration for this journey:

"It has stuck with me: 'Death is a spiritual event with medical implications,'" he recites. "If those are not dealt with, then this will not be a good death. And even though it's hard to talk about, isn't that something we all want?"