Don’t Be Afraid: Dr. John Wyatt on AI, Human Dignity and the Future of Healthcare
This week’s episode features Dr. John Wyatt, a physician, ethicist, and professor emeritus of neonatal pediatrics at University College London, as he delivers a powerful plenary address from CMDA’s 2025 National Convention. As artificial intelligence accelerates change across healthcare, Dr. Wyatt challenges us to look beyond innovation and efficiency to the deeper ethical and spiritual questions at stake. From wearable tech to diagnostic algorithms, he explores the promise and peril of AI, urging Christian healthcare professionals to remain rooted in Christ and committed to preserving the sacredness of human connection. This message is a compelling call to embody hope, compassion, and faithful presence in a world increasingly shaped by AI and machines.
If this episode encouraged you, take a moment to share it with a friend, colleague, or someone in your church connected to healthcare. It’s a simple way to help us grow and keep sharing conversations that matter. Be sure to follow the podcast on social media to stay connected, encouraged, and up to date. And to learn more about how CMDA is equipping healthcare professionals for such a time as this, be sure to visit cmda.org and learn how.
We’ve got exciting news – our podcast is getting an updated name: Faith in Healthcare: The CMDA Matters Podcast. This new name reflects the heart of what we do: sharing real conversations where faith meets healthcare, in clinics, classrooms, operating rooms, and beyond.
We’re building on the deep roots of our CMDA community – and reaching even farther to invite more people into this space. Our prayer is that this shift will grow an even larger, stronger community – one that continues to speak hope, pursue truth, and live boldly for Christ in healthcare. And that many new Christian healthcare professionals will choose to join the CMDA family.
If today’s episode encouraged you, please consider sharing it with your colleagues, family, and friends. Be sure to follow the podcast on social media to stay connected, encouraged, and up to date. To learn more about CMDA’s ongoing advocacy work and how you can get involved, visit cmda.org.
At CMDA, we offer a wide range of resources to support you in your calling, from the CMDA GO! mobile app for community and event access, to nearly 400 online courses available through our Learning Center. You’ll also find the Healthwise PSA radio library, a faith-based bookstore, the quarterly CMDA Today magazine, and The Point Blog, all designed to help you live out your faith with excellence and compassion throughout your professional journey. Learn more at cmda.org.
We’d like to invite our women listeners in medicine or dentistry to a very special event coming up this September. The Women Physicians and Dentists in Christ commission will be holding their annual conference September 4-7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the beautiful Hotel Albuquerque – right in the heart of Old Town and the rising Sawmill District.
Registration is open, and this conference promises to be worth your time! Alongside our special guest Helen Smallbone – mother of the artists known as for KING & COUNTRY – you’ll also hear from CMDA Matters’ host, Dr. Mike Chupp, as he delivers a plenary message on the theme “God Makes a Way” from Isaiah 43:19. This is one of the very best ways to experience the belonging, support, and equipping that is at the heart of the WPDC ministry. CME is available, and I invite you to explore all the conference details and register today at wpdc.cmda.org.
And if you’ve never experienced a CMDA convention or retreat, we’d love for you to make this fall the time you join us. There are two more incredible opportunities coming up – one for our Midwesterners and one for our Northeasterners:
In the Midwest, don’t miss the Midwest Fall Conference, happening September 26-28 at the Maranatha Retreat Center on the shores of Lake Michigan. Now in its 35th year, this beloved CMDA gathering features speakers like Dr. Farr Curlin, Dr. Stephen Ko, and a special panel with Dr. Carl Trueman. You can earn up to six CME credits, and there’s a full children’s program for kids 12 and under – making it a wonderful weekend for individuals or the whole family.
And in the Northeast, join us for the Northeast Regional Retreat, October 24-26 at Sandy Cove Ministries in North East, Maryland. This year’s theme is Faith Embodied, led by Dr. Stephen Ko – a pediatrician and preventive medicine physician at Mass General Brigham in Boston, and a familiar voice on this podcast. Continuing education credit is available, with a $25 early bird discount through August 1. First-time attendees can also find an additional discount code on the event page. Learn more about all of these events and register at cmda.org/events.
Video Podcast:
Meet Our Guest(s):
Dr. John Wyatt is Professor Emeritus of Neonatal Paediatrics, Ethics and Perinatology at University College London, United Kingdom. He practiced as a clinical neonatologist and academic researcher for more than 25 years, and he is now engaged in research, teaching and writing on the ethical, practical and spiritual implications of advances in biomedical technology and artificial intelligence. He is current President of the UK Christian Medical Fellowship and a frequent speaker at national and international Christian conferences. He and his wife Celia are long-standing members of All Souls Church in London.
